7 Foolproof Plants Anyone Can Propagate From Cuttings in November – Grow More of Your Favorite Shrubs for Free
There is no easier way to make new plants for free than by taking hardwood cuttings from deciduous shrubs in late fall. Try it yourself and see!
November doesn't have to mean the end of the gardening season, as late fall is the perfect time to multiply your backyard shrubs for free. Taking hardwood cuttings sounds complicated but it’s as simple as poking sticks into pots of soil and waiting for them to grow. Yes, really! November is the very best time for this propagation method as stems of deciduous shrubs are full of stored energy ready to go into winter so you'll get great results, even if you're a beginner gardener or it's your first time trying.
Many of our favorite garden shrubs can be multiplied by taking cuttings in late fall, from roses to butterfly bush, dogwood to mock orange, so add this enjoyable task to your fall gardening checklist. Whether you’ve got a new garden to fill on a budget or you’re planting up a fresh area, or you want to propagate some plants to sell at a yard sale next year, you'll get free shrubs without spending a dime at the garden center. Or perhaps you’ve been eyeing up a pretty shrub in a friend’s garden and want it growing in your yard, too!
Clone these deciduous shrubs now and they’ll root over winter, ready to be planted in spring. Ready to have a go? Here’s exactly how to take hardwood cuttings, step by step.
How to Take Hardwood Cuttings in November
1. Wait for the Magic Moment
Timing is everything when you propagate plants, and late fall is peak time for growing free shrubs from hardwood cuttings. In November, deciduous shrubs will be about to enter dormancy so they’ll have stored up plenty of energy in their stems and the bare outer bark is tough and weather-resistant. To catch the optimum moment, wait until your shrub has just dropped its leaves or, in a mild autumn, lost a good three quarters of its foliage.
2. Select Stems that are Most Likely to Root
Look for stems that grew this year, as these are going to be far keener to throw out fresh roots than older growth. Choose stems from the outer, sunniest side of the shrub, too, as these will have stored more energy. Stems that are about the width of a standard pencil are ideal, and remember these are hardwood cuttings: you need stems that are mature enough to snap rather than softly bend if you tried to fold them in half.
3. Take the Cuttings
You’re going to need straight-ish stem sections, and cut plenty as not even expert gardeners get a 100% success rate from hardwood cuttings.
Make the base cut just below a bud or leaf node, straight across the stem. Make this cut close to the node – ⅛ inch below is perfect – as there's a high concentration of rooting cells and hormones in the stem here. Make the top cut about ¼ inch above a bud or leaf node, at a 45° angle. This little bit of extra room allows the stem to heal over without damaging the node. Ideally, you want 2-3 nodes in between the top and bottom nodes (so 5 in total). For most shrubs, that means your stem sections will be 6-12 inches long.
While the top cut is angled to encourage rain to run off rather than pool on the step tip, the base cut is horizontal simply so it’s easy to tell which end of your cutting is which. Use your pruners to trim off any remaining foliage (don’t tear leaves off as this can damage the stem).
4. Prep Fast-Draining Soil
Rooting your cuttings in deep containers rather than the ground makes it easy to provide the sharp drainage and shelter needed for stems to root rather than rot. You can either use one pot per cutting or put multiple cuttings into a bigger container.
Use an all-purpose potting soil without any added fertilizer or synthetic moisture retainers such as Organic Mechanics Premium Blend Potting Soil, available from Amazon, and mix in a similar volume of horticultural grit, sand or perlite such as this from Walmart to open up that soil some more.
Water the mix and leave the pots to sit for 15 minutes to drain.
5. Poke Stems into the Soil
Use a stick or pencil to poke holes into the potting mix, making them deep enough to swallow two-thirds of the stem length. If you're using a larger container to hold multiple cuttings, space the holes about 2 inches apart. Then pop the stems, base cut downwards, into the holes and use your fingers to gently close the soil around them. There’s no need to water.
Some shrubs have a high-enough concentration of natural auxins – the hormones that foster rooting – that they'll root just fine, all by themselves. Twig dogwood, forsythia, butterfly bush and spirea all fall into this category. Some shrubs need a little help, however. Roses are still reliable rooters, but encouraging them with a rooting powder that stimulates their natural hormones brings a higher success rate. Simply dip the base of the stem into a rooting hormone like Garden Safe Take Root, available from Amazon, and tap off any excess before popping it into the hole.
A few, like mock orange and viburnum, need an even bigger nudge, and that’s easy to deliver by slicing off a narrow inch-long strip of bark at the stem's base before dipping it into the rooting powder, and popping it into the hole. This ‘scoring’ cuts through the tough outer bark to expose the green cambium layer beneath, which is where the cells that will become roots are concentrated. Scoring also triggers auxins to be sent straight to the damaged area.
