wisteria

smiln32 Oklahoma City, OK(Zone 7a) Aug 16, 2001

I have a small wisteria plant that was given to me and I'd like to take cuttings. I'm also happy to share if anyone wants any. How do I do this and how would I go about preparing them for shipping? I've never done this before, can you tell?

Thanks,
Carla

Post #10931

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Wingnut Spicewood, TX(Zone 8b) Aug 26, 2001

Do you have any long branches? What I do is take about a foot and a half or two feet (depending on the distance between the plant nodes), making sure there are enough nodes to get atleast four good cuttings with two nodes apiece, more nodes if possible and easy without butchering the mother plant. If you don't have any long branches, just take cutings from the ends of smaller branches, being sure to get atleast two nodes apiece.

If I'm sending just one type of cutting, I go ahead and snip them into 5" or so long pieces with atleast two nodes apiece, making sure to keep the "stem ends" (the end that was closest to the mother plant) at the same end. I tie some plant tie around that end to mark them as stem ends (I put in a note to that effect as well so the recipient will know), put them in a ziploc bag with a moist paper towel (moist, not wet!) and put the whole thing in a padded envelope. If I'm sending many cuttings and need to ship in a box, I leave the cutting long and wind it up loosely like a rope if possible and do everything else above the same.

According to the rooting database I refer to often (here http://telework.ucdavis.edu/root/pcsearch.htm ), you can get 100% germination with softwood cuttings if you use rooting hormone. That's what they're talking about there when they say "Auxin" ~ auxins are plant hormones. "IBA" is Indole Butric Acid (look on your bottle of rooting hormone for an active ingredient). The dosage on that site gets pretty specific, I just dip the cutting in it and tap off the excess. Good luck!

Post #116366

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smiln32 Oklahoma City, OK(Zone 7a) Aug 26, 2001

Neat web site link. Thanks so much. I'll have to re-read your message a few times before I try anything to make sure I get it right. :)

I appreciate your response. Wisteria is soooo beautiful and now I'll have a chance to propagate it.

Carla