newbie hardwood cutting success!!

This was my first attempt and all of my hardwood cuttings taken last fall have rooted and are budding out. They are currently under lights and on a heating mat just waiting for more spring weather to put outside under a protective cover. I realize to long time propagators this is hohum but I am as pleased as punch!!! The cuttings I took were:
Viburnum dentatum 'Autumn Jazz'
Viburnum dilatatum 'Erie'
Viburnum lantana 'Vareigata'
Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva'
Silver leaf willow whose Latin name escapes me at the moment

Now if I can get them through the summer and next winter.

congrats "frahnzone5" i haven't tried hardwood cutting yet but want to try from my apple trees and pear trees. as soon as i find info on how.
and again congrats on the success and good luck with summer and winter."whitebear"

frahnzone5,would you mind walking us through the process, that you used. I added some viburnums and hydrangeas last year, and would love to try taking cuttings.

Dee

I took cuttings in late November (Dee, good time for your zone too.). I made sure each cutting as at least 10-12" long and the final bottom cut was made just below a node (top cut was flat across, bottom cut at a diagonal since you need to know the correct orientation). Used Dip-it rooting liquid. Wrapped each bundle of stems in damp newspaper, secured each end loosely with a rubber band, put in a plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator. Pulled out first week of February and scaped away thin layer of bark just above the bottom cut to make sure each stem green underneath - green means alive, brown means dead. Took good seed staring mix (I use PRO-MIX) and added about 30% more perlite for extra drainage. Moistened mix until it felt like a damp sponge, packed it into clean gallon pots and stuck in the cuttings- 5-6 cuttings per pot.
Moved them to the basement under lights and on heating mats. Takes about 8 weeks for roots to start forming. You know roots are forming when you gently tug a cutting and you meet resistance. Make sure once root growth starts you monitor moisture levels in your pots. Don't let them dry out since at this stage they are very delicate.

I am sure there are more elegant, scientific methods but this worked for me.

frahnzone5,thanks, so much!...Dee

Frahnzone5 -
Congrats on the cuttings! I have about 60 cuttings taken late November and they've been taking up room in my fridge. Figured I'd give them 3 months of dormancy. Sounds like it may be safe to take them out of the fridge now. I've been wondering how I'm going to set up a cold frame since the only space available is on the north side of the house and they may be forgotten there. I can definitely try the pot thing since I have everything. It would be a lot easier for me to do it that way than the cold frame way. How warm is your basement under the lights? I thought they had to stay on the cool side while rooting but maybe I'm confused. Your posting is a life-saver!

60 cuttings. Wow that is lot! My basement has radiant heat and we keep it about 60. However, even if your basement is unheated it is still warmer than outside. If you have heat mats I would use those under the cuttings that may be harder to root. The plants I did (viburnums,hydrangeas & willows) are noted to be very easy to root.

Once you take them out of cold storage you want to simulate spring conditions where the ground is warming up. This encourages root growth. Keep me posted on your progress.

Felisa

Felisa -
I took a lot of cuttings because I figured not all of them would take. Most of them are destined for my daughter in TN - 7 acres with not a lot of landscaping and not a lot of $$ in the budget. Since I don't have a basement (tri-level), I'm thinking I'll set up something in the heated but cool garage. I've had holly cuttings out there all winter on a heat mat but I haven't been brave enough to see if any roots have developed. I know they take a long time. Sounds like this is the week to do it all. Went to Chicago Flower and Garden show yesterday and it's got me very motivated to dig in. Did you add any sand to your planting medium? I've been obsessing about getting some sharp builders sand but maybe I don't need it after all.
Cindy

Hey Cindy, I add perlite to may soiless mix to make the drainage better. It is lighter and easier to store than builders sand but more expensive.
Good luck with your cuttings.

Felisa

Has anyone had success with holly trees, both wild holly (in the South) and hybrids such as Foster holly? I once got a single rooting from about 10 Burford Holly cuttings but I don't want that success rate again.

I'd also like to know about common flowering dogwood, Is that hard to root?

Thanks so much.

