Blueberry Cuttings - any tips?

[xC0000005]

This is absolutely not bee related (unless you count the bumbles that pollinate these) but I have several blueberry plants out front that I really, really ought to have trimmed...but I did not. Now I have many three feet long sprouts that don't fit the shape or form of the bush (not to mention not being sturdy enough to support berries. So I got to thinking...

Mortals with greener thumbs than I have succeeded at making cuttings from blueberry plants. Are there any tips or "best practices" for how to do this? Is there such a thing as "too thin" or is it like a strawberry, where if you can see a root attached it will grow into a new plant?

My kids love the blueberry plants. We have several varieties and in mid summer there's always a few handfuls waiting to be eaten by a hungry child. (Not that we don't feed them, just that they are like bottomless pits).

[dragonfly]

Blueberries, as a rule, down grow down here, and if they do, they struggle with our summer heat, so I don't know much about them. That being said, my experience is that the best method for doing a cutting from a woody plant that is actively growing is to cut a "gouge" in one of the stems, and place a plastic bag filled with potting soil that will completely envelope the cut area. Keep it moist, and it should start growing roots inside the bag of potting soil. When the roots are growing well, cut the stem below the rooted area and transplant it. I don't remember what this method is called, but I've used it with success on shrubby plants.

[xC0000005]

Thanks. Do I need some of that white powder that supposedly causes root growth or not?

[MapMan]

Can be done with either hardwood or softwood cuttings (actually, I prefer tissue culture).

Here's an excellent site which is geared to your neck of the woods:

http://berrygrape.oregonstate.edu/blueberry-propagation/

MM

[MapMan]

I don't remember what this method is called, but I've used it with success on shrubby plants.

Air-layering.

Should use a rooting hormone. Liquid is preferable to dry mixtures. 8000 ppm I.B.A. (indolebutyric acid) based works great.

Labor intensive, for small amounts of propagation - not sure it will work with blueberries. Best off doing cuttings.

MM

And, if you have some large plants already - the best way to make more plants (and it would help the existing bushes, as they die off in the center) is to divide the plants with a spade. With a large plant, you can get 6-8 good-sized plants. Remember to water a lot, and bring your soil acid level to optimum levels.

[dragonfly]

Thanks. Do I need some of that white powder that supposedly causes root growth or not?


I'm sure rooting hormone wouldn't hurt, but it works without it.

Thanks MM for the link. It'll be right up my alley too :)

[Brent Bean]

If your are referring to pruning blueberries, google growing blueberries in Michigan it will take you to a web page by Michigan State University, it will tell you anything you need to know about growing blueberries. Michigan grows more blueberries than any other state. We own a U-pick blueberry patch and you should be able to prune them anytime of year without hurting them.

[power napper]

If there is enought stem to bend over and cover with earth the roots will grow where the plant is in dirt, then in late summer or early fall cut off on plant side and transplant your new bush!

[pennstatepitt]

I haven't done blueberries yet, but I've rooted some willow cuttings in a horticulture class, what we did was make the cutting, then scrape the rooting area. Then we applied some rooting mix and just popped it into some potting soil. Willows root really easy, so you'd probably have to use a more concentrated hormone rooting mix for blueberries, I think there is a guide for which mix you want right on the containers.

[MapMan]

I haven't done blueberries yet, but I've rooted some willow cuttings in a horticulture class, what we did was make the cutting, then scrape the rooting area. Then we applied some rooting mix and just popped it into some potting soil. Willows root really easy, so you'd probably have to use a more concentrated hormone rooting mix for blueberries, I think there is a guide for which mix you want right on the containers.


Scraping - that's called "wounding" the cuttings, in hort lingo. Only used on hardwood cuttings - not herbaceous plants. This wounding helps stimulate rooting because of the higher presence of naturally occurring auxins near the wound. That is what I.B.A. (indolebutyric acid) is - a synthetic auxin, which works well on hardwood cuttings. Excessive concentrations of auxins will actually do the opposite - inhibit the formation of roots. Hey, I remember a lot of my plant physiography classes from the early '80's, eh?

I get a kick out of some horticulture classes - willows will root in a vase of water. :rolleyes: Back in the day... we had some tough propagation tasks, let me tell you...

MM

[xC0000005]

Thanks, all. As usual beesource is my one stop shop for information. Next up: How to install a windshield in a 1986 VW passat. :)

[nursebee]

I've tried green cuttings and kept them misted, not a one took. Many of my grapes took. So I asked the farm where I got mine (Finch in Wilson NC) and he told me to wait until July when they got woody, then to pot them and keep moist. He said the preferred method was to take cuttings from the plant when it had totally gone dormant, keep the in a fridge (think scion) then root them in the spring after danger of frost had past.