Rooting plants ? ? ?

[Ray]

I have a tea olive shrub (osmanthus fragrans) and I would like to root some cuttings.

I've been told that if I stake a low branch into the ground -- leaving the outer leaves exposed but the stem still attached to the trunk -- that it will take root, and I can then clip the connection to the trunk and repot the new plant.

How long should I leave the plant attached before replanting?

[madgardener]

you want to give the stem enough time to develop an impressive clump of roots, then sever it from the mother shrub, and pot it up, or plant it in it's own spot. Depending on your location and climate, I'd say a full season should do it. I've done this with Forsythia branches and fig trees. I've laid down a lower branch, laid a brick on the stem to keep it touching the soil, piled up soil over where the branch touches and a few leaves and what not, and then ignored it through spring and into the end of summer here in Eastern Tennessee. If the roots aren't as large as I wanted them by fall, I leave the brick intact, then come true next spring, I remove the brick, the baby plant is ready to be cut from mama, and there we go! For my efforts now I have a great grand daughter of a forsythia bush that was planted over 130 years ago growing in my woods from the grand daughter that was rooted in the same way of the original just down the end of the family's road where I live off of. The fig I started I left growing until the following spring, I severed it, moved it into the edge of my woods as a lark, and forgot about it and sure enough, there she is, growing just fine at the base of a Jack Pine! Good luck and keep us posted on the success of your endeavors.

(resist urges to check, leave the brick pinning the branch against the soil for at least two seasons and if it gets dry, make sure you water occasionally to ensure it's not stressing, that's why I pile up leaves on top to conserve moisture and make a nice cozy little environment)

madgardener up on the quite cold ridge, back in Fairy Holler, overlooking English Mountain in Eastern Tennessee, zone 7, Sunset zone 36

[Val]

Nice to you posting again, Maddie......I've missed you :)

Val

[madgardener]

thanks Val.....I've missed everyone very much. I have pictures of Fairy Holler that I kept taking all season and will write some rambles and I don't care if they're out of normal time, maybe it will cheer people up who are locked into winter!

maddie, up on the chilly and dark ridge, back in Fairy Holler, overlooking a twinkly English Mountain in Eastern Tennessee, zone 7, Sunset zone 36

[Ray]

Thanks -- will proceed according to your experience.

[Farm1]

touches

The other thing you could do in addition to this advice is to get a sharp knife and put a diagonal cut about halfway through in the branch to be pinned down and hold the nick open with a toothpick or a match when you pin it down - this forces the plant to start producing roots rapidly.

The other thing you can do is to get a plastic pot and cut two "V" shaped notches in the sides at the top. Fill the pot with good potting mix to which you have added about a third sand. Cut the notch in the branch as explained earlier then lay the branch over the pot so that the branch sits in the "V" shaped notches (I then pin it down with a long "U" shaped bit of wire - usually an old cut up wire coathanger) and push the wire down to the bottom of the pot - sometimes I've run it through the bottom of the pot and hooked it under at the bottom if the branch has a tendency to spring back or sometimes I've just put the pot up on a series of bricks to raise it up to the level of the branch being pinned down). Water well and then cover the pot and the pinned branch (but not the emerging foliage) tightly with plastic (this is so that you dont' ahve to water it so often, but if you have ag ood memory and are good at watering then don't bother, but the branch must be kept well watered but not waterlogged.

[Scooter the Mighty]

I would start it in the spring and check in the fall to see if there are enough roots. If not, let it go another year.