Propagation of Leyland Cypress
Last week I took 5 cuttings from several different Leyland cypresses. Leyland cypresses don't produce viable seeds which means that cuttings are the most reliable method of propagation. I gathered 6-8 inch long semi-ripe stem-tip cuttings from branches that were mostly upright. Some evergreens take on the characteristics of the direction they are pointing so upright cuttings are important for an upright speciman. The picture on the right is an example of the cuttings I took. The cuttings are nice and green with no brown spots. The stems have hardened off somewhat toward the base and is still green at the top.
After I collected the Leyland cypress cuttings I stripped the lower 3-4 inches of all leaves. This area will be underneath the rooting medium (in this case sand). I made a small half inch cut into the bottom of each cutting to help them take up water.
Then I put the cuttings into a nice pot and watered. Hopefully in 6-8 weeks I'll see some signs of rooting and I'll transplant them into pots with potting soil. All that is left to make them presentable for the Christmas season is to add a merry red ribbon around the pot!
Related Posts:
Plant Propagation: The Basics of Cuttings
10 Easy Plants to Propagate for Your Home Garden
Thrifty Gardening Tips: Plant Propagation
I dearly love this type of post! Never thought about rooting this tree, thanks.
ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial!
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Cameron
I've seen these trees at a friend's house & they are huge. She planted them for a privacy screen. They sure work. They are a beautiful tree.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI moved into a new home june of 2008 didn't really plant anything because I was afraid it would be too hot to start anything, I now am more than ready to start on my yard. I have a lot of road frontage and want to plant Leyland Cypresses for privacy. I have a friend who has lots of them and I want to try to root some. So I am going to try this. You did it and did they turn out ok from the seedlings you clipped? Just wondering before I start. Thanks, Betty
Dave, Please tell me why you would choose sand instead of just regular soil to propagate Leyland Cypress. I don't understand the reference to sand over soil-my family has been growing plants for years, and I never saw anyone use anything else but soil.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteI''m sorry for the late repsonse. I thought I had already answered your question but I must not have posted it! The cuttings in this post didn't make it as the gardener failed in his job to keep them moist. I don't use any kind of mister systems which would be great to have. If you keep them moist they should work out fine!
Anonymous 2,
If your family is in the nursery business then they probably use a soilless potting mix like peat and bark mulch. I think that's what most nurseries do. Soil can contain contaminates and diseases that sterile mixes of sand/peat or vermiculite/peat don't have. The acid content of the peat usually keeps those things at bay. I use sand mostly as a convenience since we have kids and always have plenty of it around! That being said there are many ways of doing things and as long as the plant is healthy there is no wrong way to do it. The sand works, I've had a lot of success with it with perennials, shrubs, and trees but I realize its not the only way you can do things. The key is to use a medium that is sterile, and if the soil has been sterilized then there shouldn't be a problem there either.
Anonymous 2,
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention that much of what I've learned about propagating plants comes from reading Plant Propagation from Alan Toogood and the American Horticultural Society. It is a fantastic resource that mentions different ways to propagate different plants. Some plants they mention soil but most use the vermiculite/peat mix which I substitute sand in place of the vermiculite.
Hi Dave, I'm sorry if this was mentioned previously, but what kind of sand do you use? Play sand used for sandboxes? if so, is there a brand name?
ReplyDeleteI would love to try to propagate with sand, but I don't want to buy sand which could be toxic to my little cutting babies. Thanks =)
Bonnie,
ReplyDeleteI just use play sand or builders sand, either should do fine. I don't think you'll have to worry about toxicity with them. After your sand has been used once it may begin to develop algae which isn't good and you may need to sterilize it to use it again. A blend of peat and sand may actually prevent the algae due to the acidity of the sand.
ooh good! I have a bag of play sand and peat, just waiting for me to get started...lol Thank you so much for your quick response =)
ReplyDeleteDave,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your advice and for sharing your info with us, I have been trying to make cuttings for my Leylandi with no success, having no gardening background and trying to find out info from the many thousands of blogs on google.
I think this is what im looking for, so i will give it a go.
Thanks again