Crazy right? Gardening in the dead of winter, even if you live in a cold, northern state? It’s not crazy and there are actually things work better now than they do during the growing season.
What if I told you that you could make hundreds of “Free Plants”, right now, in January?
Trust me, if this didn’t work, I wouldn’t waste my time doing this.
Look at the above bed. Those are hardwood cuttings and we actually waited, waited and waited for the plants to freeze so we could take these cuttings and stick them in sand.
Almost all of these were stuck in the month of December. We started filling this bed in late November and finished up in mid December.
Typically you can do hardwood cuttings from the end of November through mid to late March depending on where you live. Here in Ohio we can stick hardwood cuttings right up until April 1st. That’s pretty much the cut off date.
When it comes to plant propagation, timing is everything.
Our plant propagation schedule goes like this.
We start doing hardwood cuttings in late November and keep doing them until April 1st. Then we stop propagating completely. We don’t stick another cutting until early June. But once we start in June we make cuttings all summer long, right into September.
Why wait until June? See this article.
Of course you don’t have to stick them in sand, hardwood cuttings are very forgiving and will root in anything from coarse sand to potting soil to plain ole every day garden soil. You can stick them right in your garden and they will root.
Not all plants do well as hardwood cuttings, but here is a short list of the ones that will root this way.
Spirea of all kinds.
Potentilla
Rose of Sharon
Red and Yellow Twig Dogwood
Hydrangeas, especially PG and Annabelle, but the Macrophyllas will root this way as well.
Purple Flowering Sandcherry.
Willows of all kinds, including Pussy Willow, even Weeping Pussy Willow. (ask me about this one)
Did you know that you can actually buy “Unrooted Hardwood Cuttings” and have them sent to you in the mail? Just unpack them, cut about 1/4″ of the butt end so the cut is fresh, stick them and they will root and grow. In Our Members Area We Have Buy/Sell Area where members sell unrooted hardwood cuttings of all kinds of plants, seeds, flowering shrubs of all kinds, including rare Japanese maples. All at crazy low wholesale prices.
That’s the short list. But the good news is that it costs you nothing to experiment with other things as well.
For Detailed information about Rooting Hardwood Cuttings, see this article.
For a detailed list of Plants and How they are Best Propagated, see this article.
Questions or comments? Post them below and I’ll do my best to answer them for you.
Apparently everyone thinks silver poplars are trash trees, but I think they are beautiful. I know where I can cut some branches off some wild trees. Can I use your method to propagate them? I live in Northern Utah. The temperatures have consistently been in the 20’s.
Cindy,
Many poplars are grown from hardwood cuttings. Give it a try.
Hello! Can I do this with fruit trees? Take cuttings and stick in the garden? How long should the cuttings be? Thanks so much!
Wilena,
Fruit trees are usually budded or grafted. They can be grown from cuttings, but not hardwood cuttings.
Ok thank you for this info!
Hi Mike, thankyou for sharing your gardening journey and all these useful tips, blessings to you and your loved ones 🙏
I enjoy making a few pounds (I’m in the UK) on Shpock and FB market place with plants from cuttings and surplus seedlings I don’t need rather than just giving them away ,, blackcurrant bushes are good and one year I divided my beautiful bearded irises after they flowered ,, it pays for my seed compost, vermiculite and seeds ,, but not to retire on just yet ,, thanks again, and best wishes,
Lisa
Thank you Lisa, I appreciate that.
Thanks for something positive & productive to focus on, and an opportunity to look forward to in the future!
Hi Mike I am just West of you here in Ohio. My wife wants Hawthorn tree’s and I have tried propagating 3x with no luck from wild trees. Any advice about them ? Thank You, Carl
Carl,
Typically Hawthornes are grown from seed, Google seed germination database for details on how to do them.
We got hawthorn
Hi, Mike,
Can Holly be propagated from winter hardwood cuttings? How about Boxwood? I’ve got a couple of each that have overgrown their locations, untrimmed by the previous owner and I don’t know if they would survive the harsh pruning they would need to take them back to the size I want them to be. So, if a can root some replacements, I’m covered if the parent plants don’t survive.
Michael,
Yes, holly and boxwood can be propagated via hardwood cuttings.
Interesting article about winter striking for cuttings.
How do you keep your potting media from freezing? Generally here we have frozen ground by mid November.
Sherwood,
Sometimes I keep a couple of bales of potting soil in my garage so it doesn’t freeze. And this year I did this; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2020/12/storing-bare-root-trees-plants-over-the-winter/
Where can I get pots at a cost that I can sell plants and make a profit?
Charles,
This question comes up in our members area on a regular basis and the members do have some favorites sources and members also get a discount with one of the suppliers. But I can’t share sources here. Membership is open now if you’d like to take a test drive; http://backyardgrowers.com/join
If you want containers, google “wholesale nursery pots”
If you want ready to sell plants, you bascially want to become a garden centre or nursery. Best bet for that is to start off by working in a garden centre — or several to learn how it works first. This will also give you a feel for your local market.
