Hi,
Please see information on taken hardwood cuttings,
Enjoy
Willie
Hardwood
Cuttings
Hardwood and Propagating cuttings for this time of
the year, making more plants from some plants you have already or from taking
cuttings from other sources (plants that you fancy from your neighbourhood,
parks, gardens etc.) There are plenty of shrubs at this time of the year to
take cuttings they should be straight and no thicker than a pencil about 30cm
long most are deciduous. Among the easiest are Willows (Salix alba) Dogwood
(Cornus alba) and their different colours stems. The following shrubs are
likely candidates Buddleia, Callicarpa, Deutzia, Euonymus,Forsyithia,Philadelphus,Ribes,Viburnum,Weigela.
Roses can also be grown from cuttings but be mindful that modern roses are
grown from the method called Grafting, which means that the cutting is grafted
onto a root stock. So if you take a cutting from a rose and plant it up you
will not get what you thought when you took the cutting in the first place.
Some climbers
can take cuttings from like, Jasmine, Honeysuckle, Grape Vine, Parthenocissus can be propagated from hardwood
cuttings as can Gooseberries and all the currents. So there is plenty to make
more offspring of the chosen plants you want. Next prepare a place to do you
cuttings and if you are out and about taken cuttings and with the consent if
you are in some ones garden, place the
cutting in a plastic bag so as not to let the cutting dry out and keep it safe.
Be sure your cutting implement is sharp and if you have a secateurs this is the
ideal tool to use. Next you will need a small dedicated bed to put your
cuttings into, the soil must be light and well drained if your soil is heavy
and claggy add some horticulture grit or sand. Choose straight strong growth
with no blemishes as propagating material. Cut the stem you have chosen with
clean sharp secateurs you will be using material no thicker than a pencil and
about 30cm long, but prune the shoot back to the base or other logical point.
Make individual cuttings by snipping straight across directly below a bud, then
moving up the stem about 35cm you are using as a cutting cut a diagonal cut on
top of a bud slopping away from the bud. This indicates which is top and which
is bottom of cutting, the sloping angle is the top portion and this also allows
water to drain away from the bud.
Insert the cutting/cuttings into the space you have already prepared for
them bury them about ¾ deep into prepared space. Make sure they are firmly in
by gently pressing down on the soil around the cutting, water and leave for
about a year or so, but always checking on them to make sure they do not dry
out or are damaged in some way. Hopefully in about 9/12 months new green leaves
start to show, in the meantime if they start to show green leaves they will not
have rooted enough so avoid pulling them or digging up to see. The exception to
this rule is the Willow which will root very easily as they are full of rooting
hormones. 
