Our gardens may be preparing for their winter slumbers, but that doesn’t mean we have to rest: It’s time to make free shrubs!
The easiest way to propagate woody plants like dogwood, forsythia, hydrangea, rhododendron and viburnum, among others, is by taking hardwood cuttings in late fall or winter. All you need is a clean pair of bypass pruners (whose scissor-type action makes clean cuts), a a container and a well-draining medium (a 50/50 mix of coir and perlite is ideal, as it will simultaneously retain moisture and drain well.) No special training or expertise required.
And, unlike growing from seed, the resulting plants will essentially be clones, growing into the same size, shape and color as their parents.
How to begin
First, select a deep container with drainage holes in its bottom and fill it with your potting mix. Water it well and allow it to drain while you take your cuttings.
Select a stem roughly the width of a pencil, aiming for one that was a new shoot in the past growing season. Measure down about 8 inches (the length of a pencil) from its tip and make a straight cut below a small leaf node (a bump on the stem from where a new leaf will grow). Avoid large nodes, which are likely to be flower buds or leaf nodes from older stems and are more likely to rot.
Cut the top of the stem on the diagonal just above a node. Since plants remember their orientation, this will ensure you don’t confuse top from bottom, as well as allow rainwater to roll off your cutting easily.
Repeat as necessary until you’ve acquired as many cuttings as you’d like. You can also remove one long stem from the plant and cut it into 8-inch sections, observing its nodes and cutting each top portion diagonally.
Lightly dipping stem bottoms into rooting hormone powder and/or scraping a bit of bark from the bottom inch of each stem will help promote rooting but isn’t necessary.
Planting the cuttings
Remove leaves, if any, from your cuttings, then stick the bottom thirds of each stem flat-cut side down into the mix about 2 inches apart around the perimeter of the pot. The risk of rot is lower near the container’s edge, as the soil there tends to dry out more quickly. It’s higher at the pot’s base, so don’t push cuttings all the way to the bottom.
Firm the soil around the cuttings with your fingers to remove air pockets and ensure they are held securely upright.
In time, you will notice a callus develop on the exposed, diagonal wound. A similar callus will form on the buried end of the cutting, and roots will grow from it as well as from the buried nodes.
Keep the soil only slightly moist – remember, new cuttings don’t have roots yet, so they can’t take up water. Still, they shouldn’t be allowed to dry out.
Let them get cold
Cuttings need to experience winter, but should not be allowed to freeze. Depending on your climate, place pots in a cold frame, an unheated garage or a sheltered outdoor location until spring, then move them to a partly shady spot in the garden.
Check on cuttings regularly during spring and summer and water as needed. They’ll be ready to plant in the garden next fall.
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Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.
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