Then make a point with your phone to take pics of cards, and contact the sellers.
Usually the minimum order from a plant wholesaler is 500 to 3000 dollars. For plants in 4″ pots the usual minimum is 18 (one flat) Typically you pay for delivery on top of this — about 1/4 of the wholesale price.
So when I buy my ornamental trees from Jefries, a semi-trailer load is about $40,000 and about $5,000 for shipping.
I’m here in Quebec, sitting on pins and needles, can’t wait to get started in the spring, cause I have dapple willow, started in the last August, and there out there in 3 feet of snow.. is there anything I do through the winter..I’m crazy eager to start something???
Geraldine, you can do hardwood cuttings of a lot of things; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-winter-time-plant-propagation-can-home/
and this; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2016/09/hardwood-cuttings-winter-of-20152016/
Bob Briggs did an amazing job of compiling a great deal of information on hardwood cuttings in this post; http://backyardgrowers.com/business-center/growers-discussions/all-about-hardwood-cuttings/
Can you tell me when and how to root cuttings from Sycamore trees?
Tracy,
More than likely they are grown from seed, most trees are. Desired varieties are then grafted onto seedling root stocks. You could try softwood cuttings in June??? https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/
Thank you. I have a very long drive I want to line on both sides with. Any idea what they can be grafted onto?
Tracy,
More than likely they would not be grafted, simply grown from seed. Or you could probably buy seedlings wholesale as one of our members for around $1.50 each from an outside supplier. http://backyardgrowers.com/join
Hi there. I’ve done some cuttings before and not had much luck but we’re trying it again. When I trimmed my grapes back I potted about a dozen outside. So far our weather has been really mild and this box I have set up to drip once the irrigation go on. Do I need to water them we’ve been getting a tiny bit of moisture. Soil is damp on it’s own. These weren’t budding out but most everything else is. Does this work for roses too. Thanks Marla Fernley, Nevada
Marla,
They shouldn’t need water now and be careful to not over water in the spring. Roses? It can work but better to use softwood in the summer. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/
I have a Red Prince Weigela and a White Lilac that I just took cuttings of today (10/23/2016) and prepared as you describe in your video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyXSNzywqvw using silica sand and covered in a white plastic bag. I’m moving in a month and didn’t think do to this process sooner which is the reason for doing this now. I really want to take these bushes with me! The problem is that I live in southeastern Wisconsin. I’m wondering what I should do with my cuttings over the winter. Bring them inside and leave covered? Leave them outside uncovered? Leave them in the garage where it will still be cold but not as cold as directly outside?
Thank you so much for your help.
Michelle,
Outside either covered or uncovered should be fine. Not inside, not in the garage.
Hi Mike I currently have some hydrangea cuttings rooting in coarse sand on a heat mat in my heated garage. The cuttings are covered with white plastic and started to show new growth. The problem is there is mold starting. Do you think it is safe to put the cuttings outside now to go dormant until spring? Or is there something else I should do to keep the mold at bay? Thank you for all the information
The cuttings were started at the beginning of January and today is January 31st
Dan,
Don’t move them outside, it will kill them. They need time to harden off. I’d uncover them and maybe apply a fungicide and let a fan blow on them for a few days. Keep in mind, I do all my hardwood cuttings outside, in the cold, no matter how cold it is so they stay dormant and don’t wake up until spring.
I have lots of fruit trees, willows along with others. I’m wondering if I should prune now and root the cuttings vs. waiting until March when you said you stop.
Marla,
You have to do hardwood cuttings while the plants are still dormant. So you can wait, but you can’t wait too long. You have to do them before they buds become active and start to swell.
Hey Mike, I got a mini greenhouse/propagation tank for Christmas and did some hardwood cuttings about 1 1/2 weeks ago. I put the tank in my house and the cuttings in sand and have kept them moist and there are new green shoots and the buds are turning green and unfurling already. My question is do I keep these cuttings in low light/under opaque plastic once the leaves open or do I allow for sunlight? I’ve kept them pretty dark until this point but I’m pretty sure they haven’t rooted yet in such short time. The cuttings were taken from a white Lilac tree and this evergreen bush with flat leaves, not needles, and they are also budding new leaves.
Thanks! I did the cuttings using your method shown on YouTube and it really helped.
Christine,
With leaves they’ll need some light. Probably won’t root for some time so it’s a tricky time, they are making leaves but have no roots. Some plants are good at this, others not so much. That’s why we do some as hardwoods and some as softwoods in the summer. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/
Hi I live in Gainesville Florida and I want to start a backyard garden but I don’t know what type of plant cuttings to do for this area what do you suggest?
