How to take hardwood cuttings

Photo via Pinterest

 

Hardwood cuttings are taken in mid-Autumn to early Winter with the ideal time being just before or after the leaves fall off or before new growth in Spring. They are called ‘hardwood’ because that part would have grown a woody dermal layer, unlike ‘softwood’ which is new and unripe growth.

 

Today I will go over two different methods for taking cuttings, there are others out there, but I found them to be more or less the same!

 

Photos by u/Legumedoom

Method 1: without any extra materials

1)  cut a 20cm long piece (below a node, joint, or bud) and cut the top at an angle – this allows water to run off instead of sit on top

2) place the cuttings in the soil – this can be in a pot or in a bed

3) press down the soil around the cuttings to make sure they don’t fall over or move

(it is very simple, but I have found more success adding hormones)

 

Method 2: with rooting hormone powder

1) take a cutting below a node, joint, or bud

2) cut the top at an angle to let water run off

3) swirl the bottom in your rooting hormone powder

4) place the cuttings in soil – in a pot or in a bed

 

Modifications to method 2:

I have seen some extra steps in other tutorials for taking cuttings, so I will list them

• Cut the bottom at an angle to expose more of the cambium layer
• ‘Wound’ the bottom of the cutting by slicing some of the bark off, or cutting into it slightly
• Use honey instead of rooting hormone powder – I have more success with honey, than powder!

 

How do I know if my cuttings were successful?

The easiest way to know, is to wait for new growth! Trying to pull them out can damage roots and undo all of your work, so I think its best to wait a year. If it still hasn’t grown, it was most likely unsuccessful.

 

And that’s all, I hope you enjoyed this post and if you found any other methods let me know.

 

----> Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, Nate.