Propogating Aucuba

I brought some herbaceous cuttings of Aucuba from our house in Atlanta up here, wanting to propagate it. Journal entry (and picture) is here:

http://davesgarden.com/gj/dave/viewentry/3307.html

I tried to get it to root in a glass of water, but no success after over 6 weeks. I finally moved it outside into the soil on the north side of my house. I'm prepared to chalk this one up as a failure and go get some more cuttings sometime - any tips on propagating this?

Dave

Dave try some softwood cuttings anytime between June and August. Dip in a little rooting hormone and place sterile soil. Most references indicate they are slow to root, even when the cuttings are taken at the most opportune time.

Funny thing about aucuba, I took a small cutting of mine to bring it inside and identify the variety. I threw the cutting in the compost heap and every time I turned the pile, I saw that the silly thing was still green. (No roots on it, though...)

You got me,

I have only tried rooting two cuttings in water and no problem. One was a sport of an aucuba from my workplace. It lools like the variety "Picturata". The sport was off Mr Goldstrike, so it will bw a male plant. The other was just the plain old "gold Dust " plant.

I don;t know the time pf the yaer I did this, however like most shrubs you probably want semi-ripe wood, so July would seem about right. I say try again, in water.

Sally

Good, thanks for the tips. I'll try both of your methods this summer and see what happens.

Dave

Dave, I was doing some research on propagating Euonymous and came across this link. Pretty good I thought. Hope it helps!


http://www.ces.uga.edu/pubcd/b641-w.html

Does anyone have any updates on propagating Aucuba? I am hoping to propagate some Aucubas (once I can find a neighbor who will donate some cuttings!). (By the way, louisa's link is no longer a good link; nor is the link to Dave's Journal.)

Would bottom heat be a help? Should I stick it in dirt and keep it in a plastic baggie to increase humidity? Try in water? Floral foam?

This message was edited Jul 25, 2007 10:29 PM

Yes!

>ducking and running...

Deep sigh.

Lol - I'l bet by now Dave has mastered it! I have been known to put a bunch of cuttings in a bucket half full of water with good sucess - I put chicken wire over the top to keep them straight. Other times, had no sucess at all.

The best, easiest and most sucessful method I have used is to simply bend a low branch down to the ground, put some loose soil on it and a rock so it will stay down. Acuba will root this way in 2-3 mos. ( I do this with many shrubs) Of course, this method can be difficult if the "Momma" plant is in another state!. So Dave, did you ever get your cuttings going??

Azalea: I love that method -- I use exactly the same one for azaleas which I have otherwise been completely unsuccessful with. Problem is, I am taking these from people in the neighborhood whom I don't know, and it is bad enough for me to ask for a cutting, I don't think I can ask to put a rock on a branch of their shrub. And even if they say yes, they'll forget and take it off before it is rooted. Maybe if I find one by the street that is unloved . . . I need at least six plants.

This is going to sound like a tall tale. My Acuba comes up from the roots! I have an Acuba on one side of my deck and there is a small Acuba coming up on the other side of the deck. It is actuallyy under the edge of the deck next to the pool pump. I also get them coming up under the mother plant.

Smokey: I'm sorry you're not my neighbor!

I have found aucuba to be the easiest and fastest plant to root.
I do not use a rooting hormone, only place cuttings in a mixture of perlite,pine bark screenings and vermiculite

hementa, I'm with you. My mom used to root aucubas in no time flat. I'll ask her again, but I swear she put them in water one week, then in pots the next, and that's all she did. Seems like I did the same thing back in early 90's, too.

I need to wander around my neighborhood with a pair of clippers and sneak a few cuttings then!!!

sneak, heck why? ooops, oh yeah, you may have to. here, we need to trim them every so often to keep them from covering over the windows!!

Dear Happy,

Are you coming to Jody's plant swap? I am going home from work and burying/stoning some of my Aucuba for you. Let's see what happens tween now and June 7th! Pam

I can't make it go Jody's swap, very unforunately. It's a 3 hour drive, and I couldn't leave until 1:20pm the day of the swap because I take classes on Saturday morning. I'm really feeling sad about missing the swap, but if I start missing classes I'll fall behind . . . .

I so appreciate your trying to root the Aucuba for me! I have a couple places in the deep shade where it'd be perfect. I think Jody is coming to the Northern Virginia swap -- maybe she'd be willing to transport it!

Otherwise, no worries. I have seen it around my neighborhood, so I really can try to take cuttings. I love the stoning approach; though; that's my favorite way to root azaleas.