It varies based on the tree and some trees are easier than others. Some impossible. To best get an answer, first determine what it is you are ttrying to clone, make sure it's not patented (that's a no-no) and then type into a search engine tree cuttings propagation and you'll find some lists that give specifics as to what type of wood you need to take, what time of year and what type of rooting hormone (if any). To have success with this you generally need to invest in a setup that provides constant humidity, yet good drainange and circulation so the things don't rot. This is the type of project you do to learn how it's done rather than to save money buying plants. There is one exception. Willows and cottonwoods. It's been said you can easily root these from a thin branch jabbed a couple of feet into the ground with no special setup.

I don't have any specific information about rooting mulberry cuttings, but if they root the way most other plants do, then this isn't a good time of year to take cuttings. Since you're in Oakland, I wouldn't imagine mulberries would be making new growth right now, so the youngest cutting you could take, from last year, would still be old. So I'd take the tenderest looking little piece I could find. I normally like to cut a sprig of new growth in the early summer, before it's hardened off. I try to get a good "heel" piece, that is, one that's wider at the bottom where it meets the limb than it is for the length of the cutting. I like to get a piece that's a little thicker than a straw, no thicker than a pencil. I immediately put the cutting in water, then trim off all but the top leaves. I "wound" the cutting at each leaf node by cutting into it deep enough to expose some of the inner part of the twig, but certainly not too deep. I also make cross cuts at the very base of the cutting - plants root better when they've been cut into a little. Then I stick a pencil or stick into some wet potting soil leaving a hole for the cutting, put the cutting into it, water it again to make the soil adhere around the cutting, then put it in a warm, humid place in the shade. I keep it moist but not soggy. Various plants take various lengths of time to root, some never root at all. I got a cutting of a passionvine that I really wanted in Florida in early winter, and it was way too cold root it outside. So I made up a rig on my stove in an old canning pot with water on the bottom that I'd heat periodically to give the cutting the heat and humidity it needed, and it worked! I now have a good rooting cutting of this passionvine - my husband really laughed at this! Sherry

You should ALWAYS ask permission! What if you and a thousand other people decide to take cuttings of a particular plant at the restaurant, at the grocery, at the park, dentist's parking lot, Disney Worlld, on municipal property along the road? :-) If it's not yours, you should ask first. Check with your City or County municipal departments. Most have a landscaping division with a director or superintendent in charge. Ask for the manager at the grocery, or the owner of the business. Believe me, if the thought of snitching one or two cuttings has crossed your mind, it has occurred to plenty of others ahead of and behind you. Accumulatively, that constitutes property damage. Right? You simply have to ask; it's the right thing to do. You will either get permission right away or you might get asked to wait until they can take the cuttings for you or they will ask that you don't. Whatever happens, they will appreciate that you asked. I've asked and received permission to take cuttings and seeds from public parks, exotic nurseries, cemeteries, parking lots of businesses, and from the gardens of complete strangers who answered my knock on their doors.

Apparently not all experts agree that cloning trees from cuttings is either incredibly difficult or that own root apple trees are undesirable. In fact, quite the opposite. Link: http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/tree/apple.htm Which says: Q: My father-in-law insists he used to start new apple trees by cutting off a branch and sticking it in the ground. We doubted his story until we were looking at our childrenÂs question-and-answer book. It says sour apples come from trees started from seeds and sweet apples come from trees started from limbs. Now we are very curious. Do you have any information on starting new trees from limbs? Is there any truth to the sweet/sour story? (Brookings, S.D.) A: Your father-in-law has a "Smith" sense of humor, just like my dad. Apple trees can be propagated from softwood cuttings or seed. Trees rooted from stems are clones (asexual propagation). No one can root a branch from a tree that produces sour apples if they want sweet apples! Seedling stock (sexual propagation) will produce offspring that are widely variable in fruit quality and taste. Some will be sweet, some tart, some large and some small. In general, commercially available apples trees are usually bud or cleft grafted to take advantage of a hardy rootstock. Go to my Web site on home propagation techniques at www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/plantsci/landscap/h1257w.htm for more information. You may then want to explore our fruit tree publication at www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/plantsci/hortcrop/h327w.htm. Near the end of the publication is an explanation of the various budding and grafting techniques. Another link: http://www.orangepippin.com/articles/own-roots.aspx "Fruit trees on their own roots Growing Apple Trees on their Own Roots By Hugh F. Ermen" Here is a link that might be useful: Questions on Apples