How do u take a cutting?

[mummy2004]

It sounds very basic but is there any special ways of doing this ? i want to take a cutting of a lilac tree, do i put it straight back into the ground or in a pot to grow? Many thanks in advance

[carlton23]

You will have to wait until mid-August to take a semi-ripe cutting. Google `How to take cuttings` for a full answer.

[Clanad]

I'd disagree with the previous post. Firstly, you've chosen a difficult shrub to propagate by cuttings. Your chance of success is limited but you can only accomplish this in the early spring in a very narrow window time wise.
The new growth of branches is your guide. When these have reached no more than 3 to 5 inches in length, you may begin. First, prepare a container of a rooting compound. I live in the western U.S. so any brand names I give you may not be available in the U.K., but your garden store will recommend a good one. Then cut as many branches as you need for new plants. Cut with a good, really sharp knife as opposed to shears which can crush the cell structure of the branch.
Then, immediately dip the cut end in the rooting hormone. Some gardeners like to put the liquid rooting hormone into a fine gardener's talc to make it stick longer to the cut end.
Then, have a container for each cutting filled with very fine sand. The sand should be quite wet, but not enough to make it liquid. Place the cut end several inches into a hole which you prepared (so as not to rub off the hormone treatment). in the sand. It's really important that you not allow the sand to dry out.

Contd.

[Clanad]

Contd.

The cut end does not have roots yet and must receive all it's water and nutrients through osmosis of the cut end. It's also important to keep the branch itself as damp as possible. Use a spray bottle to mist the upper branch two or three times daily. Set the container in some natural light but keep it from becoming to warm since that will dry it out. Add a little diluted liquid plant food once a week to the damp sand.
Ok... this can take 6 weeks to 2 months. If your successful, gently remove a few of the branches after that time and inspect the bare end. You hope to see fine, hair-like roots developing. If so, transplant to a good, nutritious transplanting soil for the rest of the growing season. You're not aiming to tranplant outside until the following season.
Good luck .... and patience is the word of the day!
(An additonal note: Inspect the bush from which you intend to take cutting ... see if there are any suckers coming up from the soil around the base. If so, you're likely to have greater success lifitng some of these since they will already have established rooting systems)

[Hawkwalk]

Clanad - this one got me thinking so I have looked this up or further confirmation. All internet results I can find suggest semi-ripe cuttings in August but my best resource (RHS Encyclopedia) states using greenwood cuttings in early summer. Greenwood meaning slightly harder than soft wood but not yet hard wood. This type of cutting material would only be available after some spring growth.
I would agree that August would be too late.


I have also consulted the Readers Digest Encyclopedia which states early summer and semi-ripe cuttings.

I have to agree on your final point though, using suckers is far more likely to give success and it is also possible to layer them.

[carlton23]

I got my answer from ,as I stated in the first post from Google. How can you argue with that Clanad

[tamborine]

look for new green shoots and peel off main stem - so that the bark is attached to the shoot. Remove all leaves except for top two and plant in wet pot (wet pot is a pot of soil that is always wet, by standing in container).