I'd like to take cuttings of one of my hydrangeas, but I've never done it. Could you walk me through the process? Thanks in advance
How do you take Hydrangea cuttings?
Yehudith------I am not very professional in the way that I root hydrangeas. I cut off about a 6 inch stem from the tip of a limb-------remove all the leaves except a couple at the top-----put it in a pot of dirt------water it----place it where it gets filtered light----and forget about it. This works about 75% of the time. Oh yes, I usually cut in half the 2 leaves that I leave at the top. And, be sure that some of the spots where you removed leaves are below the soil line.
Shirleyd
zone 7b
I have had quite a bit of success with hydrangea cuttings. I cut a branch off - approximately 8" - 12" long. Cut up into the bottom of the stem so that you have a 1" to 2" cut (the cutting will do better with taking up water) and put the stem in a pot with potting soil. I make sure that there is a set of buds (or you can snip off leaves if your plant is growing) below the soil line. This usually means planting it at least 3" - 4" deep. It is most important to keep this wet. Although most plants hate "wet feet" it is best if the soil remains moist (or even wet) during the rooting period. Then, just be patient - it will take a number of weeks (maybe 6 to 8) before you see sprouting appear.
In January, I noticed some of my hydrangeas had green buds beginning to show. I snipped off about 8 stems, cut into the bottom of the stems, and stuck them in pots that I had in my office with small poinsettia plants! Since it was a very cold winter, my potting soil was frozen so I could not fill pots with new soil. I have been keeping them wet and they look like they will all begin to sprout! This is a great way to start a new hydrangea from a favorite old one!
Best wishes! Diane
I've read cuttings should be taken from stems that didn't flower so I did a test last summer and took 7 cuttings from stems that did flower and 7 from stems that didn't flower. Each set was marked though one head still remained on the one set. They were all planted in full sun in front of the mother plant, directly in the soil.
Yesterday I noticed one from the non-flower group already had leaves down at the soil line!
I'll take photos as they make progress.
The mother plant is on the right.
Pirl----I am so glad that you are running this experiment on non-blooming and blooming stems for rooting. Please keep us informed on this.
Shirleyd
Zone 7b
Starkville, Ms
It was one of those things that just happened as I cleared an area where a big baby hydrangea had been growing so I had this extra space and a hand pruner with me so that's how it started. So far it's the only stem to show actual green growth in the entire garden.
I'm watching this thread, as I'm too, interested in propagating my Hydrangea by cuttings.
Lisa
There was a thread about propagating them back in '05 or '06 and Pixydish had great luck with using some kind of pump meant for a pool or aquarium. The details escape me now but I'll try and find it and then post it here.
Early last spring, after they leafed out, I did take two pots of cuttings and put them under a bench on the terrace where they only got morning light but regular watering. I was stunned that so many rooted by late July.
Most experts seem to say June and July are the prime months to take cuttings.
The fall blooming hydrangea, you take a cutting in Nov/beg. dec.and then plant directly into the garden, in spring you'll have new plants.Most will root. Spring blooming kind, I actually had good luck just digging and cutting a piece off, roots and all, just as they were making bud . Otherwise, I break off a piece of soft wood from the hard wood, and root in a moist vermiculite mix with soil covered with plastic cup. Very succ. with all these. yes i cut about 1" into the stem and put a tiny pebble there into the cut.Helene
Has anyone had success in trying to root the oakleaf hydrangea? Do you do anything differently from what you do with the other type? I would love to root a new Harmony hydrangea as they are so very expensive.
Shirleyd
Zone 7b
Shirleyd, I was interested in your post. Last fall I took about 6 in. cuttings of PeeGee (sp)
hydrangeas and abour 6 of Oak Leaf hydrangeas. I put them all in their own small pots as we have our home up for sale and wanted some to take along. The PeeGee's are already growing nicely. They are just one stick but have a nice fat green bud at the top. Nothing is happening to the Oak Leaf pots yet. I thought maybe they bloom later so don't know about them yet. Maybe they never will if they are hard to root. Hope this helps.
