With the increase of grandchildren O Wise One and I have decided that we need to add some additional fruit trees and vines to our gardens to keep up with the demand. Therefore 2 weeks ago I took blackberry stem cuttings to root.
I selected a vine about the size of a pencil and cut it from the plant. Then trimmed off the dead leaves and stems. Then I cut it in pieces about 4 to 6 inched long. I wanted each piece to have several buds on it.
Then I dip the end of each piece in a rooting hormone. This can be purchased at any garden supply store.
Then my pieces are potted in a mixture of potting soil and perlite for good drainage. You want your soil damp but not soggy.
Then I placed a cut off 2 liter soda bottle over each cup to help retain humidity almost like little mini greenhouses. A great way to recycle ! The tray was then placed in a sunny south facing window. Keep the soil moist but not soggy.
And in about 2 weeks we started to see little roots emerge from the buds. On the one above see the little green sprout emerging from the soil to the left of the stem. Even the buds in the air are setting aerial roots.
Notice roots at the base. Soon they will start sprouting new leaves and then we can remove the domes. After about a month I will put these in larger pots and plant outside either late this summer or next spring. Learning to propagate your own plants can help to reduce the cost of starting your own orchard so much. I even rooted most of the shrubs in my yard myself. I also started many of my perennials from seed. Ways to have lots of plants with a minimal amount of cost.
Blessings from The Holler
The Canned Quilter
Great info. I love Black Berrie cobbler, is that whats next?
ReplyDeleteDad/Mom used to stick the cuttings in the ground and place a fruit jar over them...very good results.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post, CQ! Great to know. :-)
ReplyDeleteSO very COOL!! Oh I would love to have some black berries growing here!!!! I think I'll call a favorite Great Aunt and see if she'll let me take a cutting or two or ten *smile*
ReplyDeleteThank so much!!!
Dana
Great post! I have a friend who has blackberry bushes that I intend to get a cutting off of. My question is this... Will I need to keep it potted for a year before planting it?
ReplyDeleteI would think that once your cutting has some size on it and is hardened off it could be planted as long as you can kind of baby it and make sure that it gets plenty of water and maybe a little winter protection : )
DeleteDo you have to put it in the ground during spring? If I propagate some in pots this summer and they take root, can I put them in the ground in fall??
ReplyDeleteDo you have to put it in the ground during spring? If I propagate some in pots this summer and they take root, can I put them in the ground in fall??
ReplyDeleteNo but I think they root better in the spring !
DeleteI accidently broke off a new thriving branch from my BB bush today (which is puny and new by itself). It had several blossoms on it, so I am very bummed. Can I root this branch and save the blossoms for this season? Also, it appears that you planted the clippings upside down (at least in the picture they look upside down to me). Is this correct? I've never rooted anything before and I'd rather not waste my energy and do it wrong. How many "buds" deep do I want to plant the cutting?
ReplyDeleteYou cannot save the blossoms but you can try to root the cutting. These may have been upside down but it doesn't really matter. Look at the 5th picture from the top and you will see a small green sprout coming up from the ground. Within a few months there were several of the sprouts that came up from the base. That is how this particular blackberry grows. I put a minimum of 2 buds in the ground.
DeleteGood Luck
CQ
Thanks so much for sharing this. I just tried this experiment, prior to seeing your post. I have almost 100 of these cutting that I kept from pruning my own blackberry bushings. I potted them all up in a dense pattern, 20 or so per pot, just to root, then left the pots in the greenhouse. The greenhouse is not heated, but it doesn't get all that cold down here in Houston anyway. But for fun, I brought one pot in the house to ensure it does warm up. Then for a third trial, I "potted" two of the cuttings in plastic baggies, filled the baggy with moist soil, and then tied the bag shut around the stem of the cutting to retain the moisture in the bag. I then placed them atop an 80 degree fish tank. My hope is that the ambient heat from the fish tank will warm the soil faster than the exposed stem, assisting rooting faster than leafing out so they get a good solid root system early on.
ReplyDeleteI had not found anyone else having done it like you did until just now, and was starting to worry that I had done it all wrong. Thanks again.
What time of the year did you take the cuttings and start them.
ReplyDelete