How to Propagate Arborvitae from Cuttings

As always I’m excited to get new plants through plant propagation and I’m pretty excited to add 5 new dwarf arborvitae to the collection!  I bought the ‘Little Giant’ arborvitae (Thuja occindentalis) last fall on the discount rack and planted two of them in the birdbath garden on either side of the pathway to the bench spot.  The idea was to create a formal look to the small pathway by placing symmetrical plantings flanking the path. ‘Little Giant’ is a small rounded arborvitae that gets about 4′ in size.

propagating arborvitae

How Long Does it Take to Root Arborvitae?

I took the arborvitae  cuttings in August and they took about 8-10 weeks to get to this stage.  Right now they only have small tiny roots emerging from the nodes.  I transferred the rooted cuttings into 4 inch pots with a soil mix to grow on longer before planting.

rooting arborvitae

Can You Root Arborvitae in Winter?

Arborvitae can be successfully rooted over the winter but rooting tends to be slower. The advantage of taking winter cuttings of arborvitae is that they need a lot less maintenance. The cut ends will begin callusing and you will only need to maintain the moisture levels for your cuttings. They will not dry out as fast as growing season cuttings will. You want to increase rooting speed you can adjust the speed of rooting by adding bottom heat with a seedling heat mat. For cuttings over the winter leave them in their potting medium until they have some good root growth in the spring.

Here is a more complete step by step post on Arborvitae Propagation.

I’m hoping to take cuttings from our ‘Emerald Green’ arborvitae as well as several other evergreens soon (possibly ‘Otto Luyken’ Laurel, ‘Golden Globe’ arborvitae, and boxwoods).

Propagating Pyracantha from Cuttings

Pyracantha with root Here are some rooted cuttings of Pyracantha augustifolia also known as Firethorn. This is a very good plant to use in the landscape for privacy hedges and for attracting wildlife. Birds and insects both love this plant. Insects for its white flowers…

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Plants to Propagate in Winter

Fruiting Plum trees rooted through hardwood cuttings. Winter is officially here! If you’re reading this post you are probably thinking what I can do in the garden in winter? Well if you’re a fan of plant propagation you should try some winter plant propagation! What…

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4 thoughts on “How to Propagate Arborvitae from Cuttings”

  1. I had no idea you could root arborvitae. What a great idea. My arborvitae got a bit crispy in the heat and drought this year. I may need this to start new ones off the one that looks the best. Good luck with all your cuttings.

  2. I remember being quite excited having successfully intuited and laid out our materials needs and I used Alex’s figures for what we would need concerning labor. I had shopped the plant list, found reasonable soil and compost suppliers and received much praise from the owner for my contribution. I was positively aglow and barely able to contain my enthusiasm for the project.

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