Make more hydrangeas: how to create new plants by taking cuttings - Garden

Sunset, May, 2003 by Jim McCausland

Nearly every month of the year, Fred and Kit Fulton successfully multiply garden hydrangea (H. macroplrylla) varieties at Alsea River Gardens (541/563-5599), the hydrangea cut-flower operation they own in Waldport, Oregon. "We're pruning and thinning constantly," explains Fred, which means they always have cutting material for new plants.

The Fultons began the business by taking cuttings from healthy-looking hydrangeas around town. They selected plants with thick, sturdy leaves and large, clean (unspotted) blooms.

Though the Fultons occasionally make new plants by pushing hydrangea sticks into garden soil, they get better results when they are a bit more scientific about it and start cuttings in small pots using rooting hormone.

Here we show their simple step-by-step process. Spring through early summer--while new growth is at the softwood stage--is one of the best times to make new plants. Start with a variety you really like, since all of its offspring will be identical. Cuttings take about a month to root. New plants occasionally produce a few flowers the first summer after rooting. By the third summer, they should be blooming heavily.

Hydrangea step-by-step

TIME: 30 minutes

MATERIALS

* 4-inch pots or other containers

* Potting soil

* Sharp pruning shears

* Rooting hormone

* Pencil

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill pots with soil. Take cuttings early in the morning. Choose nonflowering, vigorous shoots. Make tip cuttings 6 to 8 inches long, snipping each one just above a set of leaves. Remove all but the top two sets of leaves on each cutting.

2. Cut the remaining leaves in half, crosswise. Trim the stems off to within 1/2 inch of the lowest leaf node. Dip the cut ends in rooting hormone.

3. Poke a 2-inch-deep hole in the center of the soil with a pencil. Set the stem in the hole and cover with soil. Water thoroughly after planting and then again whenever the top 1/2 inch of soil is almost dry. Set the pots in a shady location that is protected from wind. When new growth appears, move into filtered light.

In four weeks, check for root formation: if stems resist when gently tugged, roots are developing. When cuttings are well rooted, transplant into larger containers or directly into garden beds.