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Cottage Gardens

Propagation by Root Pruning and Root Cuttings

15 years ago

We're talking about propagation in Token's thread on Growing Your Garden.

Another propagation method not often discussed is Root Pruning -- much success for little effort on certain plants.

Here's how I propagate Gaillardia sometimes:

Take a narrow shovel and plunge it straight down into the soil close to the plant. Don't girdle the plant, just one or two cuts. In time, new little plants will grow from the severed roots. Fleshy rooted plants root easily by this method.

I use American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation as my reference on all methods. Trial and error is the best teacher in one's own garden.

Here's a video on Root Cuttings, from Fine Gardening:

Grow More Plants with Root Cuttings

Nell

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Your Garden -- original thread

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Comments (8)

token28001
15 years ago
I took hardwood cuttings of a mock orange a few weeks ago. I put them in sand in the basement on my rack. They've already started putting out new top growth and a few have roots. I've still got plenty of shrubs in the woods, I'll have to try this method. I want to line the back yard with flowering shrubs and trees to enclose it.
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
15 years ago
Great tutorial Nell, I'm going to try this with some of my shrubs.
This method really works with perennial Asters (Michaelmas Daisies). Great way if sharing with someone through the mail :o). I usually do this in march, dig the clump, discard the center, cut the roots into small pieces that have growth buds on and either replant 3 or 4 pieces back in the hole, in 4" pots (garden club plant sale) or wash them off put them in ziplock baggies in a bit of damp paper towel and send off in the mail. I should think this should work with other plants as well. You've got rid of the soil, so there goes the weight, when the root cuttings arrive they can be potted up and grown on or planted out. This is how my daisies came from England as no soil is allowed into the country. The only other way I could have got them would have had them rooted in rock wool, this was so much simpler.

Annette
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Henry, Yes, I do think that F.c x F.p may be (somewhat) weedy! Maybe just the plain F.palmata is?! Have another similar hybrid (DFIC 0023), VERY vigorous, no suckers yet, big leaves (typically, min lobes), drops fruit, a one more season chance to my 'death-row' list. My Alma came as somewhat mature from ingroud via Herman, as a reject, mostly for lack of produce. I potted it in a 16" big pot. First year, it only produced 2 figs. Next year (2007) it gave me ~50 quarter (USD coin) sized roundish non/splitting with a honey drop on the eye, and very sweet tasting figs. A keeper for me! So far no big significant amount of suckers and not particularly vigorous. Herman figured that the 'potting-up' may be the trick (at least here in the NE) for Alma. After some convincing, I sent him a rooted portion for a (potted) re-trial. Henry, this seems consistent with your trimming method, helping your Alma to fruit (more). George (NJ).
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Most trees root best with cuttings taken in spring just before sprouting, but there are exceptions. Like grapes, apples root better in winter. In fact, I have often had cuttings from winter pruning that fell to the ground and the cut end in the soil, missed when picking up after that rooted. They were 2-3' long. I have two bonsai apples 16 years old that started that way. In our wet climate, they are kept wet enough to make it through winter and sprout in spring, but you might have to keep them watered. Rooting hormone will increase your chances of success. If you are working on root stock for an orchard, I hope you are young!
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I have propagated many of the bamboos mentioned by you. My only concern would be the bamboo starting to dry out in the 2-3 days during transit after being cut. Have you searched locally for anyone growing these tyos so you can get fresh cuttings?
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Well... Minneola Tangelo on Carrizo, and Clementine on unknown rootstock both DIED. I was extremely disappointed because I thought they were beautifully grafted (lol), everything mated so well and clean. Root system were bushy and healthy. Sadly I think I killed them with too much love (a.k.a. watering them too much). I dug them up and their once healthy roots weren't bushy anymore, but small (shrunk) and limpy. Root rot perhaps. Rio Red on Carrizo by whip grafting was an experiment and new to me. It died too, but I didn't care. It was my first time at whip grafting, and now I know I hate the process. Or maybe I was too ambitious the first time around by trying to mate a bud stick with a root system. LOL. Anyway, one root graft did survived - Okitsu satsuma mandarin on Carrizo. A Carrizo root sucker (left side) decided to show itself as well. I don't know what to do with it yet - let it grow and compete with the Okitsu bud, or just pluck it off now. Or let it grow bigger, then hack it off and graft another variety onto it, thus getting a citrus two headed monster. Suggestion? The life of the Okitsu satsuma mandarin on a cut-off piece of Carrizo root: May 19, 2018: July 10, 2018: July 19, 2018: August 8, 2018: I'm surprised the big leaf didn't fall off yet.
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token28001
15 years ago
I've got a lavender crape myrtle that I cannot get cuttings to root. Every single one has rotted, including hardwood cuttings. I'm going to try this method. I wish I had known about it when I moved it a month ago.
little_dani
15 years ago
Crepe Myrtle is one that is very easily rooted by root cuttings. That is why, once you have a crepe myrtle, you ALWAYS have a crepe myrtle! You will always have a bit of root left, even after digging the biggest root ball!

Janie
token28001
15 years ago
I dug my crepe myrtle up today. My hardwood cuttings have died. They're brittle and snap when I try to bend them. There's no green left in them either. Brown all the way through.

So I took cuttings from the roots. Most are 1/4" diameter with a few larger than that. I got 9 total. I potted them up and sat them outside. The rains are coming tomorrow and Wednesday. Then the temperatures will fall again. Do I need to put them somewhere to protect them from really cold weather, below freezing? I have a hoop house.

Thanks.
schoolhouse_gw
15 years ago
Can the Bush Clover shrub be propagated by taking cuttings? Or the Butterfly Bush?
PRO
Nell Jean
Original Author
15 years ago
My book (American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation) says softwood or greenwod cuttings of Buddleia and Lespedesa in spring and summer. Butterfly bush hardwood cuttings can be also be rooted from fall to midwinter. Seeds of both can be planted in spring.

Nell
token28001
15 years ago
I took a 1 foot cutting of my butterfly bush and stuck it into the ground a month ago. It's putting out new leaves now. The cutting is about 1/2" in diameter.

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