Years ago, I tried (only one unnamed plant as an experiment, mind you) without a rooting hormone and was sucessful. But I now use rooting hormone containing indolebutyric acid. To me, it seems to make it easier to root so I have stuck with it.

Hi Luis - I was hoping that you,gardengal, Hay & George ... might have read my ??? on transplanting, ground-layered stems of Nikko (never) Blue. Here's my original post several weeks ago on another thread:

About my old Nikko (never) Blue ... to rehash: for SECURITY ... in early June, did 4 cuttings (1 died, the rest, doing great & have grown 4 tiers of leaves ... did 2 ground-layered stems (in split pots) as well ... are now giants ... thick canes, have even grown a few, very good, axillary-leaf-buds (so exciting!!!) now my ???

1. How can I tell if ground layered stems, have good enough roots now, to safely wean from old Nik? Do I split pots all the way open, to check roots?

2. Should I sever one, ahead of the other & leave it where it is, to see how it behaves?

3. Realizing the difficulty of digging up old Nik ... better in Sept or should wait 'til Spring (over-wintering with 2 ground layered pots would be more tedious ... Nik's future home has been readied - huge empty pot - sitting in hole!)

4. If big excavation, to be done this Fall ... where best to over-winter ground-layered pots - garage or go ahead & sink in ground/over-winter as required?

Sorry, very long ... TIA very much, for your expert thoughts!!! Â;)

I have had the best luck with using the rooting hormone. I also did ground layering this year and just cut the stems from the main plant last week and let the newly rooted plants stay where they are. They seem to all be doing fine I think I,ll leave them right where they are until this spring. I did give the plants a light overall watering with miracle grow the day I cut them loose.

Thank you for your response, Madeyna! Are you in a similar zone & are you planning on giving your 'ground-layered stems a winter cover-up?

I came home the other day with library borrowed copies of Glynn Church's and Hall & Rothera's, Hydrangeas books ... Church subscribes to ... removal of rooted stems, via ground-layering while dormant & that removal before then is a condemnation to early death. Hall & Rothera suggest 6 mos before severing from mother plant.

I am wondering if these are hard & fast rules? ... Has anyone tried, daring differently (on the timing) from these experts' doctrine & succeeded?

The 2 (pot) ground-layered stems are vigorously growing, secondary stems from the nodes ... am almost certain, have rooted!

The 3 stem cuttings (perhaps rooted, as well) have grown (leaf/flower?) buds in the nodes & have grown 3 times as tall. I have tried tagging & pulling gently ... has held on to soil pretty well ... these ones will over-winter in the garage!

I guess I'm too chicken, to dare weaning the g'rnd-layered ones ... need a bit of reassurance ... TIA!

I,m in zone 8 but its really much lower than that because we live facing the columbia river gorge and have lots of really high cold winds up here, its a much harsher place to grow plants than when we lived just 15 miles away. Most of my hydrangeas are kept in large pots so I can put them under the house for the winter,so the ones I ground layered are cut loose but will stay in the pots with the mother plants until spring. I did notice the one I ground layered without rooting hormon pulls up a little when tugged on so its roots aren,t as deep as the others. If I was you I think I would leave them attached to the mother plant as long as possible then since you already have them in pots don,t cut them loose until you have to and don,t repot them until right before they brake spring dormancy. There is a web,sight that talks about how to do the split pots but I got a warning the last time I posted another web sight here. The big shock for the little plants seems to be cutting them loose and potting them up at the same time. Its recommended that you give the plant two weeks off the mother plant before potting it up.

Thank you Madeyna - I'm going to wait a little longer ... 'til early Nov & perhaps, will hear experiences from others, who have ground-layered, as well.

The reason I'm wishing, that I could go ahead & wean the potted/ground layered stems, is the fact that the mother plant has to be intricately, winter-protected in our zone ... she is quite large & will need a much, much larger cage to include the 2 pots along. Also I have a Limelight waiting on the side, to take this sunny site that Nikko could not tolerate well.

Thanks again Madeyna! Â;)

Thinking of you I decided to pot one up just to see what it would do, it looks like it killed it. It had grown to two more sets of leaves for three sets total and they look dead now, but aren,t brown yet so I moved it into a very shaded location and gave it a root booster. It will be interesting to watch and see what it does.

I'm sorry Madeyna, I hope the baby pulls thru after the shock! How much time did you allow the stems to root before weaning from mom? I did mine 3rd of June ... pot#1- secondary leaf buds on 5 of the nodes have already leafed out & 3 on pot#2 (pot#1) gets more AM sun ... how very exciting!!! I wonder if I'd dare cut off 1 from mom & see how she does?

I just now, talked to my nursery guy & told him what I just typed above ... told me to go ahead & cut off from mom & sink in the ground ... use root stimulator in water, also to go ahead & dig up old Nik ASAP - w/ instructions on relocation procedure. I think I'll move the grnd-layered ones in larger pots & over-winter in garage. I guess I'll get some help digging up old Nik!!! I'm excited! Â;)

Thanks for getting me going w/ this project!!!

I,ll keep my fingers crossed for you. I left the babys on the mother plant for about 6 weeks before I cut them loose. I read on a hydrangea web sight that your supposed to wait two weeks after cutting them loose to repot them but I didn,t wait quite that long. I also probly did a big no no and couldn,t resist looking at the roots. It has alot of roots and they are about 4 inchs long. The one I left cut from the mother but still in the pot is still doing great. I don,t think it will have any problems getting threw the winter.

Thank you Madeyna - the 3 mos growing time of my 2 (pot/grnd layered) stems are 3 mos short of the, conservative doctrine of G.Church ... but since I've been dealing w/ this family-owned nursery for 30+ yrs ... w/ fingers crossed & garden-angels looking over, I should be OK huh?!!!

In any case, I still have 3 cuttings I'm rooting since June as well ... wonder what I'd do with them if they all survive?!!! LOL

Wish I could find some cuttings from someone. Can't find anything locally except the Nikko blue. With limited funds can order on line.