Propagating hydrangea is a great (and inexpensive!) way to expand your garden. All you need is a cutting or two from a favorite variety at your house (or a friend’s hydrangea bush!) and some time and patience to end up with another big blooming bush in your garden. In fact, they can be one of the easier plants to propagate, according to Tara Finney, director of nursery operations at Fast-Growing-Trees.com.
What You’ll Need
Equipment / Tools
- Pruning shears
- Garden knife
- Small pot
Materials
- Cutting compost
- Hydrangea cutting
- Rooting hormone (optional)
Instructions
Propagate at the right time of year.
GETTY/ IULIIA BURMISTROVA Start your new cutting in the spring or summer, Finney says. “The newest growth that hydrangeas produce is going to be very green and soft—that is what we are looking for when it comes to propagation. If we do it in the fall, those stems have started to harden off, and harder wood is generally harder to start to develop roots because those cells are a bit more rigid and set in their ways.” You’re most likely to see that new growth between May and July.
Cut off a small branch.
GETTY/ LIUDMILA CHERNETSKA Do this in the morning! The plant will be the most hydrated early in the day, and this moisture gives it better odds. Cut off about 4 to 6 inches of a branch that doesn’t have a bloom yet. Your cutting should be 2 inches below a pair of leaves, to leave space for the plant to take root. You can use pruning shears or a garden knife to take the cutting.
If you want to create a new hydrangea plant right next to a current one, you can simply bend a stem to lay on the ground and let that stem develop roots from one of the leaf nodes.
Trim the leaves a bit.
If the leaves on the stem you’re using to propagate the hydrangea are on the large side, Finney suggests cutting them in half or even removing some of the leaves using the garden knife. “This will alleviate pulling water and nutrients towards the leaves when they should be focusing on root development,” she says.
You’ll want to leave two to four leaves on your stem.
Consider dipping it in rooting hormone.
GETTY/ OKASANA_SCHMIDT Rooting hormone can help your plant grow roots faster and make it more likely that your propagation attempt is successful, but it isn’t a necessary step. If you do choose to use it, pour a small amount of the hormone into a dish. Dip the bottoms of the stems into the dish, one cutting at a time, then shake off any excess.
Plant it in seed-starting potting mix.
GETTY/ IZZZY71 While many cuttings take root in water, hydrangea plants can’t. You’ll need to plant it in a cutting-friendly, well-draining mix made specifically for seed starting, which usually includes materials like coir, sand, or peat moss.
Make holes about two-three inches deep, and plant the hydrangea cutting into the soil, right to the edge of the bottom set of leaves. Then pat down the potting mix around the stem.
Keep your hydrangea cutting well-hydrated.
Humidity is key for these blossoming plants. “Since they don’t have roots yet, we need to keep the soil moist to keep those stems healthy until they start to reach out for that water on their own, which can take a couple of weeks,” Finney says.
Mist the cuttings daily, or you might even want to put a clear plastic bag over the top of the pot, to help create a humid environment.
Watch for signs of sprouting.
GETTY/ KRISTINA BALIANOVA Your hydrangea plant is likely taking root when you start to see small buds on the ends of your stem.
Be careful if you want to check your potting. “Baby roots are super delicate so if you have to check on them, be gentle,” Finney says. “You can also feel when those roots start to take by very softly pulling on them. If there is tension, you have roots.”
Wait to transplant your hydrangea.
Give that tiny stem time to grow into a garden-worthy plant. Finney says it can take six to eight months before it’s ready to be transplanted into your garden. It’s best to plant hydrangeas in fall or early spring
