How to Grow Red Tip Photinias From Cuttings
Named for its flush of glossy red springtime foliage, red tip photinia appears frequently in landscaping and yards across the United States as a hedging or screening plant. Photinia is a versatile species, growing 10 to 15 feet in height, with a 10-foot spread. The plant responds well to heavy pruning to improve the shape and keep the size in check. Few woody shrubs grow as readily from cuttings as red tip photinia, and even the clippings left over from a heavy pruning session will root and produce new shrubs if kept in a pot of moist, draining soil. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 8-inch plastic pot
- Perlite
- Medium-grit sand
- Compost
- Pruning shears
- 0.5-percent IBA (indolebutyric acid) rooting hormone
Instructions
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Ready a rooting pot for the red tip photinia cutting before you gather it. Fill an 8-inch plastic pot with equal measures of perlite, medium-grit sand and compost. Pour water into the pot until the rooting medium feels saturated.
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2
Gather a 6- to 8-inch cutting from a mature red tip photinia shrub in midsummer, when the tips of the branches still have young growth, but the base of the branch is beginning to harden. Snip the cutting at a slight angle with pruning shears.
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3
Strip off the leaves from the lower third of the red tip photinia cutting. Dip the base of the cutting in 0.5-percent IBA rooting hormone to increase the chance of successful rooting.
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4
Stick the red tip photinia cutting up to its lowest leaves in the prepared rooting pot. Press the soil against the stem to hold it in a vertical position in the pot.
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Set the potted photinia cutting outdoors in a warm spot with dappled light. Water the cutting with 1/4 cup of water whenever the soil dries just below the surface.
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Check for rooting in three weeks by gently tugging on the stem to feel if it is anchored by roots.
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7
Transplant the red tip photinia into a large pot filled with sterile potting soil one week after rooting. Keep the plant potted for one year before you move it out to a permanent bed.
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