Growing Hydrangea from a Cutting or Slip

Q: I hav e a friend who has a beautiful Blue Hydrangea. Last year I had a bloom cut from it and tried to get it to root but it did not take. Any advice on how to get this to grow for me?

Thanks.
Leona from Newfoundland

A: Leona,

There are two easy ways to propagate Hydrangeas from cuttings. Try both methods at the same time and one is bound to work for you. The first is to root it in a vase of water. Although this sounds easy in theory, it's unsuccessful a large percent of the time. Just stick the bloom in a vase of water and wait for roots to appear. Keep the water fresh and make sure to remove any leaves below the water's surface.

A second way is to root the cuttings in a growing medium. Start with a 5-6 inch branch-one that hasn't bloomed this year. Remove the bottom 2 leaves from their leaf nodes (the point where they attach to the branch). With a scissors, cut the largest of the remaining leaves down to half their size. Insert the cutting into a damp growing medium (vermiculite works well). You can dip the cutting in a root hormone before potting it, but it's not necessary. Water it thoroughly, making sure you have ample drainage, and cover it with plastic. If possible, prop up the plastic with sticks to keep it from touching the leaves. Place the pot in bright light-avoiding direct sunlight. Let the soil start to dry out before watering again. In 2-3 weeks give the cutting a gentle tug and if you feel a little resistance, you have roots.

More Answers:

Growing Hydrangea from a Cutting or Slip

Some cuttings can be rooted by simply putting them in water but others need to be dipped in rooting hormone first.

This may be the case. (08/03/2005)

By Fran Marie

Growing Hydrangea from a Cutting or Slip

Dear Leona,

I have a Hydrangea in my back yard in dark pink.
When I was cleaning out the collected leaves under the plant I notices a low growing branch had been burred in the grown and had rooted! So I carefully uncovered the roots and trimmed off the branch. I cut the branch back about 3-4 inches (back towards the center base of the Hydrangea) where the roots had touched the ground. Decided where I wanted to start a new plant and put in some new soil and planted my new rooting Hydrangea. I would put in some fertilizer (not near the root). Good luck! Write me if you are confused. (08/03/2005)

By Sue

Growing Hydrangea from a Cutting or Slip

My hubby has a lot of success with hydrangea cuttings and we have two beautiful ones. He says that he takes a cutting from a branch that hasn't had a flower on it, dips it in rooting powder and plant in a small flower pot. When it starts to grow at a reasonable rate then re-pot into a bigger pot. Hope this helps.
(08/03/2005)

By DT7146

Growing Hydrangea from a Cutting or Slip

My Mother always extended one of the lower hanging branches down onto the ground, touching the soil (the branch is still attached to the plant itself), placed a brick or a rock on top the branch and it eventually took root. Then, it can gently dug up and planted. (08/18/2005)

By Joyce