Vitex (chaste tree) propagation

I had heard that basically air layering was the only way to propagate vitex, I have tried and failed with both cuttings and seed. But I found a seedling in a shady moist pot with a baby shrub in it, in deep shade under other plants. It appears darkness and higher than average moisture for my yard might induce a seed to sprout. Meantime I started an air layer experiment this week, running a low branch horizontally through a 3 gallon pot with potting soil in it. Will see how it does.

Hi Gypsi-
Another DGer named "sevastan" and I have been corresponding via D mail about a trade. I want a start of his Vitex. He had never done a Vitex cutting (nor have I), but I looked it up in my propagation books and it says:

Softwood cuttings root readily May through July, before the inflorescence appears in August. They treat with rooting hormone. They use a perlite and peatmoss medium, and they mist at first. They reduce misting quickly as soon as rooting commences, because Vitex "declines rapidly under excessive moisture conditions".
He is trying it. I was thinking about trying it with my current Vitex, which has not yet started flowering.
What did you try which failed?
I like the air layering idea.

I tried soft cuttings similar to chrysanthemum, none have ever succeeded, and ordinary moisture level seed bed also failed. However exceptionally moist seed bed, one a flowerpot on my pond plant tray and one under a shrub so protected from evaporation did succeed in the last couple of weeks despite our hot weather. I have moved the under the shrub one to my northern porch where it gets watered once a day and no direct sunlight but plenty of indirect. It is still 100 degrees on that porch, not bothering it.

This sounds food-what month did you do the cutting?

I think I did my failed soft cuttings in May last year, but I did not log it.

I saw a photo in the propagation forum of an upside down pot, with a right side up pot sitting on top, and a bush branch run through the top pot. I set 2 of these up on my front yard vitex a couple of weeks ago, put nice potting soil in the top pots, trying to remember to water now and then. I did use landscape fabric under the soil to keep it in the pot, and kind of tucked in the opening around the branch at its bottom entry. Will try to post a photo later.

It sounds good. Did you use any rooting hormone?

no. I didn't nick the branches either, just removed leaves.

On starting from seed though, I have failed and failed until last year's seeds, but I added 2 more vitex bushes to my property (I keep bees) Lo and behold I have fertile seed now. Will post if the lot that I planted today in wet pots on the pond aquaponics tray start. I know I harvested those seeds last fall and stuck in freezer in hopes of better success

I've had luck with good luck with cuttings. Not the tender limbs, I'm going to say semi, just as they start to go from soft to hard. And I dip the cut end in honey, then move to a pot and keep it damp. I started with a mixture of perlite and peatmoss medium. But I've also had success with just potting soil. Just keep damp, and don't over expose to direct sunlight until after the cutting have taken root.

hmm that honey is a good idea. However the seedling project may have me an adequate supply. I suspect my seeds were sterile until I added 2 more bushes and the bees fertlized them?

Should I nick the woody stems in my "air layer" pots and put some honey on them?

This message was edited Aug 16, 2015 9:24 AM

Gypsi- I wouldn't mess with it-the air layering has been set up for about a month? Might not be too late to try Houndog's semi-hardwood technique now, with honey-
Houndog-I never heard of dipping in honey, how did you come to use it?

Guilty of the internet and youtube. But it seemed to make a little sense. Honey is a natural antiseptic, so it helps protect the cut end, as well as its sugar content to help the cutting to start a root. I've had good luck with the honey, and it doesn't seem to hurt anything.

I keep bees and have some not good for anyone honey, might be good for cuttings? (I suspect some fermentation from shb))

my frozen from 2 years ago vitex seeds are no good, batting a big flat zero for all the ones I planted in nice moist proven sprouting places. wondering if any on the bush right now are ripe enough to plant.

Following this as I just bought a vitex today. I thought I was looking at a butterfly bush initially.
Patti

put it where it has some room, they do get bigger around than a butterfly bush. Mine is about 12 ft tall and 15 ft in diameter. It is about 8 to 10 years old (not sure what year I got it) and I prune a little in between blooms so I can walk through my yard. water to get well established, doesn't take too much water afterward

Thank you gypsI. I am new to gardening and I am creating – or attempting to create – structure for my yard and new flower beds. I would've stuck it in the wrong place for sure.
Patti

it wants sun, loves the sun, but get it well established water and root wise before letting it get hit with what I have in my yard (hot full sun). On the bright side they tolerate flooding. My neighbor got drowned plants in clay but his vitex lived

I hope it establishes this winter. Otherwise, I'll have a piece of canvas out there acting as a sun shade. However, Kansas sun is not Texas sun. At least I tell myself that when it's 105° outside.
Patti

should do ok if you are starting to get rain and coolness.

It's a few minutes after 4 AM and I just let the dog out and then back in. You can feel fall coming.

I'm dropping off this thread. I returned the Vitex to the nursery today. The more I researched this, the more I realized it was not a "fit" in my yard. It was either going to be much too large for the area I wanted it to go in or I was going to be constantly pruning.

The salesperson basically told me this was similar to butterfly bush. Yes, I can sort of see why she might say that, but to be fair to me, I had told her the size of the area and she said nothing about how big this could get. Nor did she speak to the amount of attention it would need if I wanted to keep it a manageable size.

This senior citizen does not need to be getting up on ladders – especially since I fell and broke my right hip last year at this time and I'm still dealing with the aftermath of that.

Thank you for all the information you gave me. I think at least two of you do W/S, so I'll catch you over on a W/S thread. Thanks again! Oh, enjoy your VITEX. They really are beautiful plants.
Patti

we have trouble keeping shrubs and trees ALIVE through our droughts, and Vitex is a good fit for the drought ridden in North Texas. they are initially shrubs but mine did quite well when nothing else has and it is massive. gets a lot of internal watershoots, I never get those quite pruned out. What the heck is a w/s?

W/S is winter sow(n). I thought I saw you on that thread last year when I was reviewing what had been posted. I'm sorry for the confusion.

We were in drought up until this year. Now we are 10 inches over our yearly average to date. I'm in Wichita, Kansas.
Patti

We are 13 inches over our annual in Fort Worth, Texas, but we were 48 inches behind for the 5 year prior. Now the area is going back into drought with most of us 60 days since last rain. A 6 week dry spell every summer is normal but what has been going on since 2007 or so is not normal. I've lost oak trees. Lots of people lost oaks and other large old trees. Got lucky and got an inch and a lightning storm on Saturday. Glad I grounded my house. Only lost 3 appliances