Recently I took a single cutting from an Oak Leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). Oak leaf hydrangeas are beautiful native plants with tall flower panicles. They are a planting choice that I highly recommend. They are more difficult to propagate than a Hydrangea macrophylla but they are definitely plant that a gardener can root from a cutting to make more plants! Read on and see how I propagated my Oak leaf hydrangea as well as some tips I’ve learned on propagating over the years.
How to Propagate an Oak Leaf Hydrangea through Cuttings
Here’s the process of propagating oak leaf hydrangeas from cuttings. It all starts with the right size hydrangea cutting. The cutting I selected was a stem tip cutting with two leaves and a length of about 3 inches. Then I dipped the cut end in rooting hormone and stuck the cutting in moist sand. Sand is generally disease free and that is important when taking cuttings. Another rooting medium I have found success with is fine bark shavings/chips also sold as soil conditioner.
Monitor the Cutting
Over the next several weeks I checked the cutting periodically and watched as the cut end began to swell. The swelling end or callus is where the new roots were begin to form. You probably shouldn’t check the cutting very often, or at least don’t remove it from the sand (rooting medium) much if at all. The less it is disturbed the better.
As long as your cutting isn’t rotting it has a chance. If a cutting starts to rot just remove it. SOME cuttings WILL fail. While it is disappointing it is expected so just toss out the failed cuttings and concentrate on new ones. That’s why you should take several cuttings if you have enough plant material at a time. It increases your odds of at getting a few successes! This is true for all types of plants and not just hydrangeas.
Oak Leaf Hydrangea Cuttings Rooted in About 6 Weeks
In about six weeks I gently pulled on the little hydrangea and met resistance. I VERY carefully removed the sand from the base of the cutting and found roots! I find that it helps to add enough water to the sand to make the sand soggy make the roots easier to lift. It was no longer just a cutting but a new future hydrangea for the garden.
If you are interested in learning more about propagating other types of hydrangeas check out this post: Hydrangea Propagation
After discovering the roots I quickly went and potted the new oak leaf hydrangea. I like to plant new cuttings in pots until their root systems develop more significantly rather than planting out in the garden. Putting them in pots makes them easier to care for, especially if they are all in one location. I’ll keep the cuttings in their first pots until the roots begin to emerge from the bottom of the pot. Then either I’ll upsize the oak leaf hydrangea or plant in the garden.
Check out this video on rooting oak leaf hydrangeas I made. I have it queued to the oak leaf hydrangea section but feel free to watch from the beginning for more information on hydrangeas overall. As I explain in the video not everything always goes according to plan and sometimes you make mistakes!
Rooting Oak Leaf Hydrangea through Cuttings – From Start to Finish
- Take 3-4 inch cuttings of your oak leaf hydrangea.
- Strip all but one leaf at the top of the cutting. If the leaves are large cut them to about 1/3 size to reduce water loss.
- Dab the cut end of the cutting in rooting hormone.
- Stick the cutting in a moist rooting medium (sand, sand/peat, sand/perlite, peat/perlite)
- Wait about 6 to 8 weeks and keep moist. A plastic bag over the cuttings will help maintain the humidity.
- Gently check for resistance. If there is resistance then gently remove the cutting and plant it in soil.
- Water the medium thoroughly and remove the cutting if you have roots. Do not remove the rooting medium that sticks to the cutting as may damage the roots.
- Transplant the hydrangea into a pot to grow until roots begin to emerge from the drainage holes then either upsize it into a new pot or plant it in it’s final location.
Cuttings Vs Growing Oak Leaf Hydrangea from Seeds
You might question the logic of taking cuttings from a plant that seeds easily, but to me it makes sense. First of all I take cuttings of anything I can just to see if it would work. To me part of it is the challenge and part of it is the chance to get another plant to add to the garden.
Timing
There is a more logical reason: time. It might be spring of 2009 before any seedlings sprout from our hydrangeas but with cuttings I have a plant ready to grow it’s root systems now. I figure that I’m gaining several months of growth. To me that’s not a bad reason to propagate a plant!
It’s a Clone
Additionally if you have a special plant that has done exceedingly well, or one that is a variety that you want to make more of you can make a genetic duplicate (clone) through cuttings. You can be reasonably assured that the flowers and form will grow the same as the original plant unless a variation or sport occurs.
A Side Note on Propagating Plants
One word of caution when propagating plants, if a plant is patented you are not legally allowed to propagate it vegetatively until the expiration of the patent. That does not prevent you from growing from seed though!
Learn More About Plant Propagation
Do you Want to Learn More About Plant Propagation? Below are some posts here on Growing The Home Garden that have some more information on how to propagate plants.
- Plant Propagation: The Basics of Cuttings
- 10 Easy Plants to Propagate for Your Home Garden
- Variegated Hydrangea Propagation
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Protected: Plant Propagation Presentation
For Plant Propagation Videos check out my YouTube Channel: How to Propagate Plants – Links to plant propagation topic and individual plant posts as well as some basic information on propagating plants.
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Good job! I am one of those who has been unable to do cuttings from this. I think the trick must be the sand so I’ll try it if I take some cuttings. Great, great plant in the garden.
Thanks for the tip, Dave. I have been planning to propagate my Annabelle. I’ll try your method.
Marnie
Good looking little plant Dave. Another “freebie”. I’m all for that.
Very interesting, Dave. It’s good to know how to do these things.
I just planted my first Oak Leaf Hydrangea this year. It’s not all that large yet, of course, but I may try this next year. I have to have a place in mind for planting it and at this point that’s somewhat of a challenge. LOL.
Tina,
I’ve tried two other cuttings before of the oak leaf hydrangea and they didn’t work. I was pretty happy when this one did!
Marnie,
Definitely give that Annabelle a try! It would be a nice one to have extras of.
Lola,
Free plants are great!
Jan,
Thanks! Propagating is one of those areas that I find the most interesting in gardening. Of course it is just one of many interesting areas!
Kylee,
We have two of them right now and both were planted this year. Don’t worry about a place to plant it you could always give it away as a gift if you can’t find a spot in your garden. Or even use it for plant exchanges!
Dave,
You are going to have a complete garden of Dave Propagated plants before long…
Gail
I’ve done several shrubs from cuttings. I’ve never thought to do a Hydrangea. Great job! Can’t wait to see it mature.
Hello there! I've been trying to propagate my hydrangeas by cutting too. I've had no success so far. I might just try sand next time.