How To Overwinter Hydrangea Cuttings

Should I bring this indoors for the winter as I am in the process of rerooting a hydrangea shoot in a pot? I considered burying the entire clay pot to spend the winter outside; is this practical? In zone 6b, I am. How can I make sure that this little seedling makes it through the winter?

ANSWER:

If the clay pot has a drainage hole in the bottom so that the pot won’t break, you can bury the entire clay pot with your rooted hydrangea cutting in the garden for the winter. Simply dig a hole large enough to accommodate the entire pot and have the lip level with the dirt. After the first frost, cover the plant well with compost, straw, loose leaves, or evergreen boughs. The plant should be protected over the winter if the mulch is piled up to a height of at least 6 inches (more is preferable).

Can cuttings of hydrangeas endure the winter?

Take a 5- to 6-inch-long clipping off a limb of the hydrangea shrub. According to the majority of experts, the cutting will thrive if it is taken from a branch that did not bloom this year.

Insert cuttings into moist vermiculite, coarse sand, or another sterile media after dipping them in rooting hormone (this step is entirely optional).

Well-watered pot should be allowed to drain. Make sure the ground is damp but not drenched. Plastic wrap the pot and the cuttings. Add stakes (#5) to try to prevent plastic from coming into contact with the foliage.

See several shortcut techniques that website visitors have sent me below. Okay, I’ll admit it—I tacked three steps onto step 5, but this is actually quite easy.

TIP: Position cuttings in direct sunlight. Never expose fresh cuts to the sun. They’ll be heated in the plastic. They should be kept in a bright, shaded area even if they are not in plastic.

Wait to water again until the soil’s surface feels a little bit dry. Cuttings will decay if they receive too much water.

In 2-3 weeks, depending on temperature (faster in warm weather) and humidity, cuttings should start to grow roots. Some cuttings take as little as a week to take root. When a cutting is pulled and the pull is resisted, it is rooted.

Note on overwintering Cuttings

The most challenging aspect of establishing fresh hydrangeas from cuttings is getting them through the first winter without a greenhouse. To offer new cuttings the best chance of surviving the winter, start them early in the summer.

While some people are able to take cuttings indoors throughout the winter, this generally is not a good idea. Outdoor cultivation of hydrangeas is ideal. Two ideas for preserving cuttings during the winter are as follows:

(1) Plant cutting pots in the ground and cover them thoroughly with thin mulch.

(2) Next to a foundation, place smaller pots of cuttings that will be covered by huge clay pots for the winter.

How should a rooted cut be overwintered?

Many annual plants’ cuttings survive the winter, develop roots, and are prepared for planting in the spring. They can be put in non-draining pots or cups filled with damp perlite or vermiculite. Find them first in a well-lit area away from the sun. Later, relocate to a location where they will get morning sun.

Alternatively, depending on the type of plant, you can leave the cuttings lay for a few hours to a few days to allow them to calluse. Another approach is to spray a rooting hormone on the bottoms to promote root formation. Then plant in a soil that drains well.

Cut a young branch young, 2 to 6 inches (5-15 cm) below a node or under a group of leaves. Make sure it’s active. Starting at the bottom and working your way up the stem, remove the leaves. Before planting in soil, let the plant callus, especially if it’s a succulent, or use rooting hormone (or even cinnamon). The roots of some cuttings can be established in water first (note).

Some sources advise using a plastic tent to protect the cuttings, but it’s not always necessary. Although it can make your clippings burn if the sun hits them, it will aid with moisture retention. Your cuttings will probably root either way.

Where do I put hydrangea cuttings in storage?

a big, 18-inch-tall container made of clear plastic with a cover! This functions as a miniature greenhouse or humid dome. All that’s left to do is place the cuttings inside the bin after planting them in moist propagation mix, lightly water the interior, and secure the lid.

Once every week, check on the cuttings. It can occasionally be necessary to spray the interior. If you don’t have a trash can, just keep in mind to water your new hydrangea cuttings frequently and to keep them moist—never soggy—at all times.

Important: Keep the trash can and/or cuttings away from direct sunlight in a sunny, warm location. Direct sunlight will overheat the tent and destroy the plants.

