BBs are fairly easy to start from cuttings. Even right now, in the middle of winter, most zones will probably still have some viable branches on their BBs. I've taken some cuttings this week from 'Nanho Purple' in the garden but also found a potted 'White Profusion' in the bargain bin at a local nursery that had been stored outside but still had lots of live branches and leaves. That is the plant that I took photos of as I cut it up for propagation.

After I cut all the branches off, it looked like this. I have put it back outside into a cold frame for the rest of the winter and will have a nice 3 qt. size plant to plant out in the spring.

I trimmed all the skinny bits off the main branches and further cut the branch into 6" pieces. Make your bottom cut just below a leaf nodule and your top cut just above a leaf nodule. Pull any leaves off the bottom 2/3 of the cutting and if the top leaves are large, cut them in half. You want enough leaf material left to provide photosynthesis but not so much that the cutting will transpire quickly and wilt. As you lay your cuttings down, make sure you maintain polarity....that is, make sure the UP end of the cutting still faces up and DOWN end faces down. You don't want to stick them in the mix upside down. :)

The top row of cuttings in the photo haven't been stripped of their leaves yet. The bottom row has. There are some uncut branches still laying across the flat of ProMix.

I chose to stick my cuttings in a flat filled with ProMix. It is a sterile, soiless mix of peat, perlite, vermiculite and a shot of fertilizer ideal for cuttings and starting seeds. There are other brands but the main point is that it is soiless and sterile.
In a greenhouse with a misting system I have used straight Perlite but it doesn't hold moisture as long and I don't have a misting system in my own GH.
After your cuttings are prepared, dip the bottom end in some rooting hormone. If using the powdered type, you can first dip the cutting in water to help the powder stick.

Then push the cuttings into the container of ProMix. I use the clear, plastic domes over my flat to help retain humidity or you can use a clear, plastic bag over your container. Place your container in a warm spot, out of direct sunlight. I have placed mine on a heat mat. They are also on a light table but the since the table in my GH, I don't use the lights.

In ideal conditions, the cuttings will begin to root in a week but will take about a month in our conditions at home. Resist the temptation to pull them out to look every day! You can gently pull on them after a week or so. If you see swellings on the ends, that is roots beginning to develop. Try not to pull them out too often or you may damage fragile little roots. When you have a nice little ball of roots, gently dig them out and separate to pot up into 3" pots and continue to grow on until they can be planted outdoors.
Don't forget to harden them off-they need to be gradually exposed to outdoor conditions like sun, wind and rain.

I do wish there was an edit feature on this forum though. :)

I meant to also say that I used a #2 rooting hormone and that the ideal diameter of the cutting is about pencil thick, give or take a bit.

So, I guess if there are no viable leaves as on your's, it wouldn't work? My leaves are all gone due to a lot of freezes (ice) this year.

If I do this in the growing season, when would be a good time?

The info about the process is great.

Janie

Given some warmth and water, you'll be surprised at how fast the branches begin to leaf up, even before any roots form on the cuttings.

If you find the tips of your branches are dead, try cutting down farther, closer to the base of the plant. They may still be live down there.

Of course, if there are still some viable leaves left on your plant, then you'll know for sure the branches are still alive.

I recommend this book to one and all:

Dirr, Michael A and Heuser, Charles, Jr. ‘The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation: From Seed to Tissue Culture’; (Second Edition 2006); Varsity Press, Inc. ISBN: 0942375092 or ISBN: 13: 978-0-942375-09-1

Add it to your birthday or Christmas list.

Some things are too simple!

Dax

This is called using "hardwood" cuttings method or because it is done during the winter also called "dormant" cuttings. Because the BB used in the example was stored in a protected spot, it wasn't exactly dormant but I started other BB cuttings at the same time from dormant plants in my garden.

The cuttings require no leaves, in fact most won't have any because of the time of year. But the cutting will usually begin to grow leaves and even flowers (like forsythia) before the cutting actually grows roots. The cuttings are taken from the last years growth of the shrub, about pencil thick.

Some of the easier shrubs to propagate using this method are forsythia, willows, dogwoods, spireas, blue mist, BB's etc.

There are other methods of propagation, used at other times of the year as well. Softwood or greenwood cuttings are used in spring or early summer using new growth from the tips of the shrub or growth that is just past new, that easily snaps off. In this case the cutting already has leaves but you just strip off the leaves at the bottom of the cutting which you dip in rooting hormone. The rest of the leaves remain although if they are large, you can cut them in half to reduce the amount of transpiration. You want some leaves left to provide photosynthesis.

There seems to be a little confusion as to what method of propagation to use at which time of year and how it is done. It would be really helpful to get a couple books on propagation to research and understand the different methods and why they are used.

Hope this information helps a little.

Thanks again,
Tonya

Can the same techniques you are using here also be used to grow other woody plants like maple trees and junipers? Anything I would need to change?

I have read that many maples can root fairly quickly but most conifers take a very long time to grow roots.

Thanks

If not, when should I propagate the BB? I see the original post started in mid-winter. Will a BB last all winter in my 70 degree basement?

Thanks for the assistance.