I have some new information on Oak Leaf cuttings. I missed one cutting the other day when I was looking for my Hydrangea cutting that were budding and all I could find were the PeeGee's. Any way a day or so later I was out there checking and I found a nice big Oak Leaf stem that I had planted in the fall. It is about 6 inches tall and has a nice full bud and is even a nice leaf that matches the mother plant exactly. I took a good picture of it with my digital camera but I don't know how to post it. My son, the photographer (Lol) will be home for Easter in a couple of days and I will have him show me how and I will post it. I am probably not describing this in proper terms but please bear with me. I love this site and have learned so much already. More later.
Shirley
Shleigh----thanks for your encouragement. Perhaps it just takes longer for the oakleaf to root------------soooooooo, I will be more patient.
Shirleyd
Good Evening Shirleyd,
My son got home and helped me with posting the picture so we will see. Hope it works. Lol!
Shleigh
I miss them. They are back north in Princeton. I don't get to see them often enough.
They are Nikko blues, and i started with four potted ones. The following year I snipped cuttings -- and off they went.
I cut off about a twelve-inch tip. stripped most of the leaves (leaving the top two), stuck the cut end into a bottle of Rootone, opened a tight hole with a long screw-driver, stuck it in the hole, tamped the soil around it, and went away.
The originals were southwest-facing, but the cuttings were just stuck into the ground in a north-west bed. These exploded.
This is what they looked like last autumn four years later..
The originals still survive -- but, not nearly in the same abundance. I don't think that they are too happy about the afternoon sun.
Be well
: )
Thanks for all this great info! I recently had the good luck to stay at a friend's empty home in Natchez, MS. I had no idea until I got there and stepped out on the back deck - I was looking at a true "gardener's garden" that her mother had planted and tended all the years the friend was growing up! It's backed by a ravine that flows into the "big muddy" and was long neglected at the back wooded area. Needless to say, I immediately had my DH go to the store and buy bags and a shovel! Now I have all these cuttings and trying to figure out how to root them. The hydrangeas are the only plant that I have good info on and I had to call my DD to look it up online - no phone access. Now I see this site and realize - I think I did it right!!! Yea!!!! I've wanted hydrangeas for ages but not sure where I could plant them, etc. then found how expensive they are at the nurseries. rambling on......
Deb
A word of advice.
The color of the blossom is partially dependent on the pH of the soil. More acid -- more blue.
For the deepest blue, add aluminum phosphate.
see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYFJYlO7ZYE
Be well
: )
This message was edited Apr 20, 2009 3:35 PM
This message was edited Apr 20, 2009 3:35 PM
I apologize.
Always use spell check before pressing SEND
Be well
: )
Anyone rooted climbing hydrangea?
I am trying something new this time for rooting. First I took the cuttings that dear hubby has a habit of cutting off this time of year and placed in water first. I left them there for 2 weeks. Now I planted them in potting soil and using those moisture beads. I am hoping that those moisture beads help to hold in the water better as they take root.
I have many hydrangeas in my yard that I have rooted in the past, I have even given some away. These I will also give away.
Marie,
After the 2 weeks in water, I assume they have formed roots...is that correct?
No they did not. But they were still alive and getting ready to bloom. So I am hoping that putting them in soil with food and the moisture beads they will form roots.
The best way to get one off your plant is to take a lower branch and bend it down to the soil and cover it up. It will take root there and then you cut off the branch and you have a new plant.It might take a season to do this but it is a sure way of getting a new plant.
