THE SIMPLEST WAY TO GROW FROM CUTTINGS
If you have a tree or plant you wish to clone, look no further. This method is uncomplicated and quite easy to do.
Materials needed:
· Healthy cutting from a tree of your choice
· Potting soil or local soil or an equal mixture of both
· One gallon pot for one cutting
· Water
Step 1
Be sure to get a cutting from a healthy tree. The cutting in this picture was taken from my young elderberry tree.
Try to get a 4-8” cutting from small trees or a 10-15” cutting from large trees, .eg. oak. Smaller trees will root faster.
Try to cut cuttings at a 45 degree angle. The best place to cut is just below the stem joint, or where a leaf or bud joins the stem. Cut with a sharp knife
Step 2
Fill your pot 2/3 full with fertilized soil or potting soil that drains well
moisten the soil.
Then create an 8” deep hole.
STEP 3
Place the cutting in the hole. Top it with a little soil
gently squeeze the soil around the root, and then gently firm the soil around the cutting.
Mist it
STEP 4
Place the pot OUT OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT; this allows the seedling to get used to the sun, or harden, before being transplanted to its final place in the full sun.
During the early stages, the sun will dry up the soil but it must stay moist (not wet). The cutting does not need to be in a dark place but should be in a place that has a balance between light and dark.
STEP 5
Mist the cutting EVERY OTHER DAY unless the soil is visibly dry. The soil would crack if the soil is dry. Try not to water the cutting too much or the cutting will rot.
Smaller trees take about four to six weeks to show little leaves like the soursop pictured below.
The above method can be used with most trees including herbs (rosemary bush, Spanish thyme etc.) as you can see from the pictures below where there are cedar trees, a maringa, rose, mulberry etc.
All of the above cuttings were done without the help of growth hormones but can be used if it is your preference.
Tips:
Transplant the tree only when the tree is big enough to withstand the elements. So do not try to transplant at the first sign of growth. It is best to wait about three months.
The best time to take cuttings depends on whether you remove a softwood, semi-hardwood or hardwood branch section.
Softwood and semi-hardwood tree cuttings are the most common type for fruit trees because of their ease in collection and quick root production.
Hardwood cuttings are slow to root, but are an option if you miss the earlier collection dates for cuttings.
It would be best to try this method in the winter or early spring, before the cuttings have bloomed and put forth leaves. This allows the cutting to put most of its energy into developing roots, as opposed to maintaining leaves.
If you can’t do it any other time besides when the cuttings have leaves or fruit, it is highly recommended to cut off the leaves and/or fruit because they are going to fall off anyway.
If this is not done, the cutting will waste precious energy on maintaining leaves rather than the roots.
· For those of you in cooler countries, cover the pot/cutting with a white plastic trash bag creating a greenhouse effect during the first stages of growth.
Is the method the same for hardwood cuttings?
Elysa,
See this; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-winter-time-plant-propagation-can-home/
and this; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2016/09/hardwood-cuttings-winter-of-20152016/
Something I have trouble with is when to remove plastic from cuttings. I have lost many cuttings that appeared to be doing well, with nice healthy looking shoots, within a day or two of removing the plastic. I’ve also tried leaving them in longer and they too will fail after getting nice shoots. How long should one wait before removing the saplings from the “greenhouse” (plastic enclosure)?
Thank you for your very informative videos.
Bobby, you need to get them uncovered as soon as well rooted and keep them well shaded until they harden off a bit. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/mikes-plant-propagation-kit/ is by far the most fool proof method to root cuttings.
Hi
,
I am looking to root some azalea cuttings and I am using some hormone rooting powder to get the cuttings to root. I was wondering…did I hear you say to use a starting mix on one of your videos?
I have some Quick Start By Miracle Grow which has 4% total nitrogen, 8% phosphate, and 4% potash. Would you advise using the Quick Start with the rooting powder or would that be too much fertilizer?
Thank you so much!
Linda
Linda,
Rooting cuttings don’t need nor will they appreciate fertilizer. They really need to be in a neutral medium until they are rooted.
Mike I’ve tried cuttings in potting soil and in “old mother earth”… to NO avail Then I read your treatice on “plain sand in a dish-pan”….I modified the parts a little I used milk crates lined with a plasic garbage bag (with numeras holes punched in the bottom) and topped with a “white kitchen garbage bag”. I wet the sand down and used “root tone” and walked away for one month……Lo and behold the plants have about 5-6 new roots about 1″ long. (The plants are Ixora)
Thanks, Mike. Phil
Phil,
That’s awesome!
How to grow a magnolia plants from semisoftwood cuttings or semihardwood cuttings!thx Mike youre amazing ,the best wishes from me -greetings!
Zaneta,
You can try them now, but June would have been better because he wood is softer then. More here http://www.freeplants.com/homemade-plant-propagation.htm
Hi Mike. This email is unrelated to the above topic, but I could not find a better way to email you directly. I recently saw a you tube video you made using a clam shell device to propagate trees/plants. You did not have a source for the clam shell devices but said you would likely get this and post it. Thus far I have not seen anything on your website related to this neat product. Do you have a website or email source available yet. I would like to order some and try this interesting method of propagation. Thanks.
Graham
Graham, I will be emailing you. We only have a few left. Sharon
What are the clamshell devices? Thanks!
Robbin
Check out http://airpropagator.com
Thank you so much for the information on plants and tree cuttings, I will try it in the next few days.
Hey Mike quick question I could take my fruit tree(pear,blue berry) cutting and pot them strait in pots and dont need put them in propagation flat? If so Could I do boxwood and cedar shrubs this way also? thanks
Ryan,
You can, but timing is important. Right now most of the cutting wood is hard and trying to make leaves. If you wait until June you’ll be working with softwood that roots much quicker. See this; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/
cuttings from acer palmatum? best way to do it? thanks
http://www.freeplants.com/tips-for-growing-japanese-maples.html
Hi Mike i watced manu more difrent videos,tutorial or not also i read on google pages for planting magnolia tips but i really couldnt find any good demostration or sugestion or advice also some good response for planting magnolia tips from semi-hardwood cuttings but not air layer sistem!so if you can somehow to help my ill be Apricoate for your advice and helps /steps how properly to prune(multiplay) a magnolia tree plants from brunches with semihardwood or hardwood cutting (do i need use rooting hormones or not or honey As suplayer)in late summer or Septembar ,octombar -thank you -the best wishes from me ,Zaneta!im in microclimate hardines zone7 , to 8 in the summer here is wery worm with wawes from Mediteranian reon!thx -again!
I answered this in a previous post. I always use rooting compound, never honey. Serious propagators never use honey or willow water, they use a good rooting compound like Dip n Grow. Softwood cuttings would be ideal. http://www.freeplants.com/homemade-plant-propagation.htm
we have grow boxes & raised beds we are 78& 79 my husband wanted something i could get to . i have had back surgery i love your advice .i want to plant sweet potatoes here in utah we are north of salt lake city..thanks mary & bill
Mary and Bill,
Congratulations for doing something you love, wishing you incredible success!
Hi,
When I moved from village to city, the gardener in me was asleep.
Now, because of you, I am returning to mother earth.
Joe john.