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Where Is The Bast Place To Bring On Hardwood And Softwood Cuttings?

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RATTER15 | 08:50 Tue 17th May 2016 | Gardening
15 Answers
Like I said before, I'm fairly new to this gardening malarkey.

I have always loved shrubs and trees and now I have a fairly large greenhouse and plenty of garden space I would like to take some cuttings of various trees and shrubs, I know a little about taking the cuttings, usually in June for hardwood I believe but where is the most suitable place to put them, in full sun, in the shade, in the greenhouse etc.

I have one section of the garden that is quite clay and holds the water, I want to fill this area with shrubs with just a couple of paths running through it, so I want to bring on some shrubs for this area and will also sell a few. I have plenty of willow, so that's a good starting point, the willow cuttings are doing really well but you don't need to be be much of a horticulturist to grow willow lol.

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Hi Ratter, Sorry I missed your question earlier, I was busy painting gates and fences. I think, your cuttings will take better in the shelter of the greenhouse or cold frame, kept moist but not too wet a fine spray of mist from an atomizer can do wonders. To be honest, as my memory isn't that good, I often find myself searching for a handbook on propagation, when...
21:20 Tue 17th May 2016
Question Author
:-(
Ratter, I know virtually nothing about gardening so I can't help, but why not post something in Chatterbank to direct the green fingered here?
Question Author
Thanks Naomi, I think Chipchopper or Hammerman will come along shortly. They seem to be the wizards on gardening.
Hi Ratter,
Sorry I missed your question earlier, I was busy painting gates and fences.
I think, your cuttings will take better in the shelter of the greenhouse or cold frame, kept moist but not too wet a fine spray of mist from an atomizer can do wonders.
To be honest, as my memory isn't that good, I often find myself searching for a handbook on propagation, when I'm thinking of taking cuttings of any kind, as the right and wrong times seem to vary a lot from plant to plant, a back up plan if you like.
I agree about the willow though, a good one for entry level!. I remember once seeing some posts of willow that had been used in some dead-hedging, actually take root at ground level, even though they had been driven into some boggy ground, upside down!
Question Author
Thanks chipchopper, the greenhouse it will be.
Ok....bit of a minefield with cuttings. Now's the time you should be taking soft or greenwood cuttings. These are taken from the new, soft shoots of plants like Fuchsia and Penstemon. I would put these in a pot and then in a polythene bag and keep warm but out of direct sun.....if you've got an electric propagator, a bit of gentle bottom heat is ideal.

As you get into mid summer....July to End of August, the wood on the plants tends to get a bit tougher. This is when the bulk of shrub cuttings are taken and these are called semi ripe cuttings. Put them in a pot then in a warmish area out of the sun....a coldframe is ideal.

Finally, when certain plants have lost their leaves (Forsythia, dogwood, Philadelphus, Ribes), take 8" long cuttings at any time between November and March. You can put the cuttings in pots or just stick them in the ground. I had a bit of a bare area in a winter garden I created at work so I just took a load of mixed dogwood cuttings and put them where I wanted them to grow. They don't need any winter protection but don't like sitting in waterlogged soil so lots of grit is the order of the day.

Get yourself a decent book on propagation....there's plenty out there and it should tell you what plants are suitable what type of cutting and when to take them.

If you like your gardening Ratters, have a look at my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PrestonRockGarden/

Question Author
Many thanks Hammerman, I will look for a book. I dont have a coldframe, just a greenhouse, I can soon knock up a cold frame if that would be more suitable, what do you think?
Greenhouse should be fine mate as long as you can avoid extremes of temperature....ventilation and shading both help.
Lots of info here. Willow makes a good rooting agent, see on youtube

https://youtu.be/WyXSNzywqvw
Wow, dont bother with cuttings when you can grow bigger plants.....;)

https://youtu.be/XBLE9IfGemo
Question Author
Tambo, I have looked into air layering but I dont have the shrubs to use in the first place for air layering apart from a large azalea tree that I will try later on.

Where as cuttings I can get pretty much anywhere, free or very cheap. I know they will take a while to establish but I will still enjoy that period of watching them mature. I have a load of dogwood cuttings coming on and looking very promising, those cuttings came from the hedge outside Aldi :-)
that youtube clip in your post, I have been watching a few of his, very useful.

I have my eye on a few shrubs that I have seen about the place and right opposite my house there are loads of blackthorn and hawthorn hedges that I will obtain a few cuttings from as well ;-)
lilac is also dead easy..take some new growth now a length of approx 12/18 inches strip bottom growth cut a diagonal on bottom ..helps if you dip in some hormone rooting gel/powder and either push into site directly or pot up and keep for a season before transplanting...
I'd grow Hawthorn from seed Ratters....very easy. Just collect the berries, allow to dry out then sow the seeds. Many tree seeds need to be stratified....subjected to a cold period....I prefer to do mine naturally by just sowing the seeds then leaving them outside all winter and let the rain, snow, frost and wind get at them. Then in March, bring them into the warm. Japanese maples will come up like anything if you do that to them.
Question Author
Thanks Hammer man, I do have a really nice Japanese Maple already. I will give it a shot.
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