there is a dogwood tree in my parents lawn that I would love to propogate but I don't know if that is possible - is there any advice anyone can give me that could help?
if it makes a difference, it is a type with white flowers with pink tips. not deep pink but very pale. from a distance they look almost white.
also the flowers come out early spring, before the leaves ( don't know if that matters but I know there are dogwoods that flower at different times)
-
Gnome
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5122
- Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:17 am
- Location: Western PA USDA Zone 6A
artisanoo,
My only attempt at propagating Dogwood was with seeds and I failed completely. I have looked in one of my books for you and it indicates that Dogwood will root from softwood cuttings taken after the flowering season is over. After taking the cuttings from the tree I like to cut them again with a razor or Xacto knife and place them in water immediately while I prepare everything else. Cut at an angle below a node and treat with rooting hormone before planting. If you have an old aquarium I have found this useful to propagate cuttings in, a glass or plastic lid it really helps keep the humidity up which helps.
[url]https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/cuttings.htm[/url]
[url]https://www.actionvideo.freeserve.co.uk/cuttings.htm[/url]
Norm
My only attempt at propagating Dogwood was with seeds and I failed completely. I have looked in one of my books for you and it indicates that Dogwood will root from softwood cuttings taken after the flowering season is over. After taking the cuttings from the tree I like to cut them again with a razor or Xacto knife and place them in water immediately while I prepare everything else. Cut at an angle below a node and treat with rooting hormone before planting. If you have an old aquarium I have found this useful to propagate cuttings in, a glass or plastic lid it really helps keep the humidity up which helps.
[url]https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/cuttings.htm[/url]
[url]https://www.actionvideo.freeserve.co.uk/cuttings.htm[/url]
Norm
That 2-liter soda bottle cloche from Gnome's second link is an excellent idea.
Dogwoods generally germinate well from seed for me but they didn't always.
Dogwoods generally can be propagated from softwood cuttings. Probably preferable in your particular situation since you don't know which Dogwood you have. You'll end up with a clone of your parents' tree with a cutting. Not so with a seed.
Steer clear of the commercially available bulk IBA you'll find online unless you want to spend over a hundred dollars for a gallon of it. Way more than you need. There are 0.2 IBA products out there but I'm thinking 0.5 might be better for you.
Consider this product for cuttings-
https://www.planetnatural.com/site/dip-n-grow.html
it's much easier to buy the IBA this way because it is affordable in the smaller quantity and should be all You'll need to root a few cuttings from your parents' tree. I believe this product is a 0.5% IBA liquid rooting hormone. Take your cuttings in early to mid summer. You'll want the new growth and about a 3"-4" length from the tip of the branch should be perfect. Before starting, remove all but two of the leaves from your cutting. The cutting will need at least one or two leaves to continue photosynthesizing but any more than that is an energy drain at a time when you want it to start shooting out roots not supporting leaves. Remember, the plant can't take in energy from roots it doesn't have yet so it will need an energy source. I guess what I am saying is that it is best to remove all but two leaves from your cutting. Soak your cuttings in the Dip-N-Grow for 24 hours before you place them in a medium to try to root them. You'll want a well draining medium. Possibly coarse sand with sphagnum peat 1:1 (that means equal parts of sand and peat) should work. Just rinse the sand well before you use it. Now stick pencils around the edge of your pot and wrap plastic wrap around the pencils leaving the top open. What you're trying to do is keep humidity in. Some people slip their whole pot of cuttings into large zip lock bags to retain humidity. I've found this is a little much for woodies and can create problems so I prefer to stick pencils in the four corners of the pot around which I wrap Reynolds Wrap. This leaves the top open for air exchange. If you can find a pot that you could fit a 2-liter pop bottle over, I'd go that route only I'd remove the bottle top and might even cut it down a little bit below the neck. Get a little spray bottle and spritz your cuttings at least once a day with water. Try not to ever let them dry out. Place your cuttings in a sunny window.