Maria,
Just start with easy things, all of the things that you see for sale in your local garden centers. Just make sure they are not patented. http://backyardgrowers.com/join
Hi Mike
Is there any trick to rooting Wisteria cuttings? I tried in july last year (UK) with no luck. Thanks in advance for any advice 🙂
Sam,
They can be a little tricky. I’d suggest sticking lots of them using one of these methods. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/
Hi, Mike
Thanks for all the help you offer on your site! Do you know if this technique will work with butterfly bushes or forsythia?
Zach,
It will work perfectly with Forsythia. Butterfly bush? That probably depends on where you live. I’d do the butterfly bush in June, see this; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/
Thanks, Mike! And please keep up the good advice for all us novices. I absolutely loved the containers you offer. They are the perfect size and excellent for prorogations!
Thanks Zach, I’m glad you are happy with them.
Hi Mike ,My question is, can I make cutting from my fully grown Blue Rug Juniper & will I ruin it if I cut it way back? I cannot find any info on blue rug in your booklet I got from you. Thanks for any help you can give me Ilene
Ilene,
No, you want ruin your Blue Rug Juniper by cutting it back. I cut mine back all the time. Can you root them? Yes. They are very slow to root. You can stick them outside in sand or well drained potting soil anytime between now and late March, but they won’t be rooted until next fall.
Will this work for the Japanese Maple tree? The one that is slow growing.
Melvin,
No it will not. Japanese maples are difficult to propagate. They can be grown from seed, then specific variety are then grafted onto seedlings. See this http://japanesemaplelovers.com/how-to-graft-japanese-maple-trees/
Sound advice over the many years I’ve followed your comments. Great info to use
at any leave of gardening, a big thanks.
Q regarding rooting Bay Leaf Tree. I’ve not been successful with either hardwood
or softwood cuttings, however I tried the hardwood cuttings in summer
here in Virginia. My bay tree was near 2oft tall (also near 20 years old),
until two winters and last winter killed almost of the tree. Advice on starting a
few new babies as these are beautiful plants for any cook, (pentagon-911 Kris)
Kris,
I would suggest softwood cuttings in June. See these articles. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/ and http://www.freeplants.com/homemade-plant-propagation.htm
Hey Mike, thanks for all the info and help, I could not help but notice that your rooting bed has no labels or markers? Is that all one variety? Do you use tags and/or labels only when you transfer to pots?
Thanks,
Thomas
Thomas,
I start by making a map as we stick the cuttings then I put aluminum tags on the edges. See this post about tagging https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2016/01/proper-nursery-plant-tagging/
Mike, Wishing you well…I am going to shovel a small area and try do some hardwood cuttings of hydrangeas that are growing in the yard..tell me more about clipping them…can I start at the end of the branch..what thickness of the stem , and do I need to cut them four or six inches long,…and how far into the sand…I will buya tube of sand and lay it over the frozen soil and then cover the hardwood cuttings after it freezes or snows them over on their own…all as an experiment…thanks for the poiiiinters …your little secret instructional booklet was not available last I tried…but you seem like a really good fellow to be so helpful to so many. Sue
Sue,
I wouldn’t use the tips of the branches for hardwood cuttings. Softwood yes, but not hardwood. Make the cuttings 4 to 5 inches long, stick them in the sand about an inch, maybe an inch and a half. Be sure to visit both of these articles.
https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-winter-time-plant-propagation-can-home/
https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/
Lots to learn in both of those articles.
When can I stick roses ???
Mary,
See this on roses. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2013/10/how-to-grow-roses-from-cuttings-2/
How did you do that when your sand is frozen? My sand was frozen. Finally it warmed up a bit before it got cold again and I got it to move with a pitchfork, then the snow came and that was a waste of time.
I had to put them in the earth where it wasn’t frozen. I just wondered if you have some secret to stopping your sand from freezing? Is it vermiculite?
Cathy
Cathy,
No secret, we just act as quickly as possible. Every year we wait and wait and wait for that first hard freeze, then right after the freeze it usually warms up a bit. The sand never freezes hard that quickly. I say it all the time, this business is all about timing and I know that the sand will freeze eventually, so as soon as it’s safe to make cuttings we make cuttings like crazy and got 99% of them done before the sand froze. It’s froze now and I may not get those last few cuttings done until April 1st, but as soon as that sand thaws we’ll get them done.
Can you tell me if lemon trees will root from hardwood cuttings?
Laurie,
I can’t say for sure but my guess would be no. Consider this instead. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/
Hi Mike, great post.
I also did some hardwood cuttings last month and have more to do… We need to keep busy during these months 🙂
Do you have a “complete” list of species that are suitable for HWood cuttings?
Greetings from Portugal. your site is inspiring!
