How to Start a Flowering Quince From a Cutting
Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) is a shrub long prized in the garden for its showy flowers in late winter and early spring. It is easy to grow and, en masse, works well for a hedge. Most cultivars have thorns. The branches are good for cutting and bringing indoors for flower arrangements. Some dwarf varieties reach 2-3 feet tall; standard varieties, 6 feet. The shrub can be pruned at any time to limit growth. For an abundance of flowers, prune in spring after it blooms. The new stems will produce next year's flowers. Quince may be propagated by cuttings. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Pruning shears
- Rooting medium/mix
- Rooting hormone (1000-5000 ppm)
- Tray or pots
- Clear plastic milk jug or plastic bag
Instructions
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Place rooting mix in tray or pots. A good mix is coarse sand, one part peat moss and one part perlite. Commercial mixes are also available.
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Take a cutting from a healthy, disease-free plant. Lateral shoots tend to do better than terminal shoots. A long stem can be cut into several cuttings 4-6 inches long. Remove leaves from the bottom half of the cutting.
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Insert the bottom third of stem into rooting hormone, being careful that stem is right side up. Gently shake off excess.
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Place stem in the tray/pots of rooting mixture, keeping the stem right side up and the hormone end in the mix. Several cuttings can be placed in the tray or pot. Leave several inches between stems. Gently press the mix around the stems.
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Place tray/pots out of direct sunlight. Keep moist. Do not let rooting mix dry out. Cover cuttings with a plastic milk jug, with the bottom cut out or with a plastic bag. This increases humidity and helps the rooting mix to stay moist. Leave cuttings in tray 4-6 weeks, until rooted.
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Transplant to pots--one plant to a pot--and grow in sun until it gets a bit larger before transplanting into the landscape.
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Tips & Warnings
Mid-July to early fall is the best time to make your cuttings.
