fred calleri
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Oct 31, 2008 5:50 pm
Location: Maryland

american beauty berry

Hi Folks,
New member. Just planted three AmericanBeauty Berrys and want to know how to reproduce. Should I plant seeds or can I stick a branch in water and grow roots?
Thanks,
Fred

User avatar
sid
Full Member
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Aug 06, 2008 6:23 am
Location: somerset

The beauty berry or 'Callicarpa bodinieri 'is a beaut aint it .Glad to hear that you have planted at least three as they they need a few near each other to cross pollinate to produce those lovely purple berries. People often make the mistake of just planting one and wondering were the berries have goneThere are a few ways to propergate Callicarpa, layering in the autum is one, you can so seeds in a cold frame in autum or spring, do semi ripe cuttings in a propergater in summer or root softwood cuttings in spring hope this helps :D

wingdesigner
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2036
Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:58 pm
Location: Michigan--LP(troll)

Hi Fred! I'd try layering now, before the ground freezes. It can't hurt, and maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised in the spring. Take a long shoot from the outside of the plant, carefully bend it over (not too sharp an angle--you don't want to break it) and lay it into a shallow trench in the ground. Strip all the leaves off except for the last few sets (2 or 3 pairs should do) and bury the stem up to where it curves up and back to meet the plant. Remember you don't want to break it off. Keep that area barely moist and mulched well for the winter. You may need to put a brick on top of the soil over the branch to keep in place. Next spring, if you see new growth starting from the tip, carefully uncover a bit of the branch to see if it's rooted. if so, then snip off back at the parent plant. If not, recover, add some more soil, and wait some more; or try it with a greener shoot. Good luck!



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