Paul

Cindy, I missed that you are rooting holly. I will keep watching to see what success you had with them. I think I will run out and clip a few holly and dogwood cuttings and leave them outside in a pot of media for the next cold snap. A nearby friend has a wild female holly (with red berries on it!). My garage stays from 45 to 55 all winter so I was thinking the cuttings should stay outside as long as it's cold here - is that right? Or should I just start the process inside the garage beside the South window? I will only have a few more hard freeze nights here- average last frost is Apr 7th.
Thanks to all,
Paul

Well, I got brave enough to pull a few of the holly clippings and unfortunately, no roots yet. It's been a couple of months so maybe my garage technique is not a good one. It's deceiving because half of the leaves still remain. Not having a cold frame for cuttings, I still remain uncertain about the best way to root dormant broad-leaved evergreens. Some of the publications I read weren't as direct when it came to these cuttings. Others on DG have had success with a cold frame. As I was being spontaneous when I decided to try the holly cuttings, the ground was already frozen so I couldn't dig a hole in the garden to stash them for the winter. And it's entirely possible that I didn't make the right kind of cut. I do tend to be impatient. I'm more used to digging up rooted shoots of shrubs from the ground - instant gratification. I think I'll take the cuttings off the heat mats and, now that the ground has thawed, I'll dig a hole for them outdoors and pop them in and see what happens. My last frost date is still 2 months away. I definitely need to plan better for this undertaking. I wish I had more encouraging news but I definitely want to hear about your successes.

Give the hollies another 6 weeks. From what I've read those take much longer to root.

Felisa

Felisa - Thanks for the encouragement. I did pop them into the ground yesterday in a sheltered spot where I can easily check on them and, though you wouldn't know it by the weather today, I'm hoping we'll have enough cold weather yet to stimulate some rooting. Have the first sunburn of the growing season after spending the day doing yard work. Crocuses are blooming and hyacinths aren't far behind and they were struggling to get through tons of fall leaves. Tomorrow I'll stick all of the other cuttings from the fridge.

I did some research in my Michael Dirr book on holly rooting. First, there are so many hollies (Ilex [species] that I just looked at Ilex opaca, American Holly because that is what grows wild around here and what I wanted to add the my "little" forest. He said his [Univ of GA Horticulture Dept] has had excellent success taking cuttings when the first flush of growth has hardened and treating with a rooting compound. This means his cuttings are taken in the Summer. In another place, he stressed that he "wounded" cutting with an inch long wound and the wounded side was where all the roots later developed. I have always cut at an angle with my pruning shears but will now use my utility knife to cut off part of the bark an inch long at the cutting bottom.

I hope some people with actual experience will chime in because Dirr is talking about good greenhouses with misters and bottom heat. It may be that for us at-home amateurs, the cold frame outside over winter or other method is best. is best. I clearly remember my mother rooting literally a hundred English boxwood cuttings in a little wooden box with builders sand as the medium and a pane of glass over it. This was Augusta, GA (Zone 8, I think). I was amazed when she pulled one up and showed me the roots. I was 12 years old at the time.

Paul

CONGRATULATIONS! I think it's a big deal to get it to work the first time.

Congratulations. In the winter of 2005 I was having great success rooting things and when I discovered DG I had the unfortunate idea to name myself twiggybuds.

I know there's a great zone differential but my magic is simply to put a bunch of prepared cuttings in a pot of damp media, water well, let dry for a day or so and cover with a clear plastic bag like from the produce section at the grocery store. I place them in shade on the north side of my house and forget about them for months. Sooner or later what doesn't rot will root. I noticed today that I have azaleas and camellias rooted and really need to pot them up separately.

Paul - you've nailed my problem of being an amateur at this. I have one very tall cold frame that I haul up against the house every fall and use it for perennials or shrubs I've dug up and potted. Even though they're cold-hardy, they're a little vulnerable. Once it warms up in spring, the cold frame is moved away and my little water feature and potted annuals replace it since it's right on the patio. So I'm trying to make do with what's available. Of course, if I would have thought to take the holly cuttings during summer (which requires thought and planning on my part), I wouldn't be attempting the near-impossible.
twiggybuds - Congrats on the azaleas and camellias. I fear I would totally forget about them - out of sight.... I stuck 10 different varieties (I have 2 different colors of Northern Lights azaleas) of cuttings yesterday and have them indoors on a heat mat under lights. This way I can OCD over them until they show some signs of life and then stick them outdoors.

I just stumbled onto this thread. I didn't know to put the cuttings in the frig for a couple of months. Is it too late to take the cuttings now? I wanted to start vibernums, dogwoods, azaleas and witch hazel. Thanks.

Yes, it is too late for hardwood cuttings. These shrubs are getting ready for spring and are probably budded out in your zone. For hardwood cuttings you will have to wait until late next fall when they go dormant. You could take softwood cuttings in late spring or semi-hardwood cuttings in mid-summer.

Twiggybuds, I had had worthwhile, but mixed, success with rooting crepe myrtle and azalea just as you described above. I think the shady side of the house is crucial. Also, for me, it helped that my hose spigot was right there so I could add water during the drought several years ago. I don't have the patience to wait months to see what has rotted or rooted like you do though. I give 'em 6 weeks at most.

This thread is really interesting for me; I will wait a couple of months and then go grab some (female) wild holly cuttings from a friends tree and also some dogwood from the woods behind my house (if I can stand the ticks). If I remember, I plan to try softwood and later semi-hardwood.

Paul

My granddaughter wants to know why I have sticks in pots under the grow lights. I got mine potted up last week and even put the clear plastic produce bags over the pots. I'll give them one more week under the lights but then I'll have to move them outdoors. Sooner than I anticipated but they're in my spare room which will be occupied in another 3 weeks.
Paul - you're lucky to have a source for the dogwoods. I don't have any wild ones here - just wild crab apples and serviceberry. As for ticks, my daughter in TN is being overrun with them. She's resorted to buying some stuff from Bayer to put around the yard. The seed ticks are the worst because they're so tiny and move fast.

Now you will be hooked. I have a hard time pruning things and throwing the clipped twigs away since I started rooting cuttings.
I finally got my boxwoods to root. They are such slow growers, though.Every time I shear them I am tempted to save the clippings. It is like throwing a baby away. LOL

Well, it's been about 10 days since I potted up my dormant shrubs. They're in the house, under lights, on a heating mat with plastic tents. Some of the barberry and wiegela have sprouted little leaves but no roots yet. At least the leaves are a sign that there's still some life in them. They looked absolutely lifeless when I took them out of the fridge (I had them buried in peat moss). The hollies were stuck in the ground a couple of weeks ago. It's snowing today but I know that the ground has thawed and I've been watering them every day since we haven't had much rain. Not brave enough to pull them out yet but they're still holding onto their leaves.

Finally had the nerve to check in on my cuttings - they've been sitting in a temporary cold frame for about a month now. I have a couple of different wiegelas and some azaleas with roots! Hoping a few more will come along in the next couple of weeks before I have to think of a new place to put them when I take down the cold frame. Holly cuttings no good. I'll have to remind myself to take green cuttings later to root.
Now my questions is - I want to pot them up individually for them to grow on, before the roots become entangled. Is it best to start with small pots and work my way up in size as the plant grows? Is Miracle Grow potting soil too much of a good thing to plant the rooted cuttings in? They've been growing in seed starting mix with some extra perlite with no fertilization. All advice appreciated.

Well,
I was successful in rooting some figs and a hydrangea limb that I accidentally broke off as I was planting it. Both of these plants are very easy to root. I failed in trying Leland cypress and wild blueberry. I will try the same wild blueberry again this summer, along with some rabbiteye blueberry cultivars. The wild blueberry is of interest because it had beautiful scarlet leaves last fall.

I am shifting to trying air layering on holly and dogwood this summer. I hope I have the patience. I may also try rooting as I will only want to try a couple of air layers - too much work.

I gave a way a couple of crape myrtles that I rooted last year so I guess I will root some more. They are very easy to root around this time of year and are easy to give away too.

Paul

Paul - Congrats on the figs and hydrangeas. I haven't rooted hydrangeas since they usually send up a few suckers several inches away from the parent plant and I just dig them up as needed. They already have their roots so I don't have to obsess over them. I haven't done any air-layering but it looks fascinating. I'm interested to hear if it will successful with the holly. Anything I get started usually goes to my daughter in TN who has 7 acres of blank slate and a limited budget.
Your earlier post about placing the cuttings by the spigot just gave me a solution to where to stash the babies for the summer. I have a rain barrel in the shade where I can keep them close to a water source and not forget about them.
What medium do you use for potting up the rooted cuttings? Mine are in a communal container (each species has it's own container) and they need to be potted up.

Cindy, I have "always" used pure Vermiculite from the time I was a kid in 1953. Sadly, Lowes and Home Depot have stopped selling it. I found some for a much higher price at a good local garden center. For hard to root plant, I will probably keep using the Vermiculite (it's puffed mica and has no organisms in it). It also hold just the right amount of water and drains the rest. Perlite mixed with other media will drain well too. I usually have the vermiculite in a pot (like the pot in the picture) - I have some cut-off bottles that just fit into the pot to keep humidity. I have never tried to root large quantities of anything as I don't have that much spare space.

