What Is Hardwood Cuttings

Take hardwood cuttings from deciduous shrubs and vines see the suggested plant list in the fall after leaf drop and before the ground is frozen.

What is hardwood cuttings.

A straight cutting is the most commonly used stem cutting. The plant material is between the softwood and woody stage. But in a pinch hardwood cuttings can be taken anytime of the year. Hardwood cuttings are typically taken in early spring or early winter when the plant is not actively growing.

Hardwood cuttings are even simpler to prepare than softwood or herbaceous cuttings as we use cuttings from dormant deciduous trees and woody plants and this technique is very useful for propagating fruit trees such as figs pomegranates mulberries and quince. A similar method to that used to take softwood cuttings is used for semi hardwood cuttings. Exactly what is a semi hardwood cutting. Winter is the time for taking hardwood cuttings.

Heeling in covering the roots of dormant plants with soil or mulch for short periods. Softwood semi hardwood and hardwood depending on the growth stage of the plant. The point of taking hardwood cuttings in non growth periods is more to do with doing as little harm to the parent plant as possible. Some evergreen plants hollies for example can also be taken at the same time of year as other hardwood cuttings.

Hardwood cuttings are used most often for deciduous shrubs but can be used for many evergreens. Examples of plants propagated at the hardwood stage include forsythia privet fig grape and spirea. It s relatively easy and will save you a lot of money. The three types of hardwood cuttings are straight mallet and heel.

Follow our guide to turning a hardwood stem into a vigorous new plant. Cuttings can be taken from the soft wood the semi hardwood or the hardwood parts of the plant. Wood is called semi hardwood when it is not soft and new but is not quite old enough to be hard and woody. Take hardwood cuttings at the end.

First always clean your pruners or knife with rubbing alcohol or 1 part bleach and 9 parts water to prevent the spread of disease. Herbaceous a non woody plant. Hardwood cutting a mature woody piece of a woody plant that is removed to asexually propagate a new individual plant. Hardwood cuttings provide an easy and reliable method of propagating a range of deciduous climbers trees and shrubs and as bonus they are taken from mid autumn until late winter when more time is usually available to the gardener.

Click on the following article to learn the basics of semi hardwood propagation.