I have great success with hydrangea cuttings here in Ireland. I take 6-8inch cuttings each July. Just cut off the bottom leaves of a non flowering shoot which is healthy,dip the end in hormone rooting powder & plant up & leave alone. Almost immediately, it takes root.Im running out of space for them. I have pink & a purple/pink due to some acid in the soil. They dry beautifully also. Just pick some when dry and in full bloom. Place in about an inch of water. Leave to absorb the water & they are dried. Can be used in wreaths for Christmas with a hint of gold/sparkly spray! So gather some now to dry for winter. They are a great plant. The climbing one is wonderful too and doesnt need a lot of care. Enjoy.
I just may have ended up with the tiniest hydrangea blossom ever from one of my cuttings last year! Look...
...and a close up:
Does anyone have suggestions on rooting PG hydrangeas? I have no trouble with the macrophyllas--------------but, not such good luck with the PG.
Thanks,
Shirleyd
Orange blossom, my climbing hydrangia have never bloomed. They are growing nice. But not a bloom in 4 years. Any idea's why?
may be you should give it some bloom booster. I bought one this summer. I'm waiting for some trees to be taken out, then I'm going to plant mine...
marie - they aren't in a rush to bloom. It often takes four years or more for them to bloom. What is it planted on? A trellis, a wall, a tree?
It is planted on a fence that gets part sun. The ones that get more shade are not growing so well. I think I will have to move them.
My cutting's that I put in soil with the moisture beads have taken root. My experiment worked.
Glad to hear your experiment worked. Maybe Luis will drop in here to help you out with the question about your non-blooming hydrangea.
Hello, pirl! Yes, I agree with you in that the climbing hydrangea can be a fussy plant. It is not strange at all when it behaves as Marie describes so, Marie, do not worry. It will act as many other climber plants also do: climb, climb, climb and climb until it reaches the top and theeeeeeeen it flowers. In other scenarios, it blooms a little before reaching the top (or sides). Other times it does not. I will mention a few things that might help produce some bloomage but again, do not worry. Some people have commented to me that it thrives on benign neglect but I still would maintain the soil moist, fertilize it once a year and keep it well-mulched at all times.
Growth: Marie's climbing hydrangea will concentrate on growing sideways until it reaches the ends of the fence and then that will trigger it to bloom its best. The length or height of the object is probably not an issue. Climbing hydrangea can climb 70+ feet tall trees easily. Ditto for fences.
Climbing hydrangea does not mind growing in sunny or shady locales but sunny locations will produce more flowers when the time is right.
Climbing hydrangea also does not mind growing in bad (clayish) soils either although well draining soils will enhance plant health.
Being a climber, you might be tempted to fertilize it with amendments that have a lot of nitrogen but remember that hydrangeas are not heavy feeders like roses are. Too much nitrogen causes no or few blooms when the amount of nitrogen in the soil becomes too high. There are cheap kits that can measure the amt of nitrogen; they give you a reading by mixing soil, water and a pill provided in the kit and turning colors or shades of green.
A general-purpose slow-release chemical fertilizer (NPK 10-10-10) is preferable than products with NPK Ratios whose first number (nitrogen) is around 20 or higher. Organic fertilizers such as cottonseed meal, compost or manure will work just as well. The point here is that less is more when dealing with hydrangeas.
Since Marie lives in the North, I would recommend fertilizing once, in June. Weak fertilizers like coffee grounds, liquid seaweed and liquid fish can be used during the growing season but stop in July/August to make sure that the plant goes dormant in time for Winter.
NPK: Nitrogen is needed in Spring for early growth of the foliage and a little is always good during the rest of the growing season. Phosphorus is for the roots and blooms. Pottasium is for general well being and is a catalyst for the absorption of nitrogen and phosphorus. I add some bone meal and phosphate in the 2nd half of the growing season. Micro nutrients can be added by amending the soil with Epsom Salts, Liquid Seaweed or Liquid Fish. Feel free to reduce in half the fertilizer amounts during the hottest part of the growing season.
To see how your soil is doing, you can get a soil test done at a local Agricultural Extension Service Office. Some local nurseries also offer this service.
