How to Make Cuttings From Loropetalum
- 1). Take woody cuttings from the past year's growth. Cut below a node, from an upward-pointing stem; taking at least five nodes. Take cuttings early in the morning, when possible, as this is when the plant is full of water. Cuttings should be as big around as a pencil. Remove any soft or ripe wood from the top of cuttings. Make straight cuts on the bottom of cuttings and slanted cuts on the top to keep orientation right. Keep cuttings moist until planting.
- 2). Treat the bottom of cuttings with a hardwood rooting compound.
- 3). Stick cuttings into a pot or tray filled with premoistened potting medium. The medium can be a mixture of sand and perlite or a soil-less mix you purchase. Bury two thirds of the cutting in the medium.
- 4). Store potted cuttings in an outdoor cold frame or unheated basement over the winter. Cuttings should be cool, but not allowed to freeze. Maintain humidity around the cuttings by misting or covering with plastic. Hardwood cuttings can also be bundled and overwintered in a sandy, moist, covered bed
- 5). Plant cuttings into a sand-filled bed in spring, about 3 inches apart. Provide afternoon shade on hot summer days.
- 6). Keep cuttings moist. By July you can tell which cuttings have rooted well and which to discard. Upper growth will show on those with good root systems.
- 7). Transplant cuttings into their permanent location in fall, or overwinter and plant in spring.
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