6. Keep Pots Cozy
Stand your pots of cuttings in a sheltered spot where they’re shielded from the worst of the winter rain and cold. Position them up against a south-facing wall of your house and they’ll be protected from cold northerly winds and benefit from the heat escaping your home. An unheated greenhouse, conservatory or sunroom is another good option, as is a bright porch. You could also cover your cuttings with lightweight horticultural fleece such as this AgFabric Plant Blanket from The Home Depot to keep them cozy, pushing canes around the pot so the fabric doesn’t sit directly on the stems.
The stems will use very little water so only irrigate occasionally when the top inch or two of the soil is dry, which will only be once a month or so. By spring, you’ll see fresh green leaves on the cuttings that have rooted. If you're growing multiple cuttings in one big pot, move them into their own container at this point.
Foolproof Hardwood Cuttings to Take in November
1. Dogwood
Shrub dogwoods or twig dogwoods are super-easy to propagate from hardwood cuttings in late fall, and grow fast for quick results. Why not raise enough to create a wildlife-friendly hedge with a flurry of fragrant spring-summer flowers followed by fall berries? Or create a vibrant display of winter stems for you to enjoy? Cornus has a high concentration of natural rooting compounds so you’ll enjoy a near 100% success rate from hardwood cuttings.
2. Forsythia
This bulletproof shrub is one of the earliest to bloom in spring, bursting into a cheery show of bright yellow flowers in March. Once mature, Forsythia is drought-tolerant, cold-hardy and incredibly low maintenance, and even copes with urban pollution, making it a welcome gift for beginner gardeners or new home owners. Forsythia's easy-going nature also makes this one of the easiest shrubs to propagate from hardwood cuttings.
3. Butterfly Bush
Buddleia earned its common name for good reason, putting on a bountiful summer buffet for pollinators from July to October. Butterfly bush is an enthusiastic, fast grower so it’s a useful shrub to quickly make a new garden look more mature, or fill an empty yard corner. Do check that the Buddleia you’re taking cuttings from is a newer, non-invasive butterfly bush variety first though. There is no easier shrub to take hardwood cuttings from as this is a plant that’s naturally programmed to grow, grow, grow!
4. Spirea
Spirea is a low-maintenance must-have, bringing fabulous flowers and fall foliage colors in a size to suit every garden. This deciduous shrub responds really well to clipping so you can use it to create a stylish low hedge for free by taking November cuttings. Spirea is a foolproof shrub to start with if you're propagating this way for the first time.
5. Roses
You can never have too many roses in a garden and these shrubs are expensive to buy, so propagating from cuttings will fill your yard with scented flowers for free. The ‘backyard rule’ means you can propagate even named, patented Rosa for your own use, but restrictions apply if you’re planning on selling the resulting plants. While your new rose plant will probably try to flower in its first summer, pinch off any flower buds to focus its energy on growing roots and stems.
6. Mock Orange
Philadelphus brings an aromatic blend of jasmine and citrus to your garden from May to June, so adding a few more mock orange shrubs to your yard will boost its perfume as well as flower power. Mock orange shrubs have tough bark so carefully scrape an inch-long strip off both sides of the stem base and dip into rooting powder to stimulate root growth, and don't worry if cuttings take their time to show spring growth.
7. Deciduous Viburnum
The viburnum family includes so many garden-worthy deciduous shrubs such as snowball bush (Viburnum opulus) and the Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) that are straightforward to propagate from hardwood cuttings. Viburnum go into deep winter dormancy however, so also need a boost to root. Score by removing an inch-long strip of bark from the base (one side is plenty) and dip into rooting powder to trigger the stem into action.
Extra Little Helpers
Clean cuts made with sharp pruner blades significantly increase your chances of success as crushing stems with blunt pruners damages the plant tissue and creates jagged surfaces where fungal spores can settle.
Wipe isopropyl alcohol over pruner blades to disinfect before cutting stems or scoring, to make sure you’re not transferring any fungal spores or bacteria that might cause rotting rather than rooting.
Winter stems can look identical so be sure to label those sticks clearly so you know what your plants are in spring. These hook-ring tags are useful if you’re rooting cuttings of different varieties in one big pot.
You see, you really are growing free plants by sticking stems into soil, so add this to your list of November gardening jobs. You can put a heap of cuttings into the same pot to propagate plenty of plants without spending a fortune on compost, too. Looking after hardwood cuttings takes minimal time over winter, and it’s so satisfying to spot bare stems bursting into leaf in spring. And just wait till you discover how much more you love a favorite plant when you’ve propagated it yourself!
If you want to propagate plants that are growing outside of your garden, do be aware of the legalities of taking plant cuttings from public spaces and get permission from the landowner.
