Propagation by Cuttings: Spring Field Notes

lilac propagated from softwood a couple years ago, small because it's in this small pot but cool to see it flowering

next month I'm taking on a conservation project to try and save/ catalog / propagate a collection of rare...

double working, nadia on an interstem

nadia is a unique sweet cherry hybrid, and seems somewhat hardy to zone 3, and it can grow on its own roots. so grafts like this are for experimental softwood propagation, I did a whole set this...

chokecherry as prunus rootstock for softwood production

double worked with interstems, this is a trial to root several hybrid plums from their softwood material. eurasia, delicate, kuban comet, mara, podarok st. petersburg. haven't heard of those? most are russian hybrids...

grapes breaking dormancy from rooted hardwood cuttings #grapes

new hardwood cuttings arrived today, slightly sprouted but mostly dormant even after nearly a month in transit

exposing cambium for iba talc application and then onto...

rooted hardwood starting to grow under lights

checking up on our hardwood cuttings, too hot on those unregulated heat mats

we want the root zone to be around 15-25C (60-75F). still learning this process, I found most cuttings overheated on the bottom couple of inches - I had them pushed right to the bottom - so to fix they were trimmed and...

here’s my indoor setup for sprouted hardwood

will see how well it works, last year currants and elderberry responded well, the humidity bags kept leafy growth turgid and most rooted within a few weeks. I seem to have a better result with...

cuttings leafing out, hopefully already have enough root development

hardwood cuttings in bags to hold onto moisture

these are in tall pots on bottom heat, in my grow room at 22C. I started with elderberry, and also attempting some Ribes . Once they root I leave the bag on for a week just loosely on top and then monitor the leaves...

boreal blizzard stock block

the larger bush was courtesy of our trip to the u of sask fruit program last summer, one of their field grown plants 100% known to be true to type. the small plants rooted from it are now planted out in a grid to create...

a couple beds of haskap and black currant, a good result from softwood propagated last year, they’ll be decent kind

of gallon pot size by fall, exactly the size I want. If the cuttings are done early they seem to have a high percentage overwinter, late softwood may root but the plants often won’t survive, at least in my experience...

currant, gooseberry hardwood cuttings in gallon grow bags under lights, establishing new stock plants

I would move them to the greenhouse if I had the room, greenhouse addition is on my list after planting is done. for new plants like this they should be carefully moved outside, in the shade for at least a week is a good...

attempting pin cherry, Prunus pensylvanica from root cuttings

manchurian apricot softwood can root, here’s westcot apricot on it’s own roots from last fall

with enough stock material for cuttings in early june, this could be a way to...

a good indication that my medium was too wet for this tall currant cutting, it only rooted at the surface

My 60:40 peat:perlite mix seems too hold too much moisture, next year will AB test some 80:20 .. still...

wow this currant has some nice roots after just ten days

I like the heavy rooting cultivars, this one is boskoop...

starting more grapes from hardwood collected from a friend

it’s challenging to grow grapes in zone 3 but it can be done with the right conditions and varieties.. for years I had given up on grapes but now have a renewed interest. going to attempt rooting in my grow room in deep...

riverbank grape selection rooted cutting

moved from bottom heat into its own pot and bagged to harden off. if you have cuttings with a small amount of roots and to reduce watering / moisture loss when propagating...

Elderberry from hardwood cuttings at 12 weeks

started indoors under lights, now coming up on our last frost date in a couple weeks they’re 3 ft tall and ready to plant out. this worked so well next winter might find my grow room...

hardwood cuttings started inside, a few ft of growth

we still get frost here for a few more weeks so these will get potted up and live in...

lilacs rooted under mist last July

These only has a couple months before frost last year so I was happy to see they’re well rooted. They all found a home as a hedge at our daughter’s place on the weekend. Mostly I think our rooted softwood cuttings will...

Lilac and currants are first to leaf out in our raised beds

These were softwood propagated under mist last summer. #propagation...

out collecting red osier dogwood cuttings

These are mostly for my own use, some will go into nursery beds, some will get planted out and I’ll also have them available on our website to ship inside Canada...

collecting hardwood cuttings today

Balsam poplar grow in a few patches around our forest so I hiked out to find them and just trim branches, making it a sustainable way to...