Please don't expect a 100% success. People like you and me are propagating in our kitchens which aren't exactly sterile. At least mine certainly isn't.
I know you are going to be excited. Don't do what I did the first few times I started learning how to propagate cuttings- do not pull them out of the medium to check them. This is a big no no. I killed every cutting I pulled out to check, even the ones that had already rooted from the nodes. Dumb dumb dumb dumb! What's worse is that friends told me not to check them to see if they had rooted or not... but I figured a little peek wouldn't hurt.
If you fail, try again. Don't get discouraged.
Lemme see here. What else... Hormex rooting hormones would probably also work and sometimes you can pick those up at garden centers which might save shipping charges for associated with ordering the Dip-N-Grow.
One book I like a lot is by Ken Druse, 'Making More Plants'. I have others but this one is pretty basic and doesn't get all technical for those who want to play around.
Dogwoods generally germinate well from seed for me but they didn't always.
Dogwoods generally can be propagated from softwood cuttings. Probably preferable in your particular situation since you don't know which Dogwood you have. You'll end up with a clone of your parents' tree with a cutting. Not so with a seed.
Steer clear of the commercially available bulk IBA you'll find online unless you want to spend over a hundred dollars for a gallon of it. Way more than you need. There are 0.2 IBA products out there but I'm thinking 0.5 might be better for you.
Consider this product for cuttings-
https://www.planetnatural.com/site/dip-n-grow.html
it's much easier to buy the IBA this way because it is affordable in the smaller quantity and should be all You'll need to root a few cuttings from your parents' tree. I believe this product is a 0.5% IBA liquid rooting hormone. Take your cuttings in early to mid summer. You'll want the new growth and about a 3"-4" length from the tip of the branch should be perfect. Before starting, remove all but two of the leaves from your cutting. The cutting will need at least one or two leaves to continue photosynthesizing but any more than that is an energy drain at a time when you want it to start shooting out roots not supporting leaves. Remember, the plant can't take in energy from roots it doesn't have yet so it will need an energy source. I guess what I am saying is that it is best to remove all but two leaves from your cutting. Soak your cuttings in the Dip-N-Grow for 24 hours before you place them in a medium to try to root them. You'll want a well draining medium. Possibly coarse sand with sphagnum peat 1:1 (that means equal parts of sand and peat) should work. Just rinse the sand well before you use it. Now stick pencils around the edge of your pot and wrap plastic wrap around the pencils leaving the top open. What you're trying to do is keep humidity in. Some people slip their whole pot of cuttings into large zip lock bags to retain humidity. I've found this is a little much for woodies and can create problems so I prefer to stick pencils in the four corners of the pot around which I wrap Reynolds Wrap. This leaves the top open for air exchange. If you can find a pot that you could fit a 2-liter pop bottle over, I'd go that route only I'd remove the bottle top and might even cut it down a little bit below the neck. Get a little spray bottle and spritz your cuttings at least once a day with water. Try not to ever let them dry out. Place your cuttings in a sunny window.
Please don't expect a 100% success. People like you and me are propagating in our kitchens which aren't exactly sterile. At least mine certainly isn't.
I know you are going to be excited. Don't do what I did the first few times I started learning how to propagate cuttings- do not pull them out of the medium to check them. This is a big no no. I killed every cutting I pulled out to check, even the ones that had already rooted from the nodes. Dumb dumb dumb dumb! What's worse is that friends told me not to check them to see if they had rooted or not... but I figured a little peek wouldn't hurt.
If you fail, try again. Don't get discouraged.
Lemme see here. What else... Hormex rooting hormones would probably also work and sometimes you can pick those up at garden centers which might save shipping charges for associated with ordering the Dip-N-Grow.
One book I like a lot is by Ken Druse, 'Making More Plants'. I have others but this one is pretty basic and doesn't get all technical for those who want to play around.