I believe that by mid Summer, you will have holly roots. I'll be waiting to hear. I hope you got both male and female tree cuttings. If not, there is plenty of time next Fall to find a male tree (no berries) and root a couple of them for your daughter's 7 acres. I'd guess about one male per 5 female trees. (If anyone knows what mix of male to female is recommended by experts I'd like to know.)

Paul

Paul - Thanks for the tips. I've been able to find perlite at my local Menard's. I did mix it with a bit of peat moss for the rooting process. Once the cuttings have rooted, do you plant your's up in a richer growing medium? I'll have to remind myself about the getting the holly cuttings late summer. It's usually too hot for me to do any gardening other than just maintenance so I should have plenty of time to fuss with them. I think you're about right on the male to female ratio. I did take cuttings of both. I almost pulled them out the other day, figuring they weren't going to take but, since they're in an out-of-the-way spot, I'll leave them for a few more weeks.

Cindy, sorry I forgot you had asked how I planted the rooted plants. I have used the bagged potting soil from Lowes but also have just used a mix of whatever is in a pot with nothing currently growing and some dirt from the yard. I'm also mixing in about a fourth of my compost/redworm bin compost (with the worms picked out first). I am sure that there are people who can give you better advice than this. Since you use Perlite, you have the main problem solved which is waterlogged roots.

I think it's time for me to try a few airlayers on my wild dogwood. I also have a small holly to try which bloomed this year but no berries so I will assume it was a male. There are plenty of wild holly all through these woods.

Good luck
Paul

Paul - Thanks for the soil advice. It probably is a good idea to add in a little native soil like you did. Have compost in the bin (under all of those oak leaves) that I can probably get to so that's good. And the perlite I have. Can't wait to official plant the rooted cuttings this next week. What species of holly is the wild stuff? We don't have any native wild holly here. Have a few native dogwoods and crab apples but since my yard is already wooded (a few different oak species), I really can't find room for other ornamental trees since they'll lean towards the sun (very sad).

Cindy, the wild holly seems to be Ilex opaca - American Holly, according to my Michael Dirr book. He doesn't recommend it because there are so many other Ilex varieties and hybrids for landscape use. (e.g. Nellie R. Stevens that now seems to be in every one's yard). He is interested in landscaping, not what you and I may want to encourage in the woods behind our houses.

Since I. opaca is an understory tree, you can certainly grow it in your "forest". It will do fine (I think) because it has green leaves in the winter. If you wanted to buy two (a male and a female), there are "more than a thousand cultivars" that have more berries or thicker darker green leaves or grow faster or have better cold hardiness than the ones you can find growing wild.

He does mention successfully rooting them in the Winter - late Dec. with mist and bottom heat in peat and Perlite mix and, of course. his rooting dip. I missed this paragraph in my earlier post when I quoted him talking about Summer rooting of a different Holly. Again, he stressed cutting a 1 inch wound on one side of the cutting at the bottom. He said all the roots form along the edge of that wound.

Your potting mix sounds great to me.

Paul

This message was edited Jun 2, 2009 6:55 PM

Paul - Haven't had the chance to plant the rooted cuttings yet. Hosted the in-laws for a week and have been frantically planting annuals (they don't like sitting too long in nursery flats). Now that I have time to breathe, it's been raining so the compost pile is pretty wet. I'll have to let it dry for a day or two so that I can sift out some good stuff.
Looked up the I. opaca in my only Dirr book - it looks like it could get really tall with the right conditions - 40 ft? I currently have one each 'Blue Girl' and 'Blue Boy' in shade. Since I'm cutting them every year for holiday decorations, I've kept them around 6 ft. I think that keeps them more dense than if I just let them go - I think they'd get pretty scraggy in the shade.

One good thing about holly is that they like the shade so after you pot them, they can stay in the shade where they won't dry out.
I forgot to ask, where did you get your holly cuttings since they aren't on your property?

60 cuttings is a lot to ask of the people I barely know around here. The one that has a lot of wild holly is my step-daughter and I am dog sitting for them right now so I won't mind asking for cuttings when they get back (and i get my chain saw back from them also).

Paul

Paul - I just took cuttings from the two hollies I have since I'm trying to root them for my daughter. I made sure to take cuttings from both the male and female plants. Just have to concentrate on keeping them separated and not mix them up. Since I have a lot of shade, it won't be hard to find a good spot for the pots. I think they're going to spend the summer next to the rain barrel where I can keep an eye on them. It's a shady spot with huge hostas and other shade-lovers growing in the area.