How do you start a new Holly plant/tree from a branch of a grown plant/tree?
Question:The trees need trimmed and I need to know if I can start a new plant/tree from the trimmed limbs.
Answers:
Holly,
Holly can be easily propagated from semi-ripe or hardwood cuttings, but now is not the time of year to acquire these cuttings. Semi-ripe (or semi-hardwood) cuttings are generally taken in late summer to autumn. Hardwood cuttings are taken in autumn to mid-winter. Softwood cuttings taken at this time of the year are not a recommended propagation technique for holly. You can try it, though your success rate will be very low. The reason for this is that all of the growth hormones are still concentrated at the tips of holly branches. These hormones inhibit root development at the cut ends of softwood cuttings.
You might find that layering in a much easier way to propagate your holly and can be done at this time of year for evergreen holly. Simply take a flexible, young shoot that's close to the ground and nick the stem (cut a sliver of bark off the stem on the opposite side from a bud). Now cultivate the soil where you will bury and peg the nicked portion of this shoot into the soil. Fill in the soil over this portion of the stem with soil and rooting medium. Water. Keep the layers watered through the summer. Your evergreen holly layers can be lifted, cut and replanted next spring.
Propagation by stem cuttings is a common method to propagate many woody ornamental plants. Stem cuttings are easy to root.
Semi-hardwood stems are necessary for successful propagation by stem cuttings; however, maintaining high humidity around the cutting is crucial. If you're only going to root a few cuttings, you can use a flower pot. Try to keep high humidity by covering the pot with a milk jug or plastic bottle with no bottom or by placing the pot into a clear plastic bag. Cuttings can also be placed in plastic trays covered with clear plastic stretched over a wire frame. But be sure the tray has holes in the bottom for drainage. The plastic will help keep the humidity high and reduce any water loss from the cuttings.
This is the perfect time of year for propagating softwood cuttings of woody plants. There's a great website with complete instructions and even a video that shows how to take and root softwood cuttings. Go to freeplants.com for the instructions and video.
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