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grancru

100% Success w/ Boxwood cuttings!

Grancru
17 years ago

I am completely amazed! I took dormant Boxwood cuttings on 2/15/06, dipped in rooting hormone and stuck in a peat pellet. Covered with a CD dome cover and today I have 12 new plants with very healty root systems. I picked up one and saw roots bursting out of the peat. All the rest were the same.

I am heading out right now to repeat the process 10 fold.

My goal is to design a Knot Garden of amazing proportion. I am one step closer but a long road ahead.

Has anyone done this before? I would love to see some photos.

Grancru

Comments (37)

  • indyrose
    17 years ago

    I've never tried this, but I sure am going to!! I love boxwoods.

    Indyrose

  • Binky
    17 years ago

    Congratulations! Would you be able to post a picture? I would love to try this.

  • Grancru
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I hope I am posting these properly. Here goes -

    {{gwi:1169545}}
    [IMG]
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  • Marie of Roumania
    17 years ago

    please keep posting as this goes along.
    i am completely fascinated.

    my dream is to enclose my raised beds with a very low, tough boxwood hedge. i'm close to a tidal river & get some pretty fierce winds sometimes, so i'm not entirely sure it's practical; but, i've seen a couple venerable boxwood hedges in my town in massachusetts, so i have hope.

    it's going to take about 250 of the little guys to do the job. i'm hoping to start them outdoors so they get used to the conditions from the get-go.

    what variety are you growing?
    is that a greenhouse they're in?
    do you think it's best to start from dormant cuttings?

    yay! and best of luck!

  • Grancru
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    The cuttings in the 4" pots are all rooted. They took 8 weeks for the roots to bust out of the peat pellet.
    The ones under the cd cases and pop bottle I just cut after sucess with the 1st batch. They have been moved outside to harden off. I am building a large humidity chamber to go into mass production.
    Here is a link for mass production of Boxwood cuttings.
    http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-407.html

    I don't know what kind these are but they form a beautiful hedge in my front yard about 2 feet tall. They sit in from of a large window where they get bright light but no direct sun as they would probably cook.
    Dormant cuttings are not necessary. Acutally the article above says to use activly growing cuttings but since I didn't have that when I started this project I used dormant because its all I had.

    Grancru

  • best_botanist
    17 years ago

    good luck with that knot garden, looks difficult.

  • xavierdlc61887
    17 years ago

    Im trying the same thing u are doing covering it but with a half cut 2 liter plastic bottle and a home-made newspaper pot :-P if u want a pic email me and ill send it tell me if it looks good, took the cutting 2 days ago and has new growth but dont wanna touch it....how will i know when it is rooted...well anyways do u sell them :-P i would like to buy some :-P if not well just need help in growing them

  • Grancru
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Xavier,
    You may want to go to the link I posted just above. It has some great info to reference.
    My cuttings were dormant and took 8 weeks for roots to show through the peat pellet. The article states the same time for activly growing cuttings.

    I just built a large wood frame to hold a tray (easier for moving, they break easily) and a wire dome with plastic to set ovet the top. I filled the tray with a 50/50 mixture of peat moss and perlite and will do a larger scale project. I will post photos when complete. Almost there. I hopefully can get 50-100 cuttings in it.

    Grancru

  • Grancru
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Xavier,
    You may want to go to the link I posted just above. It has some great info to reference.
    My cuttings were dormant and took 8 weeks for roots to show through the peat pellet. The article states the same time for activly growing cuttings.
    I just built a large wood frame to hold a tray (easier for moving, they break easily) and a wire dome with plastic to set ovet the top. I filled the tray with a 50/50 mixture of peat moss and perlite and will do a larger scale project. I will post photos when complete. Almost there. I hopefully can get 50-100 cuttings in it.

    Grancru

  • xavierdlc61887
    17 years ago

    http://freeplants.com/frame%20set.htm...this site has a Simple, Homemade Plant Propagation System...you should see it looks pretty simple and i have considered trying it um well hope this works...oh also can i see your pics of the dome you built...ok well my box wood cutting i tried is growing new leaves is that a good thing or does it do that i mean im thinking it shouldve atleast turned a little brown right but i dont know PM your email address and ill send u a pic of the cutting i have

  • Grancru
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Here are a couple photos of the dome I built. It will easily hold 100+ cuttings. I have about 30 in it already and doing more shortly.

