 |
Taking Hardwood Cuttings
Take the hardwood cuttings from dormant, mature stems in late fall, winter or very early spring before any growth has started. Plants have to be fully dormant to for this technique to succeed.
You can increase most hardwood plants, including shrubs, roses, and trees this way. There are a few exceptions and a few plants are trickier than others (for example, when you take the hardwood cuttings) but generally, if you want more woody plants, this is the system you can use. I do note that this system is not going to produce another grafted tree. In other words, if you take the cutting from the top of the wisteria tree – you'll wind up with a wisteria vine rather than a tree (the vine is grafted to a trunk in the case of a wisteria tree). This is the same for apples or any other tree that is grafted to a rootstock to grow. You'll ge the top part just fine, but the plant will be on its own roots.
Take hardwood cuttings when the deciduous plant has dropped its leaves or in early winter for evergreens. It is generally a good idea to clean the propagation tools thoroughly before and during taking these cuttings. Because the cutting will take a long time to become established, they are susceptible to fungal infections. The more you can do to prevent these the better so cleanliness is next to success in this case.
Make all cuts just above a leaf node (where the leaf comes out of the stem) so you don't have a lot of stem dieback. Take the hardwooed cuttings from upright growing stems at the center of the shrub or evergreen. Or take them from stems that are nearest to the ground rather than higher on the shrub. Take long branches (you will divide them later in the process) but no thinner than a pencil and generally, no thicker than a big finger. Store the hardwood cuttings in a plastic bag (to hold moisture) and keep cool until you plant them (below)
Each of the longer branches should be cut into individual bits. The trick is to get each branch cut so that it contains at least two leaf nodes but preferably three to four (this will be about six inches long for most plants). Cut the bottom of the hardwood cutting (closest to the bottom or roots in its original position) at a 45-degree angle just below a leaf node. The top of the cutting should be cut straight across. It is critical not to get the top confused with the bottom – the cutting has to be rooted in its original top-bottom orientation as it was on the plant when you took the cutting. Make as many smaller 6-inch cuttings as you can from your longer branch (until the cuttings are too short or too thin). If you're cutting evergreens, strip the needles or branches from the bottom half of the cutting.
If you take the hardwood cuttings and decide not to plant them right away (see below for conditions these require to survive) then you have to store them for the winter to keep them alive. Store in bundles (all pointed in same direction for ease next spring) cover with dampish peat moss or sawdust and keep cool. I'd suggest you label them unless your memory is a lot better than mine. If you decide to plant them now. Treat with rooting hormone (you'll do that any time you plant them and remember that rooting hormone only is good for about 6 months after you open the container). Follow the directions on the hormone container. Always wear proper hand protection when dipping cuttings in hormones. Plant in pots or soil in garden so that only one or two leaf nodes are above the soil line. Plant the bottom down if you want to succeed so the straight cuts are all above the surface. (see why we made those two different styles of cuts?) :-) If you're going to plant them outdoors, you have to protect the cuttings from freezing, wind damage and sunburn. Evergreen cuttings have to be kept under plastic and misted to stop them from losing moisture. Cool and humid is the key to rooting success.
In general, the hardwood cuttings will be rooted and fine to transplant to a growing bed in one year from when you take them Click here for free newsletter and to ask about taking hardwood cuttings
|
