How to take hardwood cuttings
Learn how to propagate shrubs like forsythia and cornus from hardwood cuttings.
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Hardwood cuttings are taken from shrubs e.g. forsythia, cornus and willow in autumn and winter.
They can take several months to produce roots, so leave them for a year before lifting and potting up or transplanting.
In this No Fuss Guide, David Hurrion demonstrates how to take hardwood cuttings from a range of shrubs and fruit bushes, including blackcurrants. Find out when to take hardwood cuttings, which stems to select and how to make your cuts. David also explains which compost to use, where to put the cuttings and how long they will take to root:
You Will Need
- Secateurs
- Spade
- Sharp sand or grit
- Hormone rooting powder
Step 1
Look for well-ripened, pencil-thick shoots and remove them horizontally above a node, leaf joint or bud, using secateurs.
Step 2
Prepare each cutting by removing the shoot tip just above a bud, and trimming the bottom just below another bud. Trim the cuttings to roughly 20cm in length.
Step 3
If you have a rooting compound, dip each cutting into it before planting. Insert the cuttings roughly 10cm deep into a pot filled with loam-based cuttings compost and overwinter them in a cold frame. Keep the cuttings watered and shoots should start to appear next spring. Leave plants for at least 12 months before transplanting.
Propagating hedges
If you are propagating a whole hedge you can place lots of cuttings in a slit trench in a sheltered nursery bed. Line a 15cm-deep trench with a layer of horticultural sand and insert the cuttings, spacing them 5cm apart.
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