    {{gwi:1169549}}
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  • Grancru
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I am no expert but I noticed that very shortly after taking the cuttings there is a burst of growth(new folidge)that appears. They still take 6-8 weeks to root strongly.

    Grancru

  • xavierdlc61887
    17 years ago

    Wow Very nice dome its a mini green house :-P foreals it does. Im gonna try that and the one on freeplants.com....by the way did u see the one on the site i put it looks good but yours looks better...Im Going to the store and bye a tray... i have the wire and wood as i have raised chickens and work in construction so i have the materials all i need is the tray... thanks for postiing the pics hope u get them rooted and all goes well

  • fliver
    17 years ago

    This all sounds so interesting! What size cuttings do you make? Is it just one stem? How do you prepare to plant in ground? is one stem supposed to make a bush?

  • xavierdlc61887
    17 years ago

    Yeah it is Interesting the sizes i took were 4-6 inches, still waiting for them to root....you prepare them like you would any other plant and as to make it bushy you pinch off new growth the promote multiple branching but im guess it would take a while...but if u do it in growing season like spring i think they would proly grow faster when u pinch off the new growth...im not expert so ask someone else in the post i mean this is my opinion i dont know it if its true but guessing common sense i think that would be right...:-P

  • deederbug
    17 years ago

    I've always been interested in cuttings - never tried it though. I have boxwood with new growth in the yard that I'd like to try.
    Question is.......do you leave them under the plastic at all times? wouldn't that cause a mold? Don't they need to breathe?
    Please give me the heads up on that process please....it's still frosty at nite yet here in zone 5b or else I'd try the outside method. I like the freeplants.com site and get the newsletter too. But no info on the humididome.
    I thank you in advance.
    By the way, great job! I hope I'm as lucky as you.
    Deederbug.

  • Grancru
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    The top photos are the first I ever tried. They all rooted in 60 days with GREAT roots. I then put them in the 4" pots and placed outside in a bright area but no direct sun.

    They are left under the plastic all the time. If I ever saw mold I removed the moldy leaf(s) and sprayed with an anti fungal spray (GardenSafe Fungicidal 3. Only had to do it a couple times. After 30 days I began to remove the cover every few days for a day and then replaced never letting them dry out. I am in Zone 5 as well.

    I have to believe tha Xavier is correct about the pinching for fuller growth but again I am a beginner like most. I will try this method as well.

    Grancru

  • Grancru
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I used duct tape to hold the plastic on the wire frame. the made it very light and easy to place on the tray frame.
    The tape was folded over and also protects from the wire ends scratching or cutting anything.

    {{gwi:1169556}}

    Grancru

  • Grancru
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I have a great solution for any mold or fungus that might grow on the cuttings due to the high humidity. I keep a can of Lysol nearby and any signs of something I didn't put there it gets a quick spray.

    This has worked excellent in many occasions. My mass cuttings are looking great so far 1 month in (halfway there). Lots of new growth and not a single one looking unhealthy!

    Grancru

  • ianna
    17 years ago

    They are very easy to grow -- slow growing plants, but easy to root. I've done it several times.

    Ianna

  • Grancru
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Virginia State University:
    Shearing and Pruning
    Shearing is the uniform removal of all or part of the latest flush of plant growth. Plants are sheared to increase compactness or to maintain a specified size or shape.

    During the first few years after planting, boxwoods should be sheared after each flush of growth to encourage additional branch development. Thereafter, they should only be sheared to maintain a desired shape or form. However, be aware that continuous shearing causes a thick outer shell of foliage that creates dense shade on the interior branches. Continuous shading of the inner branches results in foliage drop from those shoots, thereby decreasing plant value and aesthetics. Do not shear boxwood in late summer since this might force new growth that will not have sufficient time to harden before frost.

    Pruning is the removal of selected branches or plant parts. Plants are pruned to remove diseased, injured, dying, or dead branches. Unwanted branches are also removed by pruning, especially when plants are being trained to a specific form, such as a topiary or espalier. Boxwoods are best pruned, rather than sheared, to maintain a natural shape and to keep plants at a desired size so that they do not outgrow their landscape value too quickly. Boxwoods usually require some pruning in spring to remove any branches that have been killed during the winter. Also, as plants get older, some of the older branches may have to be removed so that light can get to the inner shoots.

