Yews, thujas, cypresses, junipers… conifers compete in beauty and charm to structure your garden or bring a holiday feel to your balcony. Just lie in the sun near your favourite resinous plant to breathe in the refreshing scent of resin and feel as relaxed as by the seaside! Conifers also have other assets: they offer an impressive palette of shapes and colours. Blue, green, yellow, ball-shaped, parasol or pyramidal, pruned to a point or into clouds… they give free rein to your creativity.
Very easy to maintain, some types of conifers multiply easily through propagation by cuttings, allowing you to obtain exactly the same conifer as the original tree. Discover our tips for successful conifer cuttings and adorn your garden with their elegant habit.
Ball-shaped, pyramidal, cloud-pruned, green or blue, conifers have many appealing features.
Which conifers to propagate by cuttings?
For large conifers like pines and cedars, the sowing technique is preferred over propagation by cuttings. However, propagation by cuttings can be used with firs (preferably dwarf varieties), yews, chamaecyparis, thujas, cryptomerias, cypresses, and junipers.
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera' (Wikipedia photo), Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' and Cryptomeria japonica 'Vilmoriniana' (Denolf photo)
When to take conifer cuttings?
The best time to take conifer cuttings is late summer to early autumn, around August and September.
What equipment will you need?
- A knife
- Plant hormone for cuttings
- Compost or soil
- Sand
- A pot at least 20 cm deep
- A bag, bottle or plastic film
- Wire or hoops if needed
How to take conifer cuttings?
- Take healthy, semi-woody shoots 10-15 cm long, keeping a 1-2 cm piece of bark at the base to create heel cuttings. This will help the cutting establish better in the soil and develop roots more easily. You can remove the shoot by gently pulling it from the trunk or by cutting it with a sharp, disinfected knife.
- Remove the needles or leaves from the lower part of the shoot so that the remaining needles or leaves don't touch the soil.
- Prepare a mix of half turf or compost and half sand and fill a sufficiently large pot with this substrate.
- Water thoroughly so the mix is well moistened.
- Optionally dip the tip of the stem in plant hormone for cuttings.
- Make a hole in the prepared compost and insert the cuttings two-thirds deep, spacing them sufficiently so they don't touch.
- Firm the soil around the cutting.
- Place the pot in a bright spot but out of direct sunlight.
- Cover with a bag or plastic film held by wire or hoops to create a closed cutting environment and maintain a humid atmosphere.
- Water moderately and regularly to keep moist and air occasionally.
- Remove any cuttings that turn brown.
- Once the cuttings have roots, separate them and plant under a cold frame to protect from frost all winter.
- In spring, or even the following autumn depending on the conifer type, you can replant your cuttings in open ground in a mix of compost and sand.
Some slow-growing conifers require more time to grow before being planted in their final position.
Discover our full range of conifers!
Large-scale conifer cuttings
Comments