Have a favorite shrub or fruit tree you love and might want a few more of? Have a garden friend who admires a rosebush in your yard? Take some hardwood cuttings now to propagate your way to some new plants. I always ask permission before taking any cuttings from plants that do not belong to me. If you are kind about it people are often more than willing to share a snip or two. If that fails offer bribes if need be, kidding of course but you can offer a rooted start back to them as payment. Taking hardwood cuttings is easy and quick to do. You should know success rates are often below 50% using this method. You might start a few more cuttings than you think you need, especially if you are just beginning. The good news is it can be a little easier than starting some plants from seed. I learned this lesson from trying unsuccessfully to start witch hazel seeds after almost fainting at the price of a five-gallon plant at a certain Reno nursery. In their defense, witch hazel seeds can sometimes take two years to germinate. If you have a witch hazel in your yard, you know why I tried to start them. A Hamamelis virginiana shrub blooms tiny, yellow flowers around late February and fills your entire garden with a sweet, intoxicating scent sometimes while there is still snow on the ground. Another benefit of hardwood cuttings is ending up with plants that are identical to the parent plant (think traits like variegation or sex for example). That is not always the case with seeds.
This method works best on woody, deciduous shrubs and trees and now, when leaves drop for the winter dormant period is the best time to take your cuttings. If you are all done for the season and have hung up your hat, try testing the method out with your early spring fruit tree pruned branches. After that, propagation experts recommend instead taking softwood cuttings during the growing season.
I have had success using this method on currant, elderberry, nanking cherry, forsythia and willows. You can also try grape vines and most of the plants you might have purchased through the Extension Office spring sale. Minus evergreens. Their propagation can be a little more involved and labor intensive.
Look for pencil thick, woody branches about 8 inches long, that do not bend easily. Prune off any underdeveloped green growth on the end. On grape vines and some elderberries you’ll notice knobby buds, shoot for 5 or more buds per cutting. You’ll want two exposed and 3 buried. Using sharp pruners make an angled cut on the top of the cutting to encourage water and moisture from settling and causing tip rot. Make a straight cut on the bottom that will be put in the soil. You can dip the cuts going in the soil in rooting hormone if you’d like, just dip in the powder and shake or tap off excess. Alternatively, you can use willow water if you have some on had.I use this method in containers, you can also do this is a trench in the ground. Some propagators use plastic sheets and bag them up burrito style. Be aware this method can take some time! I once had some grapevine cuttings leaf out at least 6 months after I took my initial cuts. You can speed the process by placing them in a greenhouse or propagation dome. At the very least place them in somewhat protected place, safe from winter winds. You could use a row cover if you have them in the ground. Just check them periodically. Shoot for keeping the cuttings damp but not flooded. Overwatering will cause your cuttings to rot pretty quickly.
Hold off on fertilizing until the spring. You do not want to burn them. There is more than enough fertilizer in the potting soil you planted them in. I usually repot them once after a few leaves show up and let them get a bit more of a root structure before planting in the garden mid/late summer.
Jaime Sammons carries a pair of pruners in her glove box – just in case, and believes you can be a gardener even with a single plant container on your porch.
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