Boxwood Hardwood Cuttings

Taking boxwood cuttings in midsummer catches the stems at just the right stage to give you the best chance of success.

Boxwood hardwood cuttings.

When cutting boxwood buxus spp for propagation the success you are likely to have from a particular piece of stem depends not so much on its dimensions as its age. Only cut healthy stems with no insect damage or discoloration. In spring or early fall if you live in a warm climate take tip cuttings 6 inches in length. They can take several months to produce roots so leave them for a year before lifting and potting up or transplanting.

Remove the lower inch of leaves. Hardwood cuttings are taken in winter during dormancy when all leaves have fallen. Start boxwood cuttings in midsummer after the spring growth has hardened and produced mature leaves. Cut 3 to 4 inch 7 5 to 10 cm tips of new growth with a sharp knife.

Wait until after the flowers have faded since actively blooming cuttings are slower to root and. How i propagate boxwood. It should be noted that the hardwood cuttings take longer to root. The cuttings should be 4 to 6 inches in length.

The wood is firm and does not bend easily. Place boxwood slips into potting medium using a dauber of some sort i used a sharpie back end to create a slot to place your cutting into your pot of soil i used my diy potting soil by creating a hole in the soil you prevent the rooting hormone from getting removed as you slide in the stem. You can remove the desired cutting by gently snapping it off using your thumb and forefinger a sterile knife or a pair of gardening shears whichever way you prefer. I always plant 5 7 stems together just to achieve an instant shrub effect.

Hardwood cuttings provide an easy and reliable method of propagating a range of deciduous climbers trees and shrubs and as bonus they are taken from mid autumn until late winter when more time is usually available to the gardener. Pruning shears or scissors pinch the stems and make it hard for them to take up water later on. Forsythia cornus and willow in autumn and winter. Strip the bottom half of the cutting of its leaves.

I place several cuttings into the pot. Some evergreen plants hollies for example can also be taken at the same time of year as other hardwood cuttings. Boxwood cuttings root best.