A couple months ago I managed to root a dogwood tree from cuttings. Only 1 of 3 cuttings rooted but I still considered it a success. After all it was the first time I had managed to root a dogwood tree from a cutting. You would be happy to! Since then I did another experiment. These are the cuttings I took in the how to propagate dogwood video (YouTube Link) I put together. Today I’m very happy to share the results. Keep in mind this is for Cornus florida but other tree dogwoods should root similarly. Red twig or yellow twig dogwoods are in fact a lot easier than tree dogwoods to root.
I may earn a small commission if you purchase through some of the links in this post at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I use and trust!

Cutting Size Matters
We’ve all heard the saying “Size matters Not” but actually, it might! Sorry Yoda! The cuttings I took in this batch were different sizes. The smaller ones were all successful while the larger one failed. the smaller ones were 3-4 nodes and only 3-4 inches long. The longer cutting was 5 nodes and was about 6-7 inches long.
I believe the smaller dogwood cuttings rooted because they had less vegetation to maintain and the energy could go into the roots and keep the cutting alive at the same time. This was a very small sample size with only 4 cuttings, getting a 75% rate, but I’ll take more cuttings in the future and observe how they do.
The cuttings were taken in June and took just under 8 weeks to get to the point you see in the picture.
Dogwood Tree rooting tips
- Take shorter 3-4 node cuttings no more than 4 inches long
- Use Hormodin 3 rooting hormone
- Keep under lights if possible out of direct sun
- Root in 6-8 weeks.
These young dogwoods are now ready to be potted up and grown on, and I’m looking forward to planting them in the yard next year.
The complete how to post is here if you would like more info: How to Propagate Dogwood Trees from Cuttings.
How to Propagate Hardwood Cuttings of Russian Sage
The other day I had an idea. Instead of taking my pruned Russian sage branches and just dumping them in the compost, I thought what if I tried to make cuttings from them? I’ve propagated Russian sage cuttings very easily in the spring from softwood…
How to Make a Simple DIY Home Plant Propagation System
Making your own plant propagation chamber is not a difficult task at all. For the home gardener who is only doing a few cuttings at a time propagate plants for friends and family a plant propagation chamber can be a VERY simple project. In fact…
Viburnum and Spirea Cuttings
Last summer I took cuttings from one of my viburnums and a couple spireas. They have a good start this year and are beginning to put on new growth. The viburnum came from a softwood cutting that was about 3-4 nodes long. I need to…
Stunning Flowers and Foliage: Why the Onondaga Viburnum is a Must-Have!
If there is one shrub I would recommend to every home gardener for spring color, it’s the ‘Onondaga’ Viburnum (Viburnum sargentii ‘Onondaga’). This spring our ‘Onondaga’ viburnum is just beginning to put on it’s seasonal show, and it’s awesome! In the spring its most notable…
How to Propagate a Dogwood Tree from Cuttings (Cornus florida)
I successfully rooted a Florida dogwood (Cornus florida) from a cutting! This is a tree that’s been tricky in the past for me to propagate, and I finally had some success I think is worth sharing. In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly what…
How to Propagate Basil
Rooted Basil It’s no secret that I love to propagate plants. I especially love to propagate the easy plants. The ones where success is almost 100% assured! Believe it or not there are a few of those. Basil is one that I almost always can…
Discover more from Growing The Home Garden
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.