You Can Actually Grow Hydrangeas From Just A Cutting, And All You Need Are A Pair Of Sharp Garden Shears To Get Started
Every gardener has to try cultivating hydrangeas at least once in their life. There’s nothing quite like a long row of shrubs blooming with colorful clusters of fluffy flowers.
However, buying enough plants to create that jaw-dropping magnificent display can be costly. Luckily, starting new plants from cuttings of hydrangeas you already have is relatively easy to do.
If you want to add more hydrangeas to your garden without spending the money, here’s how you can propagate the blooms from cuttings and enjoy even more of them in your garden. All you need are a healthy plant and a pair of sharp shears to get started!
The best times to take cuttings from a hydrangea are in late spring or early summer. Take cuttings in the morning when the stems are still full of water.
Choose a light green stem that has new growth. Even better if you can pick one that hasn’t flowered yet that season.
Avoid selecting stems that are currently flowering because the plant’s energy will go toward keeping the bloom alive rather than focusing on root development.
Then, trim away any leaves on the lower part of the cutting. You don’t want the leaves to be buried under the soil as this could attract disease.
After you take some cuttings, keep them moist until you’re ready to plant them. Hydrangea cuttings can’t grow well in water, so you’ll have to insert them into a high-quality, well-draining potting mix.
Fill a large pot with soil to fit several cuttings. Next, slightly dampen the bottom end of each cutting and dip them into a rooting hormone to help boost root development. It also limits the chances of disease.
Marina Andrejchenko – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Make sure to pre-moisten the soil before planting the cuttings. Watering afterward will cause the rooting hormone to wash away before it takes effect.
Now, make holes in the dirt and stick your cuttings in. Finally, cover the cuttings in plastic to create a warm, humid environment for the roots to develop. You can do this by placing a plastic baggie over the pot.
Leave it on for about two to three weeks and remove it once the cuttings have formed roots. You can test if the cutting has established roots by gently pulling on the cutting. If there is some resistance to your tugs, that means there is root growth.
After about six weeks, transfer the cuttings into individual pots. Next spring, you should have new hydrangeas to plant in your garden!
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