Propagating shrubs is typically done by taking hardwood cuttings of the most vigorously growing side shoots. The techniques of taking the cuttings and growing them into plants take some practice to perfect but are enjoyable skills to master for any level of home gardener.
False Cypress can be propagated in large numbers to form living screens for your property, as hedging for garden border beds, or as single specimen plants to expand a rock garden or dwarf conifer display bed.
Methods To Propagate False Cypress
The quickest and most foolproof method of propagating False Cypress is to take cuttings of woody stems. Take cuttings early in the spring if you live in a climate with winter temperatures regularly below freezing (32F/0C) so that they have a chance to root firmly and put on some top growth.
Gardeners in milder winter climates can take cuttings late in the summer from the most vigorously growing branches. The cuttings will slowly form roots over the winter when grown in a sheltered location out of direct sunlight.
Seed propagation for False Cypress is more of an advanced gardening skill. Many types of False Cypress require a period of stratification to begin the germination process. Either a period of heat or cold ranging from one to 6 weeks or many days of presoaking the seed are needed.
Air layering is also a method for propagating hardwood plants like False Cypress although the best success is with plants that have plenty of low-growing branches that are almost parallel to the soil. Roots grow from the prepared stems when they are pegged down to the soil for a period of weeks or months. Once new vertical shoots form the new plant is ready to be removed from the main branch and grown on in its own container.
What You Need To Propagate False Cypress
Large numbers of False Cypress are easiest to propagate from hardwood cuttings. The only tools required are a sharp pair of clean hand pruners, a nursery pot with at least a one-gallon capacity, and some sort of potting medium that has both excellent drainage and water-holding abilities.
All-purpose potting mix, perlite, or sharp sand are great choices. Rooting hormone helps hardwood cuttings strike quicker, reducing the chance that the stems rot before growing. A plastic bag that is taller than the cuttings and some twine or a rubber band to hold it on the pot makes a sort of mini greenhouse to keep as much humidity around the cutting as possible until it grows strong.
Best Time To Propagate False Cypress
Cuttings need to be taken of strong growing and woody stems. For gardeners in USDA zones 8 and higher the best time of year for cuttings is late summer as the growth is beginning to slow for the season. The cuttings can generally be grown outdoors all winter in a sheltered location such as an unheated greenhouse or nursery holding beds out of the path of winter winds or storms.
Gardeners in colder climates will have better success taking hardwood cutting early in the spring as new growth is beginning. Propagating early in the growing season gives the potential new plants time to strike roots during mild weather and then harden off for the winter months.
Only take cuttings from plants that are pest and disease-free. The most vigorous growing branches which are around a pencil in diameter are ideal and will produce healthy and robust plants.
Steps To Propagate False Cypress
Step 1 - With sharp pruners, cut side shoots that are the size of a pencil in diameter and at least 8 inches in length. Cut the bottom at a 45-degree angle to indicate the difference between the top and bottom of the cuttings. (upside-down cuttings will not root)
Step 2 - Keep the cuttings in a plastic bag and moist until ready to pot up
Step 3 - Prepare a one-gallon nursery pot with a starting medium like an all-purpose potting mix, perlite, or sharp sand filled to within 1 inch of the top and thoroughly watered. Five cuttings will comfortably fit around the edges of this size pot.
Step 4 - Take the cuttings out of the bag and carefully prune away the bottom stems of needles(foliage) until just a set of leaves remains at the top of the cutting. Ensure that the cutting is long enough to have more than 2 sets of leaf/ stem nodes. The nodes where the leaves are removed will generate new roots
Step 5 - Dip the bottom of the cutting in rooting hormone about 1 inch and gently shake off any excess that does not stick.
Step 6 - Gently slide the cutting deeply into the rooting medium and up against the side of the pot. Allow the top couple of inches of the cutting to show. Do not water the container for a few days as that will wash the rooting hormone off the cutting.
Step 7 - Place the plastic bag over the top of the pot so that it forms a tent over the cutting but does not touch any of the foliage. Secure in place around the top of the pot with a rubber band or twine.
Step 8 - Place the cuttings in a location that is warm but not in full sun exposure and will be protected for many weeks to months.
Caring For Young False Cypress Hardwood Cuttings
Check on the cutting every day to ensure that there is plenty of humidity around the cutting. Water the pot regularly but do not overwater as this will quickly kill any immature roots forming. Watering from the bottom will be easiest while the plastic “greenhouse” is still attached.
When you begin to see new foliage growing at the top or along the branch, this is an indication to remove the plastic hood. From this point on keep the container well watered until new roots begin to show from the bottom of the pot. For some varieties, this could take months.
Carefully separate the cuttings out of the pot and repot into the fresh potting mix and containers that have excellent bottom drainage. Fertilize the new plants only if you will not be planting them in their garden spots until the following growing season. A diluted liquid feed of fish emulsion or seaweed will provide plenty of macro and micronutrients.
Sources:
“Hardwood Cuttings for Shrubs and Tree Propagation”, Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center. www.hgic.clemson.edu
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Author Robbin Small - Published 12-27-2024 |