Your hydrangea cuttings will start to grow new roots after around ten days. Don’t bother them just yet! You can plant these new plants in the garden or a larger container out of direct sunlight once a good root system has formed in 4-6 weeks.

For the first two weeks, give the newly planted cuttings plenty of water. The new plants will require less maintenance once they become more established. Hydrangeas appreciate moist soil and dappled shade.

For established plants, a little morning sun is quite good. Hydrangea shrubs can be planted in full sun in regions with higher levels of cloud cover, such as the Pacific Northwest. However, they continue to thrive under at least some afternoon shade.

In the Pacific Northwest or on the east coast, I have observed them thriving in direct sunlight. However, they fare much better in bright shade with a little morning sun here in dry, sunny Southern California.

Cuttings should they be kept inside?

This is a scanned version of a print-era story from The Times that was published before internet publication began in 1996. The Times does not change, edit, or update these articles in order to maintain their original form.

The digitization process can occasionally result in transcription errors or other issues, but we are constantly working to make these preserved copies better.

Any activity that suggests spring at this time of year is appreciated. Gardeners also benefit from the ability to move the start of the outdoor growing season closer by rooting cuttings indoors.

This process is simple. Numerous plants that are currently sagging indoors will produce plenty of cutting material. These new plants will be prepared for the garden in May after becoming well-rooted in water and growing to a robust size.

One of the best plants for beginners is the geranium. Only a sharp knife and a glass of water are required, preferably one that is tinted green or brown to protect growing roots from harsh light.

Each geranium cutting needs to be between five and six inches long, measured from the tip to the stem’s attachment point for the leaves. The microscopic root cells will be stimulated to form in this crucial region, known as the node.

Take as many cuttings as you can from the mother plant by neatly severing them from the plant with a sharp knife. Remove few bottom leaves with the knife, ensuring sure that at least two are left. Take care not to rip the cutting’s leaves.

The following action is crucial. The tip ends of the clippings should line up as you spread them out flat on top of the kitchen counter. Lay a paper towel that has been dampened over the cuttings’ leaves, leaving the tip ends exposed.

The explanation is that before being submerged in water, tip ends must begin to callus, or heal. When left out overnight, callus production and subsequent rooting occur more quickly—often within a week. The paper towel prevents the l eaves from withering by keeping it damp.

Place clippings in a glass of water the next morning. Make use of numerous glasses to prevent crowding. Never place the glass in direct sunshine or on a window sill since they are too frigid at this time of year. Instead, place it in north light.

The cuttings should be left alone, but you should check on them every few days to make sure the water level is stable and add more water as necessary. Check the water every day once the roots begin to develop because it is being absorbed. However, do not let roots linger in water for too long. The physiological makeup of roots that grow in water and those that do so in soil are different. Water roots are weak and have long, silky root hairs, whereas soil-based roots are robust and have more branches. When geraniums are transplanted outdoors in the spring, soil-type roots are crucial.

Transplant the cuttings to potting soil as soon as the little new roots are around half an inch long. The bagged sterile soil sold in garden supply stores is OK.

All types of plants can be rooted once this process of rooting cuttings in water is understood. Coleus, ivies, philodendrons, and begonias all root well. Even a dieffenbachia or dracaena that is overgrown and too tall for the space in which it is located can be separated from the mother plant and rooted in water. Additionally, keep expanding the stub base. In approximately a month, it should resprout and begin to grow.

Try using one of the rooting media, such as vermiculite, perlite, or a 50/50 mix of the two, if a plant proves difficult to root in water. Both of these supplies are easily accessible at hardware stores, many supermarkets, and garden centers. They must be handled cautiously because they are dry and dusty.

When mixing just a small amount of two substances, place the two equal portions in a paper bag and shake vigorously to combine. Use a plastic pail and stir it for a larger quantity. Use a hand mister to dampen the mixture to reduce dust before adding it to plastic orclay pots. Remove the bottom leaves from the cuttings before soaking each pot in room-temperature water.

Put the pots into a big plastic bag, then twist it closed as insurance. This will create a “greenhouse” environment. This ongoing humidity helps the cuttings root because they don’t have any roots. Keep the cuttings in the plastic bag without opening it until new leaves start to show. Pull on one or two of the cuts to make sure. Resistance indicates that new roots are forming.