  • Marie of Roumania
    17 years ago

    ok, i'm taking the plunge. got 15 buxus 'wintergreen' at home depot (of all places) for $4 each. they look healthy & they're in gallon pots, so i thought it was a pretty sweet deal.

    i'm going to try to get about 200 little starts going this summer.

    fingers crossed!

    thanks much for all the tips & encouragement.

  • mary_max
    17 years ago

    Hey what happened to the pictures? I am very much interested in doing this very thing. Can they be posted or am I just to late to view them. Thanks

  • Grancru
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Mary,
    What is your e-mail address? I can send you some photos directly.

    Grancru
    jtcrane@aol.com

  • mary_max
    17 years ago

    Thanks Grancru I just sent you an email. Mary

  • lil_rhody
    17 years ago

    I've started a baker's dozen of boxwood cuttings in an open plastic container. I scraped the cambium w/ a steril knife and added rooting powder to the wound then placed the cuttings in moderately moist peat pellets in the shade.
    I will continue to monitor the moisture level of the pellets.

    Does it sound like I did it properly? When should I expect to see results?

    Paul B.

  • Grancru
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Paul,

    I believe you need to maintain a good humidity level for the cuttings to absorb moisture. Unless you are misting or are in an area that has good hunidity.

    It takes 45-60 days for good roots to form.

    Grancru

  • ron48
    17 years ago

    I would wait for the spring growth to harden off a bit, or they will rot.

    Ron

  • little_dani
    17 years ago

    Great project!

    I am glad this got brought forward at this time, it gives me time to plot and plan how many I need for a partere in my back garden.

    Thanks for sharing with us. Do you have any recent photos? I would love to see what they look like now. How many additional cuttings did you stick?

    Janie

  • Grancru
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Hi Janie, Must have been 100 +/- that took. They are all in 4" pots right now being burried in snow as wee speak. No recent photos but maybe the next thaw I can take a few. They are slow growers but the new growth is unmistakable.

    Grancru

  • jaggudada
    13 years ago

    Hey guys,

    I'm looking at propogating boxwood from branches. When can I start? I'm in zone 6. Do you need perticular potting mix? root harmon growth? Can you put it in styrofoam cups or 6" pot, outside in shady area and make sure it is moist.

  • hookedongardens67
    13 years ago

    Zone 6 for boxwoods i would suggest the best time is probably in July or August but you can really do them any time of the year except for when the plant has soft wood pushing out. The firmer the better. You can expect to see some rooting in about 4 weeks with a nice system of roots in 2 months or so. No pretreatment is needed but if you feel better with using something along those lines, maybe something really weak perhaps 1000-2000 ppm. peat/perlite works best, but i planted 200 of them last year in just plain sand and it worked just fine. I may have lost 8 or so over this past winter. You'll do fine with doing boxwoods. Oh with the treatment, if you perfer using it, I wouldn't use anything in powder form, I'm a true believer in liquid solutions, and yes, I do have a favorite, a little more $$$ than the powder forms but wow! What a difference! Not sure if we can brand names here. Well, good luck with your boxwoods.

  • jaggudada
    13 years ago

    If I only need to propogate few boxwoods, can I use water bottles, cut it in half,fill it up with garden soil, make some slits in the bottom for drianage, leave the top cap open for ventilation to creat the same dome house and leave it outside? Just like winter sowing method. when the roots grow you can transplant thenm in a pot and then when do you put them in ground? would you put it in ground this summer/fall or next spring?

  • skoliro
    12 years ago

    Hello All, I know it's kind of late to be posting as it seems this thread is already inactive, but I am also endeavoring to take a few cuttings from some boxwood plants I have in my front yard. So far they have continued growing and new leaflets are starting to form, but as of yet, there is no root system. I am kind of confused because wouldn't the plants need water from roots to continue growing? I have had the cuttings in a half and half mixture of sand from a river near my house that has been rinsed and sterilized and regular potting soil, any suggestions on what I should do?

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    12 years ago

    whatever happened to john??? he should call me ...

    as to the last post ...

    hardwood cutting can take a very long time to actually root ... and you provide no facts as to when you 'stuck' your cutting..

    also.. you should have started a new post.. so replies come to your mailbox.. instead of john's ..

    heck... i dont know if you will ever get this reply ...

    what you are seeing is the cuttings using up the energy stored w/in them.. and you hope that they root.. before they use it all up ...

    ken

  • jolj
    12 years ago

    I like your set up.
    Boxwood & azalea are easy to root, so 90-100% is great, but not rare.

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