How to Propagate Chokecherry Trees From Soft Wood Cuttings
Chokecherries, or Prunus virginiana, occur naturally in the woodlands of the northern and southern United States. They occur as large shrubs or small trees growing to between 6 and 20 feet in height with a bushy growth habit and lightly serrated leaves. Gardeners sometimes cultivate chokecherries to harvest their fruit for use in jams and baking, and the best method of reproducing reliably fruiting shrubs is by rooting softwood cuttings in summer. Propagating chokecherries from softwood cuttings is fairly simple, but the cuttings require pretreatment with rooting hormone and constant bottom heat to root reliably. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- 6-inch plastic pot
- Sharp sand
- Sterile potting soil
- Pruning shears
- 0.5-percent IBA (indole butyric acid) rooting hormone
- Electric propagation mat
- Plant mister
- 1-gallon nursery container
Instructions
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Prepare a rooting pot for the chokecherry cutting before harvesting it. Fill a 6-inch plastic pot with a mixture of four parts sharp sand and one part sterile potting soil. Wet the growing media with 1 cup of water.
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2
Select a portion of new growth from the tip of a healthy, vigorous branch. Measure approximately 4 to 6 inches from the tip of the stem and make an angled cut just below a set of leaves using pruning shears.
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3
Strip off the lower leaves so that only a few leaves remain on the tip and upper one-third of the cutting. Treat the bottom half and base of the chokecherry cutting with 0.5-percent IBA rooting hormone.
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Stick the cutting into the prepared rooting pot until half the length is buried. Press the soil against the base of the cutting to hold it upright.
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Place the potted chokecherry cutting on an electric propagation mat set to between 68 and 75 degrees F. Expose the cuttings to moderate, diffuse light for at least six hours a day.
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Mist the foliage at least twice a day using a plant mister, spray bottle or automated misting system. Misting the chokecherry cutting is very important since the foliage has a tendency to wither and dry out during the rooting process.
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Check for roots in six to eight weeks by gently pulling the base of the chokecherry. Grasp the cutting lightly and tug upward to test for resistance, which indicates the cutting is anchored by roots.
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Transplant the chokecherry cutting into a 1-gallon nursery container filled with garden soil three weeks after rooting. Keep the young chokecherry plant in the 1-gallon container under bright, sheltered conditions for one to two years before planting.
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Tips & Warnings
Use garden soil from the bed where the chokecherry is to be planted when transplanting the cutting into a 1-gallon container.