Next time that you look at the plant, remember that this is a climber. Its roots will be growing quite far away from the base/crown. So, beware of the multiplier effect caused by lawn fertilizer pellets that land around the hydrangea and its far away roots. These contain a lot of nitrogen so try to apply them away from the hydrangea. Otherwise, the hydrangea may stay in growth mode for too long and produce no flowers or just a few.
In the 2nd half of the growing season, I would switch to low nitrogen fertilizers with higher amounts of phosphorus and potassium. These last two make plants produce more blooms, develop roots and are responsible for general well being.
Pruning: I would not prune this plant until it reaches the ends of the fence. But if you have to prune for some reason, do it in early July. The ususal recommendation is to prune after blooming but before July-August. Of course, you do not have any blooms so hmph! Normal blooming times vary; earlier in the south (May) and later in the north (June-July).
Good luck, Marie!
This message was edited Aug 12, 2009 10:46 PM
wow, luis. that was very informative. I just bought one (for $3 on clearance at Lowe's) and trying to decide which tree I want to climb it on. I had a poplar tree I had in mind and I was trying to soften up the clay soil and I just found out it is diseased and had it removed yesterday. Oh, well.
Thank you, Luis. You're a great source of solid information to us.
I had to do the same to two trees that were in my property when I bought the house. The first time, it was shocking to see no tree where there used to be one. The second time, it mostly sad because I liked the shade producing tree and enjoyed sitting outside under the canopy drinking coffee and reading the paper. Oh well. Both trees had to be cut down. One had limbs that were rotting. The other started dying in sections and I was afraid the big ole branches might fall. I replaced one with a Chinese Pistache. The other one, a Silver Maple, dropped a bunch of seeds on its last season and now a kid is growing in the Lower 40s, my designation of an area away from the house and somewhat near where the original Silver Maple used to be. Other than mowing, I do not tend that area much but this small tree just popped out of nowhere and grew fast so I left it do its thing. That was 2-3 years ago and now it must be -ye gods- incredibly happy.... about 2 stories high. I am not sure what I was adding into the soil there but it must like it because my sister was stunned when she saw it again last week. If the sun was not such a problem here, I would have liked to grow a standard paniculata there. But alas, the leaves would have fried. The sun is too strong over here in the summer.
I also had to remove a bunch of pine trees. Some were attacked by pine beetles and some were just leaning toward the house, so they had to go. But the poplar gave my front yard a good amount of shades and now my shade garden that I just planted this year will have to be dug up and moved. It's too hot now. I might have to wait until next year to do it.
We had Bartlett Tree service pay us a call last Saturday and the only tree that gives the terrace shade is one I always referred to as the "junk tree". It was 17" tall when we first spotted it and grew to 55" by that September. Just like Luis's story "it popped out of nowhere" and now it's 40 - 50' tall and the amount we've spent having limbs removed could have bought a decent tree. Anyhow the arborist said it's a 'Negundo' maple and we should have one limb removed (closest to the house) but leave the rest of it so that's what we'll do. From 17" to say 45' in 17 years is amazing to us.
Here's our tree guy, last year, when he was removing the upper 90% of the limb that still has to be totally removed.
I'm in zone 7 and left mine in the ground all winter. They did superb.
If the cuttings have developed some form of root system by now and they are from a variety that is hardy to your zone, 3-4" mulch should be all that you need. I would add some up to 6-12 inches away from the base of the stem(s). And remember to provide some moisture if it is dry and the ground has not frozen.
Feel free to temporarily (overnight or a day or so) protect them with something if this winter turns to be incredibly cold. Here it does not get "that" cold but in other zones some people do that to their cuttings.
pirl, et al:
have any of you ever done this overnight? or for a day or so? what have you used? cardboard boxes would not work to protect from temperatures but they would protect from winds. Upside down pots might but they would have to be made of a material that would keep things warm when temps went down too much. So plastic pots would not protect much from temps either. Has anyone ever had to do this? And not necessarily with hydrangeas but also with other plants?