Rooting Compound

CorkFeen10

I had a go at using rooting compound about 2 months ago to try and duplicate some of the bushes and trees in the garden. I followed the instructions on the back of the tub but my success rate was only 1 out of 5...pretty poor. 3 of the 5 were hedging and the other 2 were of silver birch...of which one survived.

I cut approx 1 foot long branches off the parent tree/bush with a sharp knife trying to leave a 'tail'. I then put compost into small pots and made a small hole in the center where i sprinkled the rooting compound.

Am i making an obvious mistake here or is there a link to doing it properly somewhere?

Thanks!

genuine leather

Hey Corkfeen
The one foot long cuttings will get it hard to put down roots if its onto old growth,although air/ground layering that size branch is quite easy and will give you a more developed plant sooner. You would have more success with smaller cuttings,3", cut just below a node, from this years growth and leave just a small few leaves on top.Treat them with compound(Pour out some seperate as to not contaminate the compound,wet the end of the cutting and dip into compound if dust,just dip if its a rooting gel) ,pot up,and put them into a plastic bag and leave in a bright spot but not direct sun.

There will always be cuttings that dont take so prepping a good few will bring your numbers up.

CorkFeen10

Great stuff, will try all of that so.

Is there a time of the year that you should or shouldn't attempt it? You mentioned having this years growth and a few leaves so im guessing it would be ok to attempt it this time of year?

genuine leather

Once the plant is in active growth then soft wood cuttings can be taken from about june to august. It does take a few seasons to grow into a decent size. I prefer air/ground layering as it will be a more developed plant sooner. When only a small number are needed. Happy propagating.

www.finegardening.com/propagate-your-shrubs-softwood-cuttings

CorkFeen10

Thanks for that, will have a go this weekend.

Poulgorm

Keep them watered !

lazybones32

Take cuttings while the sap is still flowing.
Take short cuttings, just below a bud and remove 2/3 of the leaf coverage on the cutting to reduce water-loss. Keep soil moist.