How to Grow a Dogwood Tree
Dogwood trees are beautiful in the spring. They have beautiful flowers that make them a delight for any landscape. Many birds build nests in these trees. You can propagate dogwood trees from softwood cuttings taken in the spring or early summer. Although dogwoods will root from cuttings, they are often difficult to propagate. You will need to take extra cuttings to be sure that some will grow. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 6-inch pot
- Potting soil
- Sharp knife
- Glass
- Rooting hormone
- Pencil
- Thin, strong wire
- Plastic bag
- 4-inch pots
- Perforated plastic bag
Instructions
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Fill 6-inch pots with potting soil. You can use four stem cuttings per pot.
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Cut new shoots from the dogwood tree in May, June or July. Using a sharp knife, remove several 6- to 8-inch shoots or stems that are green and flexible.
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Remove any buds, because you don't want the energy of the shoot going into producing the flowers. Cut off all but the top two leaves on the stem.
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Dip the cut end into a glass of water; remove; shake water off.
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Stick the wet end or the cut end of the dogwood stem into rooting hormone and then shake off the excess.
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Push a pencil into the potting soil to make a hole so you can stick the stem in without scraping the rooting hormone away. Lightly firm the soil around the stem cutting with your fingers.
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Water the potting soil thoroughly.
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Cut two to three pieces of strong wire, making sure that when the wire is inserted into the pot, it will be taller than the stem cuttings. Insert the wire pieces into the potting soil, staying close to the rim. Place the pot into a big plastic bag, with the bottom of the pot sitting on the bottom of the bag. Cut a hole in the bottom of the bag so excess water drains out. Close the top of the bag with a twist tie.
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Place the pot in a sunny window. Check the cutting daily to make sure that it isn't too humid in the plastic bag. If mold is beginning to grow, open the bag for one hour. Check to make sure that the soil is moist. It is important to keep the soil moist, but not soggy. It takes three weeks to a month before the stem cutting forms roots. Resist the urge to keep pulling the cutting out to check on roots forming.
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Transplant the cuttings to 4-inch pots. Place the 4-inch pots in a perforated plastic bag, and leave the pots in the perforated bag for a week. This will help harden them off. Do not put the pots in direct sunlight or in an area where there are extreme temperature changes. Find a sheltered place in your yard where you can keep an eye on them so they don't dry out. After they have been growing in the smaller pots for several weeks, you may transplant them into their permanent location.
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References
- Photo Credit Flowering dogwood image by Christopher Martin from Fotolia.com
