growing cuttings into trees

[seamus99]

I have a 5 year old peach tree that I would like to grow more from cuttings, tried last year with no success,does anyone have any tips, also would like to try with plum and apple trees and blueberry bushes.last year I used 2 liter bottles with soil and rooting powder, some reason I think I may of used to much water and cutting just rotted.thanks

 

[cavemanrich]

Not all plants grow from cuttings. I have plum trees and in the past had peach trees. They grew from seed. (fruit pits). Apple trees grow from seeds. You end up with a wild undesirable tree. The process to get a good tree, is to graft branches from a desired tree onto your new growth tree. You can get exotic and have 3 or more varieties of apples growing on one tree. Roses are much the same way. The root stock is a hardy variety, and then the desired rose grafts are used. If you have a rose bush, and you have growth from the root, below the graft bud, your rose will go wild. Plenty of growth, but short on the flowers.
Don't know anything about growing blueberries.
WISHING YOU BEST....

 

[seamus99]

What I've read peach are hard to grow from cuttings,but it can be done,they say plums are easier which I will try this year also, growing from seed you never know what you'll end up with, cuttings however will almost be a clone to the tree you took them from.this is just a hobby for me. I'm going to graft some peach branches from my friends tree to mine,should give me different peaches.thanks for the info

 

[lazy gardener]

I need to prune my plums. Perhaps I should try to root some cuttings. They are American Seedling, but the few fruits produced in first year (2017) were tasty.

 

[seamus99]

Give it a shot, you have nothing to lose.i would try and use 10 to 15 or more cuttings since a percentage of them probably won't root. Good luck

 

[cavemanrich]

If you want cuttings to have a better chance of success, consider the link posted for good info reading. A long time ago an elder told me about the root hormones and how he used it to propagate his geranium plants. Also use it as a helper to propagate tomato plants from cuttings.
https://www.maximumyield.com/rooting-hormones-organic-stimulants/2/1480

 

[lazy gardener]

I have never had success with rooting hormone (powder). The brand I've used is Take Root with active ingredient: Indole-3-Butyric Acid. What product have readers had good luck with?

I've also read that cinnamon is an effective rooting agent. I think willow water would work as well as anything else. Unfortunately, while I see lots of willow trees, and there are even some up the road from me, I don't know the land owners.

 

[seamus99]

What is willow water, and how do I get it, my neighbor which I'm friendly with has willows, I did use the hormone powder last year I just think I used to much water

 

[lazy gardener]

How to Make “Willow Water”
Here is the procedure for making willow water:

1. Collect young first-year twigs and stems of any of willow (Salix spp.) species, these have green or yellow bark. Don’t use the older growth that has brown or gray bark.
2. Remove all the leaves, these are not used. Don’t waste good green material though, compost the leaves or throw them in the garden as mulch.
3. Take the twigs and cut them up into short pieces around 1" (2.5cm) long.
4. The next step is to add the water. there are several techniques to extract the natural plant rooting hormones:
   a) Place the chopped willow twigs in a container and cover with boiling water, just like making tea, and allow the “tea” to stand overnight.
   
   b) Place the chopped willow twigs in a container and cover with tap water (unheated), and let it soak for several days.
   
   
5. When finished, separate the liquid from the twigs by carefully pouring out the liquid, or pouring it through a strainer or sieve. The liquid is now ready to use for rooting cuttings. You can keep the liquid for up to two months if you put it in a jar with a tight fitting lid and keep the liquid in the refrigerator. Remember to label the jar so you remember what it is, and write down the date you brewed it up, and to aid the memory, write down the date that it should be used by, which is two months from the date it was made!
6. To use, just pour some willow water into a small jar, and place the cuttings in there like flowers in a vase, and leave them there to soak overnight for several hours so that they take up the plant rooting hormone. Then prepare them as you would when propagating any other cuttings.
   The second way to use willow water is to use it to water the propagating medium in which you have placed cuttings. Watering your cuttings twice with willow water should be enough to help them root.
   

 

[seamus99]

Interesting, I can honestly say I've never heard of that but will try it assuming my neighbor will let take some.