

Of course these canes will not have any leaves on them because the plant is dormant, but if you examine the canes closely you will see little bumps along the cane. Clip these canes into cuttings about 6” long. Just collect some branches (known as canes) from the parent plants. Making a deciduous hardwood cutting is quite easy. The bud spacing on most other deciduous plants is much closer, so the cuttings only need to be about 6- 8” in length. The average length of a hardwood grape vine cutting is about 12” and still only has 3 or 4 buds. Of course with grape vines, there is considerable space between the buds, so the cuttings have to be much longer than most other deciduous plants. That entire vine can be used for hardwood cuttings.

A grape vine can grow up to ten feet or more in one season. You might be able to get six or eight cuttings from one branch. In that case, you can use all of the current years growth to make hardwood cuttings. For instance, a plant such as Forsythia can grow as much as four feet in one season. Unlike softwood cuttings of deciduous plants, where you only take tip cuttings from the ends of the branches, that rule does not apply to hardwood cuttings of deciduous plants. Here in northeastern Ohio this usually occurs around mid November. This does not happen until you’ve experienced a good hard freeze where the temperature dips down below 32 degrees F. When doing hardwood cuttings of deciduous plants, you should wait until the parent plants are completely dormant. Only experimentation will determine what works best for you. I have experienced both success and failure using each method. Of the two hardwood techniques is one better than the other? It depends on exactly what you are rooting, what the soil conditions are at your house, and what Mother Nature has up her sleeve for the coming winter. If you are interested in softwood cuttings, you’ll find a very informative article at In this article we are only going to discuss rooting cuttings using the hardwood methods. Two methods for hardwood cuttings, and one for softwood cuttings. There are three different techniques for rooting cuttings of deciduous plants. Any plant that completely loses it’s leaves is a deciduous plant. Many people don’t consider Rhododendrons, Azaleas, and and Mountain Laurel evergreens, but they are. All plants go dormant during the winter, but evergreens keep their foliage. A deciduous plant is a plant that loses it’s leaves during the winter. Hardwood cuttings are much more durable than softwood cuttings which is why hardwoods are the best technique for the home gardener. “Rooting Hardwood Cuttings of Deciduous Plants”

Through this article you will learn both. So if you do the right thing, at the right time of the year, your efforts are sure to bring success. When you do your cuttings is every bit as important as how you do them. The secret of rooting cuttings can be summed up in two words. You are welcome to use this article about rooting cuttings on your website or in your newsletter as long as you reprint it as, including the contact information at the end. Little plants right from our driveway in aĬlick here to see one of our plant sales, photos This is an article also on rooting cuttings that is very nice:
