Growing blueberry plants from cuttings is a quick and easy way to get new bushes. Cuttings can be done from both hardwood and softwood, but hardwood cuttings tend to be easier to work with and more likely to root properly.
Hardwood cuttings are best taken in the late winter or early spring, before the leaf buds begin to open. Choose shoots that are about the diameter or a pencil and have no side branches growing from them.
To prepare your shoots, remove all fruit buds. Leave the leaf buds. (The fruit buds are the fatter of the two.) Trim the shoots to 4-6 inches. Make sure your leaf buds are pointing upward, then strip the bark on the lower ½ inch to inch of the shoot to help with rooting. You will want to plant them in a mixture of half peat moss and half either sand or perlite.
Bury each shoot about half way. If you have multiple shoots, keep them 2 or 3 inches apart. Water right away, then again weekly. You need to keep your cuttings in full sun and keep the soil temperature around 70 degrees. In 3-4 months, you can expect to see leaves sprouting and the roots should be ready for transplant in about another month. Plant them 3-5 feet apart.
Blueberries love acidic soil. Coffee grounds or a mixture of 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 gallon of water makes a great fertilizer.
by Michael J. McGroarty
Growing blueberry plants from cuttings is a straightforward process. Start by selecting a healthy, disease-free branch from a mature blueberry bush in late fall or early spring when the plant is dormant. Cut a 4 to 6-inch section of the branch at a 45-degree angle, ensuring it includes at least two sets of buds. Remove the lower leaves, leaving only a couple at the top. Dip the cut end in rooting hormone to encourage root development. Plant the cutting in a well-draining mix of peat and perlite, keeping it moist. Cover with a plastic bag to create a mini greenhouse, placing it in a warm, indirect sunlight location. Once roots develop, transplant the cutting to a larger container or directly into the garden. With proper care and patience, your blueberry cuttings will grow into productive plants, providing delicious berries in the future.
Mike,
Can I puthese in a grow room with a heater set to 70 degrees or do they need to be i full sun outdoors???
Janelle,
They should be fine inside, they really don’t need light until they start leafing out. Then give them some light.
Addressing the planting Heucra from seed: please show the seed, where are they located exactly, when do you harvest them. You assume we all know “seed”. I have yet to ever see a seed from a wild azalea either. Description doesn’t fit most time because by time told yo harvest there is nothing there. Help.
The seeds are inside the fruit. The best way to harvest them is to freeze the fruit and thaw at room temp. You then can manually pick the fruit apart or put the thawed fruit in a glass of water, which exposes the seeds. Once seeds are isolated from the berry, you can plant the seeds in moist sandy soil. Keep your soil damp, I hope this helps,
Wash it untill the seed is left
hi Mike. Would it be possible to request about 5-6 cutting of blueberry plant from you?
thanks and God Bless
David
Hi, I have a grow box currently in my basement – I used an old fishtank. I have a 100 cell plastic packs, that you see most annual flowers come in from the green house, sitting on top of 2 inches of gravel, and water, the heater submerged, and the light on it. I did this over the weekend, and in just 3 days, you can tell its going to work. So I have 100 plants, ready for potting in a few weeks. Its early spring still, and I’m in Ohio. My goal is to start my own nursery since I have 15 heirloom plants from my grandmother. I have about 3 acres of from yard I’m willing to dedicate to the project. My question is, what in your opinion is the best way to get them ready to sell next spring? I have a basement, that can store about 100 plants, but I was wanting to take 3-4 more cuttings, and have about 300 plants to sell next year, and plant about 100 new plants for future propagation. For the ‘yearlings’ I want to sell next year, what is the best way to winterize them? We are okay with investing in a high tunnels.. Or should be plant them in the pots in the ground, and cover with straw/hay for the winter? Winters here we get about 2 feet of snow, and it does get below 0.
Thanks!
Jaclyn,
Keeping plants indoors is never a good thing, they need to go dormant for the winter. The snow is a good thing, helps to insulate them. Low hoops are better than high tunnels. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2013/11/over-wintering-protecting-plants-for-the-winter/ Best thing to do is test drive the members area on May 5th and see what the others are doing. http://backyardgrowers.com/join
I find they root really well if I push the cuttings down into the soil close to the growing plant – then I just have to remember to remove them to their own growing area before they get too well established.
Good Day, I tried rooting some blueberry cuttings two years ago.
they are still sitting in the sand. I believe they might be dried out.
Is their a chance that they would still root if watered properly ?
I am in New Hampshire…thank you Ron
”Hi I have a question, I am taking around 300 northern high bush hardwood blueberry cuttings and I would like to know if your plant propagation box with the clear plastic lid on top would work?. do I need a mesh cloth stapled 6 inches above ground level to keep the media warm is this necessary?. ”Thank you!
Kurtis,
I know a lot of our members, http://backyardgrowers.com/join, do blueberrys from softwood cuttings in the summer. I’m not sure how well they do as hardwood cuttings. The truth is, there’s not much you can do to warm the rooting medium over the winter except bottom heat. I’ve never tried them, I always buy rooted cuttings or liners. I never seem to have enough stock to try rooting my own, they sell too fast.
I have tried softwood blueberry cutting’s but I think they work better on Southern High bush blueberries. Mine all died haha! I had nothing to lose, We live in British Columbia Canada and here in B.C. the blueberry and Raspberry industry is huge!. In B.C. alone we harvest about 150 million pounds a year!. I am going to try the plant propagation box and take some Hardwood cuttings it’s bound to work, with a close eye I can have a 60-70% Stand of Cuttings. ”Thanks!
Kurtis,
Good luck and be sure to let me know how the hardwood cuttings do for you. At some point you’ll want to make your life easier wit the https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/mikes-plant-propagation-kit/ and see success rates of 90% or more of many of the things you root. I alone spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars a year just on blueberry rooted cuttings. But keep in mind, you have to start with properly named plants or nobody will buy from you. See this http://freeplants.com/rant.htm
Looking forward to trying this out this year for Amber Bear Nursery and Farm.