Easy Way to Successfully Propagate Hydrangea
Easy Way to Successfully Propagate Hydrangea- skip the expensive nursery plants and grow new hydrangeas from simple stem cuttings.
I can’t get enough of Hydrangea shrubs! I love the large blooms and the variety of colors. Hydrangeas can be expensive, but luckily they’re fairly easy to propagate. I’ve had great success using the propagation technique (How to Root Hydrangea Cuttings) I describe below. Hopefully, you will too!
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Can you root Hydrangeas in water?
It is possible, but the failure rate for this method is high. Hydrangeas are woody-stemmed shrubs that root differently than non-woody, soft-stemmed plants.
What’s the best time of year to propagate Hydrangeas?
The best time to take hydrangea cuttings is late spring to summer. These cuttings are semi-ripe, which means they are from the current season’s growth but are old enough to have a woody base, but they are still soft at the tip. The woody base prevents the cuttings from rotting when inserted into compost.
Easy Way to Successfully Propagate Hydrangea
Start with a healthy plant that is free from disease and insectsTake the cuttings in the early morning- this is when plants are the most hydrated. A hydrated cutting will be much more successful than a dehydrated one.
The best stem to choose is one from this year’s growth (new growth). It will be lighter in color than the older stems. The best stem to chose is non-flowering with a lot of leaves.
Using your shears, cut the stem into 4- to 6-inch length. Cut each piece right above the node where leaves attach to the stem. These leaf nodes are where new roots will form.
Remove all the lower leaves except the top set of leaves.
Trim down the leaves at the top. The leaves can be very taxing on a hydrangea stem that doesn’t have roots yet (there’s no system to get water to the leaves), so trimming the remaining leaves allows the plant to use it’s energy on root growth.
Dip the end of the cutting into the rooting hormone. A rooting hormone will stimulates root development on hydrangea cuttings. Growing medium also encourages uniform root growth which improves your success rate. Gently tap the stem to remove excess hormone.
Use ta pencil to make planting holes in your prepared potting mix. Make holes at least 2 to 3 inches deep. The holes must be big enough to insert a cutting without dislodging the rooting powder. Insert the cutting so the potting mix covers the stem’s bottom half and at least two bare nodes. Then gently firm the potting mix around the cutting.
You can cover the pot with a plastic bag to create a mini greenhouse. Keep the hydrangea plant in indirect light (avoid direct sunlight) and make sure they are hydrated. You can also mist them to add moisture and humidity.
The cuttings should root in 2-3 weeks. You can gently tug on the cutting to feel if there’s resistance. If there is, this means that the roots have formed. Once the roots have formed, transplant the new plants to larger pots.
Looking for more gardening tutorials and tips?
How to Propogate Succulents the Easy Way
How to Protect Strawberry Plants from Birds
I love seeing your finished projects! If you enjoyed making this post, Easy Way to Successfully Propagate Hydrangea, or any of my other gardening tutorials, I’d love to see yours on Instagram, just tag me @ginamicheleblog. Happy gardening!
