Is July OK for taking Hydrangea cuttings?

Hi, I'm hoping for your expert advice. I want to propagate my hydrangeas from cuttings. (this will be my first time ever propagating anything!) If I start, say next weekend (July 19th), how long will it take to root? After it roots, will it be too late to plant them into the ground? I'm worried about 2 things: 1) it's hot, hot, hot here in August even in the shade and 2) will the tiny plant survive the winter?

Alternatively, could I root the plant and move it (or them, probably 5 or 6 from one cane) into a bigger pot and keep them inside until next spring?

Thanks for any advice!

Patty

Patty, I find that if I take cuttings before the morning heat hits, dip them in rooting hormone, and then put then in 3-4 inches of moist perlite they root in about 3 weeks. They should never be exposed to direct sunlight during this process. I would grow them for at least a couple of months in potting soil. I think if they make it into the ground in October, they will be fine for the winter. That reminds me that I should check my cuttings. Robb.

Thanks so much for the info Robb! By the way, are hydrangeas slow to grow from cuttings?

Patty, they are quite fast and easy if you want a mass planting which is what I was going for. Robb.

Thanks, Robb! :)

I'd post this on the Hydrangea forum too, FYI. Some good experts over there!

I went out to one of mine to take cuttings the other day and was going to do the layering method too, when I looked under the plant, there were 6 babies there. I guess they rooted themselvesl

Guess that means they are easy to root. I'm so glad I finally took the time to learn how to root stuff. Now, everywhere I go, I'm looking for a place to get a cutting,! lol

My kittens broke a stem off of my new hydrangea that I planted last year, it's a noid but I got three cuttings out of it and potted them up because I saw this thread, good luck to you all and me lol

I'm still new to taking cuttings and have a lot of trouble with them so this is practice for me :)

Lea

Me too. I've had some stuff root, so now I've gone crazy!!! Just think of all the things we can clone! lol