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Plant Propagation

Too late for Boxwood cuttings?

18 years ago

Not a newbie to propagation, but a newbie to boxwood cuttings here...

I'd really like to propagate some boxwood so that I can plant it and start a low hedge next year. Is it too late in the year to start this project in your expert opinions? If it takes root, do I need to keep it under the lights during the winter months, or if they develop a good enough root system between now and Fall should I plant outside in place? Also- I read to take about a 4 inch cutting, root it in builder's sand- so I strip it of most of the leaves or just leave them all intact? Thanks for any input.

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Comments (8)

Tom_w
18 years ago
Cuttings now will do fine under mist or poly tent. Remove most of the leaves, use 1000 ppm IBA, in 50/50 peat/perlite. Transplant to small pots when rooted, and winer outdoors.
nberg7
Original Author
18 years ago
Much thanks Tom for the info, and I'll post pictures if I ever get this thing started and going the way I have it planned out.
-Nan
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A fellow experimenter, Ken. :-). I agree, the things you learn the best are usually from your experiences and finding it out for yourself with a test. I'm not doing as much experimenting as I used to. I think my garden is more established than it was. And I got busier. I have clay/loam, and my sedums are in a mixed bed. I have only one full sun bed and I throw everything in there and a lot of plants that need more watering. I can't always hand water, so I put the sprinkler on it and they all get the same amount of watering. But, it's good to know that is what you are aiming for, less water and no fertilizing. They don't get fertilized per se, but the bed gets a deep leaf mulch every fall. I have more than enough Sedum Autumn Joy, but I do have a new dark leaved sedum that I love, called 'Black Pearl'. Finally a dark leaved that is really dark. It's not a fast grower, so I'd rather not wait to divide it. I think of taking cuttings, but I always feel that rooting sedum cuttings is very iffy for me for some reason. I feel uncertain about the directions to cut them and then leave them alone for a couple of days, lying on the surface of the soil. I know, of all things that are supposed to be so easy to root, I shouldn't have trouble with that. Here's the Sedum 'Black Pearl' to the right of 'Savannah' Rose, last season. And two very large Autumn Joy behind.
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aray
18 years ago
nberg7, I was wondering how your boxwood cuttings turned out and if you have any tips???
Thanks,
rowan57
18 years ago
I Know this thread is a bit old but i'd like to share my technique for taking box cuttings:
When pruning the box bushes i keep every single bit that i cut off in a bucket of cold water until i have finished pruning (a few hours only of course) then i prep a seed tray to about 1 1/2 inches deep with normal soil, pick all the nice healthy bits out of the bucket + sow them as close together as possible for maximum numbers. I do this in may/june/july and then dont touch them apart from watering until the following spring when i repot them into individual pots, this way i get maybe 95% success rates.

P.s. another tip, the cuttings that turn orange-ish and dont put on any top growth for a while seem to produce the biggest rootballs.

Regards
Rowan
Warren8
18 years ago
Thanks for the info rowan. I really wanted to root some this year but waited to late. Is May, June and July the only good time to take cuttings? If not I guess I'll stop worrying about it until next summer.
nberg7
Original Author
18 years ago
Sorry I didn't get back to this thread sooner! I made several trays of cuttings, tented them and at first I paid close attention to them. Then I had a steady stream of houseguests and my attention fell elsewhere and the temps got really high here. So- I had 100% failure. But...I haven't given up and will try again. Since I do most of my propagation during the late Fall and Winter under the lights, I'm going to give it another twirl, and hopefully I'll get them to "take," along with some mandevilla cuttings (neither of which I've done before.) I promise this time to let y'all know how they grow!
-Nan
MarionMI
18 years ago
I know this is an old thread but can Boxwood cuttings be taken now. I live in central Kansas (Lyons)
mrgpag SW OH Z5/6
18 years ago
I've rooted boxwood cuttings taken in about every month. Found sand or sand:peat to be the best medium for rooting. But I'm using a greenhouse setting and an automatic mist table

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