Do you have a favorite shrub that you wish you could clone?  Does the cost of buying a new one stop you from having more of what you love?  Then, "making" your own is for you.  Many deciduous shrubs can be propagated by a technique using softwood cuttings, and now is a good time to try your hand at it.  Most will root quickly and grow into a reasonably-sized plant in a short period of time.

Softwood cuttings are those taken from a shrub's stem that is not brand new, but not fully mature either.  I know this sounds tricky, but if you can learn to distinguish between the new, green growth at the end of a stem and the older, more woody growth at the base of a stem, you will be able to recognize the softwood that is the portion between these two areas.  Take a stem in your hand and bend it; if it breaks with a sharp, snapping sound, it is softwood and ready to be used as a cutting.  If, however, it doesn't break with bending, it is too green to be used yet.  In addition, if the stem is entering its woody stage (when it will have a harder time putting out roots), it won't bend at all.

Take your cuttings early in the day when it is cooler, and avoid using weak, thin shoots as well as those that are overly thick.  As soon as you take a cutting, place it in a plastic basin and cover with damp paper towels; these will keep your cuttings moist, cool and shaded from the sun until you can get them planted in a pot.  Try to take your cuttings with at least two sets of leaves and measuring between 3" and 5" long.  To prepare your cuttings for planting, remove the lower set of leaves to open up wounds on the shoot; this is where rooting will occur.  Dip the end of the stem into water, then into rooting hormone powder to coat the stem.  Make a hole in your potting mix with a pencil or straw  and insert the stem into the moistened mix.  I use a mixture of approximately 60% perlite and 40% soil-less potting mix which provides good drainage; if you use a mix that holds too much moisture, your cuttings will most likely rot before they can root.  Once your cuttings are in the soil, trim the remaining leaves in half to decrease transpiration loss, place small stakes (popsicle sticks are perfect) in the corners of your pot (4" containers work well) or seedling tray, water your containers from the bottom and then place your container in a plastic bag.  This will create the humid condition necessary for rooting to occur.  Place your potted cuttings in a sheltered part of your garden away from direct sunlight and keep the cuttings moist until roots develop.

After approximately six weeks, a healthy network of roots should develop on your cuttings, but remember that probably not all will survive; my rate of success if generally around 70% or so.  Once your cuttings have rooted well, you can then pot them up in larger containers (quart-sized ones work best) filled with 80% potting mix (not garden soil) and 20% perlite, water well with a weak fertilizer solution, then place in a sunny spot in your garden.  In the fall, you can move the containers into a more sheltered area until the next spring when they can be transplanted right into the garden or, if they are large enough, plant them this fall.

Some shrubs are easier to propagate from softwood cuttings than others, but I have had good success with blue mist shrub, butterfly bush, crape myrtle, flowering quince, forsythia, hydrangea, lilac, spirea, some of the viburnums and weigela.  "Making" new shrubs using this technique is fun, relatively easy once you get the hang of it and cost-effective.

The Master Gardeners are not offering a public education class tomorrow or next Saturday because of preparations for participating in the county fair (come visit us in the Floriculture Building during the fair), but our office is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon, for you to call in with questions on home gardening topics or visit in person.  We're located at 311 Fair Lane in Placerville and our telephone is 621-5512.