For several weeks, these cuttings can stay in the rooting solution. Use a water-soluble house plant fertilizer to water them once a week, but only use 1/4 the amount that is suggested on the label. The cuttings can be individually potted in an appropriate soil potting mixture after they appear to be flourishing on their own.

The ancient nurseryman’s go-to medium, a half-and-half mixture of sand and peat moss, is still applicable if none of these rooting mediums succeeds, particularly in the case of woody plants like gardenias and citrus.

However, these woody stemmed cuttings could require additional assistance. Quality garden centers have rooting hormone powders like Hormex, Hormodin, and Rootone. The majority of them have indolebutyric acid and fungicides, which hasten the rooting process. There are several strengths available, with evergreens being the hardest to root of all the plants. Observe the propagation guidelines listed on the labels.

Do cuttings take root in the winter?

You might think it’s weird when you read that it is feasible to propagate plants in the cold. Actually, the winter months are ideal for growing hardwood cuttings from deciduous trees and shrubs.

Cuttings from hydrangeas should be taken when?

Early in the day, before the heat and sun of the day begin, is when plants are most refreshed and hydrated. These shrubs require moisture to survive. Cuttings of hydrangea collected in the early morning have a significant advantage over cuttings from hot, dried-out stems.

Pick a fresh stem from the growth of the current year. Compared to older stems, it will have a lighter hue. Select a stem with many of leaves that is non-flowering for the greatest results. You can take several cuttings from different stems or use one stem for many.

Using a knife or pruning shears, cut the stem into 4- to 6-inch sections. Each piece should be cut just above the node where the stem and leaves meet. New roots will grow from these nodes. Every leaf but the one put at the top of each cutting should be removed. Then, keep the cuttings moist as you work by submerging them in shallow, warm water.

What time of year is ideal for taking hydrangea cuttings?

Late July is the ideal time to take hydrangea cuttings. These cuttings are semi-ripe, which indicates that they come from the growth of the current season, yet they are old enough to have a woody base but are still soft at the tip. When the cuttings are added to compost, the woody foundation keeps them from decomposing.

How to take hydrangea cuttings

Use secateurs to gather material from the hydrangea stems and a knife to trim each cutting when taking hydrangea cuttings. You must place hydrangea cuttings into a pot of grittier compost because water cannot be used to proliferate them due to their woody nature. To keep your cuttings moist until the roots have formed, keep them in a propagator (usually after about six weeks). Winter in a frigid frame or anything comparable. Then, plant the cuttings when they begin to grow in the spring.

When will hydrangea cuttings begin to root?

The bottom two leaf nodes’ lower leaves should be removed. A leaf emerges from the branch at the leaf node. At that time, the majority of roots will form.
Reduce the largest leaves’ size by around 50%.
Insert cuttings into damp vermiculite or sterile medium after dipping them in rooting hormone (this step is absolutely optional).
Well-watered pot should be allowed to drain. Make sure the ground is damp but not drenched. Plastic wrap the pot and the cuttings. Use stakes to try to prevent plastic from coming in contact with the foliage.

TIP: Position cuttings in a well-lit, shaded area. Never expose fresh cuts to the sun. They’ll be heated in the plastic.

Wait to water again until the soil’s surface feels dry. Cuttings will decay if they receive too much water.

I adore this simple approach. If you don’t have a lot of hydrangeas, you are only able to root a small number of new plants at once.

When you gently bend a branch down, the area where it will contact the ground has roughly 5 to 6 inches of leaves removed from it. In this location, remove a small amount of bark from the branch’s underside. Ascertain that at least one leaf node will be below the surface.

Don’t remove the branch from the parent plant. Lower the branch into a small trench that is approximately 2 inches deep and generously top it with soil. Put a block or stone on the area that will be buried to ensure that it stays there. Additionally, this aids in keeping the moisture surrounding the branch. Keep it occasionally watered. When the branch from the mother plant develops roots, break it off and plant it in a pot or the garden.

Hydrangeas like humid, partially sunny weather. On the north and east sides of your house, they work well.