A couple weeks ago, I went around and took cuttings of a few different rhododendrons from my neighbors' yards-- 12 of a hot pink type, and 12 of a beautiful red-magenta. I'm being a hypocrite here, but always ask for permission before you sneak into someone's yard for cuttings :)
Take the cuttings using pruning shears that have been sterilized (alcohol works well). Select the last year's growth, and only pick NON-FLOWERING stems from the side of the plant. A good length of cuttings is 6". Collect them in a sealed plastic bag and store in the fridge if you aren't dealing with them in an hour or less.
The next step is to mix up the soil.
The mix should be very airy, so two parts perlite for every part peat
moss works well. Stay away from the pre-fertilized Miracle-Gro crap!
Seed flats have worked great for my cuttings. Fill the six-packs with moist cutting mix, and poke a hole in each cell.
All but the top 4 to 5 leaves should be removed. This was a handy-dandy tip from my new propagation book, The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation by Michael Dirr and Charles Heuser. Great resource.
Then, cut the remaining leaves in half with scissors so the plants don't have so much leaf area.
OK, here's the important part. About 3 inches down the stem, make an angular cut just below a node (a spot where leaves used to be or where there are tiny buds along the stem).
Right away, dip the end in rooting hormone. Stronger is better for these, so look for the highest percent IBA (rooting agent).
Afterwards, scrape off the outer bark in two strips on either side of the stem to reveal the cambium (the green layer from which the callus/roots grow).
Insert the cutting into the pre-made hole and press the soil firmly around it.
Insert the cutting into the pre-made hole and press the soil firmly around it.
Now you're done! I act like I know what I'm doing, but I really don't. My batting average is 0. This is a new method and I'll keep you posted on how it works!
So, the finished setup. The main idea with this is to keep light indirect but bright, keep the soil evenly moist, and to keep the air extremely humid. Warmth also helps. A good setup for winter cuttings is a seed tray with the plastic cover propped up with pencils or dowels, and then plastic wrap wrapped and taped over all the openings.
Here's some heath (Erica) cuttings that I took a week or two ago. They are in 2:1 sand:peat and are another evergreen that can be rooted in the fall. I think I took about 12 of these.
I won't check for roots for at least another month, and I'll be sure to update. I'll probably also take some more Rhody cuttings soon and I plan on trying Cryptomeria, a beautiful evergreen tree.
~~Weston
