How to Replant Shrub Cuttings

Unlike seeds, cuttings are genetically identical to the parent tree, so the cutting will grow up looking like the shrub it was taken from. Although not every cutting will root successfully, if you cut a shoot at the right time of year, plant it immediately and care for it diligently, you have a good chance of succeeding.

• 1

  Fill a small pot with one part sand and one part peat by volume. Add water so that the rooting medium is moist but not soggy.

• 2

  Clip off a shoot of new growth at least 4 inches long. Clip it straight across with a knife or pruning scissors early in the morning during the proper season. If you are taking a cutting from a redbud, mulberry or similar shrub, cut a softwood cutting between May and July while there are both small and more mature leaves on the stem. Take a semi-hardwood cutting from shrubs such as crape myrtle and broadleaf evergreens in mid July or later, when the branch has fully mature leaves. Take a hardwood cutting from euonymus and similar deciduous shrubs in late fall or winter, when the tree has gone dormant.

• 3

  Place the cutting into the rooting medium so that between 1/3 and 2/3 of the cutting is beneath the dirt and the cutting is facing right side up. Water the cutting lightly.

• 4

  Place three or more small sticks or dowels into the pot, forming a teepee shape above the cutting. Wrap plastic wrap around the teepee to create a barrier around the cutting. This barrier will keep moisture in and help keep the cutting warm, while allowing sunlight to pass through.

• 5

  Place the cutting in a location where it will get indirect sunlight, but no direct light. Peel back the plastic and lightly mist the cutting and the soil once a day to keep it moist. If the soil is soggy, skip misting for the day. Continue to do this until the cutting has grown buds and some of its leaves have unfurled.

• 6

  Transplant the cutting in the late spring after it has begun to grow. Dig a hole in fertile, well-drained ground and carefully lift the cutting out of the pot without breaking the roots. Place the cutting in the hole and gently cover up its roots with soil.