Regards, Daniel
Daniel,
This is as close to a list that I have. http://freeplants.com/howtodowhat.htm
I live on the gulf coast of Florida just west of Tampa. We are fortunate here in that we have two growing seasons per year I plant in Sept and harvest in December, Then again I plant inJanuary and harvest by .May. The crops differ a little between the seasons. With all these seasons I I start a lot of cuttings but not all are successful.I have a perfume tree that will not produce a new plant no matter what I do and I have the same problem with olive trees. Knowing Olive trees are normally started from cuttings Driver me nuts..
Andrew,
I’d try softwood cuttings. This guide you help you time that properly. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/
Hey mike! I bet you didn’t think you’d need to know world geography and plant care in all these places when you where just a young man with the love of transforming your neighbors landscapes with a few beautiful plants to help them make their properties really shine! I pray for your good health and that you can keep up the good work of bringing folks into plant propagation and therefore making the world a more beautiful place. Your emails always make me smile so keep fighting the good fight and keep on keeping on! Lots of love to you and yours and a Hopping New Year to you all, Big Dave in Pa
Thanks Dave, I really appreciate that. Years ago when I first started writing a few pieces I wasn’t even sure if people down the road would read them, let along people all over the world! Appreciate your support.
We live at 8700 feet elevation in the Rockies with 6 to 8 feet of snow…I don’t see how I can make it work during the winter here….
Julie,
You have to adapt to where you live, but you most certainly can do hardwood cuttings in that kind of a climate. You can do the cuttings after the first freeze but before you are completely buried in snow. Or you can do the cuttings in flats or make shift flats then move them out into the cold and they’d be fine. I often keep a few bales of growing medium in my garage at home so they don’t freeze for things like this. But once stuck the cuttings need to be outside for the winter. I’ve used these flats for hardwood cuttings in the past https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/01/how-to-make-homemade-plant-propagation-flats/
is now the time to root evergreens?
Jim,
You can stick evergreen cuttings now but they will be slow to root. Stick a bunch now but don’t plan on moving them until next September. Growers do them over bottom heat to speed up the process but that can be tricky. You have to keep the roots warm but the tops cool.
fari i am from quebec canada here it’s white you see only snow what can i plant
thank you
Here in California we are finally getting the good soaking rains we have prayed for so long. My lettuce is ready to harvest and my Snow Peas are about 2 feet tall. They are growing up the tomato cages, and doing great. The potatoes took a beating from frost. They looked wonderful ’til we got some snow clouds heading for the Sierras, then fizzled out. I thought they were a cold weather crop, but not this year. My beets are all mixed in with the lettuce. I am planning to cut some of the tops for salad soon.
Come and visit, Mike, you are working too hard!
Okay Charline, that sounds great, put on the coffee!
Hi Mike I love your website but I live in Africa , in BULAWAYO Zimbabwe
can I get any advice out here, I am a backyard beginner and I am totally lost as I cant even get the free gifts. You offer as you say only in the USA please help if possible
ANN.
Ann,
The digital products that we offer are available no matter where you live, but physically products are just to difficult to ship outside of the U.S. for some of the prices that we offer. Plants around the world respond the same and can be propagated using these techniques. You just have to look around at what sells in your area and start concentrating on those things.
How often do you water them in the winter? Are they ready to take out of the beds early in the spring?
Nancy,
During the winter I only water my hardwood cuttings when it’s warm and dry. As long as it rains, snows or the sand stay frozen I don’t worry about them. Hardwood cuttings are slower to root so they are not ready to remove from the bed until about mid summer.
Hi Mike
Question for you coming from South Australia! How often do you refresh the sand in the cutting bed? After each propagation cycle or do you use the same sand for a few cycles?
Thanks
Andrew
Andrew,
Great question. I try and re-use the sand as long as I can, but after a while it gets dirty and picks up more and more weed seed. Sometimes I take out a little and add fresh sand on top until I just can’t get by with it any longer. As long as it continues to drain well and it’s not a complete weed farm I leave it. Keep it as weeded as possible rather than letting the weeds get out of control.
Thanks Mike. That’s great advice. I am just about to pot up the majority of my 8 ft x 6 ft bed and I want to immediately get it filled with cuttings. Hydrangeas, English box and photinia robusta (not sure if you are familiar with that hedging plant).
Andrew,
No I am not familiar with Photinia Robusta.
Happy New Year Mike! Wishing all the best for you and your family! I am new at this although I did start with you in August 2020. A lot has been going on so I am trying to grow some plants. I made a propagation bed and planted a bunch of cuttings of cedars, I also have two beds of Japanese red maples. Praying that they root! Plus lilacs. I live in Quebec and not sure about watering the bed. I did see the post where you answered that question. Anyway just want to thank you for being there and guiding me through this. And love the posts with your family and the darling donkeys!! Eva