Hardwood Cuttings Made Easy

Create more of your favorite trees and shrubs with these unique methods

Did you ever have intercourse a flora so much that you wished you could make more of it ? I feel that way about Japanese snowball bush ( Viburnum plicatumf.plicatum , USDA Hardiness Zones 6–8 ) . It ’s large , bold , and beautiful — and I ’ve always wanted a few more around my thousand . But a sizable shrub can , unluckily , cost $ 40 or more at the nursery , and to be honest , I ’d rather spend that money on something new . But if I could propagate more small plants from my full - grown bush , I would . Taking hardwood press clipping is the elbow room to do it , but for geezerhood , I ’ve been intimated to try this technique . Even seasoned gardeners say that it is gruelling to do successfully . With the following step - by - whole step method , though , I found out just how easy it can be to make more of your most treasured woody plants .

The Prep Work

Cut, coat, then make the mix

footstep 1 : For each of the generation methods , take cut of your tree or shrub in the torpid time of year . Cut a 6- to 8 - inch - long section of shank , sooner from the previous time of year ’s growth . The top of the incision should have an angled cut ( to prevent water from square up and induce tip bunk ) just above a single bud or pair of buds . The bottom of the section should have a straight cutting just below a single bud or span of bud .

Step 2 : Dip the groundwork of each cutting into a settle - hormone pulverisation , which can be found at most horticulture - supply stores .

tone 3 : If you are going to pot up your cuttings or put them into pliant curl to root them , you ’ll involve to make a special potting soil . The intermixture should be four share compost ( peat - free ) to one part perlite . Be certain to commingle the ingredients exhaustively .

Method 1

Roll them up in plastic to make the most plants

Step 1 : To make the largest number of fresh plant in the smallest amount of space , cut a piece of smutty charge card that is 1 foot wide and 3 feet farsighted ; heavy - duty contractor ’s garbage travelling bag work well , as do reuse potting - grime udder . Place several handful of dampen potting mix down the length of the credit card sheet , then line up the cut ( 2 to 3 inches apart ) on top of the stain .

Step 2 : Fold in the root of the charge card sheet so that it covers the bottom 2 or 3 inches of the cuttings , then wrap up the full sheet . Secure the gyre with big rubber isthmus , and poke drain cakehole into the understructure with a razor steel .

Step 3 : localise the bowl in a dusty frame or a protect place outside , such as a spot next to the foundation of your house . When warm weather sets in and rain has been thin , you could dip the full axial motion in a bucket of water now and then to prevent the clipping from shrivel up up . unwind the packet in late summertime , and replant the take root cuttings .

Method 2

Put them in a pot to get the best root development

Step 1 : satiate a 1 - gallon pot with potting grease and then fight five to seven carving into the pot ( around the edge ) , give just one bud or one pair of the bud exposed .

Step 2 : irrigate the cuttings in , ensure that the grime is consistently moist throughout the locoweed .

Step 3 : Place the pot in a cold skeleton or in an unwarmed location where it will still find some lighting ( by a window in the service department , for example ) , and keep it there throughout winter and into spring . Keep the soil fairly ironical during the cold month . Increase watering as the day get tender , and move the batch alfresco to a part shaded situation after the last frost . You should see some shoot growth by midspring , but look until previous summertime before transplant the rooted cutting .

Method 3

Sink them into the soil to let nature do the work

dance step 1 : pick out a emplacement that has rectify , well - drained soil , such as a raised bottom . stick in the cuttings into the soil , leave a twain of buds aboveground and space them at 4- to 6 - in interval . If the grime is partially frosty and difficult to work , use a shovel or pitchfork to fag a shallow trench .

gradation 2 : Cover the cuttings with a swim row blanket to help them overwinter outside without damage . sporadically correspond the film editing to verify they have n’t change and to light irrigate if the conditions are dry .

Step 3 : Remove the book binding in spring , when you start to see sprouting . look until late summer or former fall before transplant the stock-still cuttings .

Try it on these

Not every plantis a nominee for the hardwood - cutting method of generation . The ones that do measure up are mostly deciduous tree or bush that go through a time period of dormancy before pushing important new growth . Below is a listing of some of the most popular plants to propagate this agency :

1 . Abelia(Abeliaspp . and cvs . , Zones 6–9 )

2 . Aspen(Populusspp . and cvs . , Zones 1–9 )

3 . Barberry(Berberisspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 )

4 . Blueberry(Vacciniumspp . and cvs . , Zones 2–8 )

5 . Butterfly bush(Buddleiaspp . and cvs . , Zones 6–9 )

6 . California lilac(Ceanothusspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–10 )

7 . Camellia(Camelliaspp . and cvs . , Zones 7–8 )

8 . Deutzia(Deutziaspp . and cvs . , Zones 5–8 )

9 . Dogwood(Cornusspp . and cvs . , Zones 2–9 )

10 . Elder(Sambucusspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 )

11 . Euonymus(Euonymusspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–9 )

12 . Forsythia(Forsythiaspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 )

13 . Mock orange(Philadelphusspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–9 )

14.Rose of Sharon(Hibiscus syriacus * and cvs . , Zones 5–9 )

15 . Viburnum(Viburnumspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 )

16 . Weigela(Weigelaspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–9 )

17 . Willow(Salixspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–9 )

Tip

Too Much Water is Worse than not Enough

When it comes to keeping your cuttings moist , err on the ironical side . Because the small arm do n’t have any roots to start , they wo n’t be steep the excess pee in the territory around them . Too much rainfall or watering by hand can quickly contribute to decompose press cutting . Also , do n’t fertilize the cut until they are rooted and transplanted ; fertilizers can burn tender slip or even kill them .

Danielle Sherry is a fourth-year editor in chief and an licenced glasshouse and landscape painting professional .

exposure : Danielle Sherry ; Jennifer Benner ; Kerry Ann Moore ; Stephanie Fagan ; Steve Aitken ; Michelle Gervais

Get our latest tips , how - to articles , and instructional video recording sent to your inbox .

signalise you up …

Keep Your Veggie Garden Going

Flowers That You Can Eat

Plants That Keep On Giving

An Easy Way to Get More Dahlias

Join Fine Gardening for a free engaging hot webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned plant life pathologist as well as prof emerita at Purdue University and the ornamental expert manager …

When I spotted a especial sand clam cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few month ago , I knew I was in worry . With a delicious color shape …

When we only prioritise plants we need over plant our landscape needs , each season is filled with a never - ending inclination of job : pruning , pinching , lachrymation , treating , better , and fertilizing , with …

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be careful when you enter the backyard of garden designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trip on something , but because you might be dive - bomb by a twosome …