Late Summer Cuttings

Late summer gardens seem to be in transition right before Fall. It’s hot even blistering out with rain and bugs that bound.

Weeds are growing rapidly right before your eyes – so they need to get under control before they take over your garden.

The late summer garden features colorful old-fashioned annuals and exuberant cottage style garden perennials, with a cornucopia of edible fruits, vegetables and herbs.

Crape myrtle, Rose-of-Sharon, Peegee Hydrangea, Abelia, Canna, Dahlia, Trumpet Creeper, Cardinal Flower, Butterfly Weed, Phlox, Cleome, Hosta, Liriope and summer annuals are in full bloom.

This is a great time to take cuttings of your favorite shrubs – July and August are perfect.

There are plenty of shrubs that are easily propagated from summer cuttings. The following shrubs are all easy to propagate from nodal cuttings and are a good starting point for the novice:

Azalea (evergreen & semi-evergreen)
Boxwood
Buddlela
Camelia
Daphne
Hebe
Helianthemum
Hydrangea
Spiraea
Plus many others

Softwood, the section of a shrub's stem that's neither brand new nor fully mature, is the stage of growth on a deciduous woody plant that is best suited for rooting. The newer, green growth that lies at the end of the stem will rot before roots are produced, and the older, more woody growth at the base of the stem has a harder time putting out roots. The softwood lies between the two. The best way to know if a shoot has reached the softwood stage is to bend it. If the softwood snaps, the shoot is ready to be taken as a cutting. If the shoot is very flexible and doesn't snap, it's too green. If the shoot is not flexible at all, it is too far gone.

When propagating softwood cuttings, wounding the cutting slightly can help the rooting process. You can wound the cutting by scraping the side of the stem lightly from the bottom of the cutting up 1/2".

It is always beneficial to treat your cuttings with a liquid or a powder rooting compound just prior to sticking them. Rooting compounds will help to stimulate root development.

The best growing medium for softwood cuttings is a very coarse grade of sand. You do not want to stick the cuttings in soil. The sand you use must be course. When you water the sand, the water should run right through. The sand should have very little moisture retention ability. The stems of softwood cuttings rot very easily.

Softwood cuttings are not very rigid. They will break if you try and force them into the sand. Using a putty knife or a masonry trowel you can slice an opening through the growing medium, or use a large screw driver to make a hole in the medium. Space the cuttings at least 1 inch apart. Insert the cuttings one-third to one-half their length into the medium. Maintain the vertical orientation of the stem. Make sure the buds are pointed up. This will allow all leaves to receive sunlight. Water again after inserting the cuttings if the containers or frames are 3 or more inches in depth. Cover the cuttings with plastic and place in indirect light. Avoid direct sun. Keep the medium moist until the cuttings have rooted. Rooting will be improved if the cuttings are misted on a regular basis. Rooting time varies with each plant.