Question
Hi, Tom,

I took cuttings about 6 inches long from several lilac trees in July. Some I dipped in rooting hormone and placed in a 50-50 perlite and potting soil mix. The rest I stuck in water. I covered the potted ones with clear plastic.

All of the cuttings eventually dropped their leaves, but there was still green visible on the stems and buds. A couple of the potted cuttings sprouted tiny green leaves, but after a couple of weeks the leaves turned brown around the edges and eventually wilted. The cuttings in water developed yucky fungal stuff, but a couple of them still had some green and I tried potting these as well.

I gently pulled a cutting with a green leaf that is just starting to turn brown, and it doesn't seem to have any roots. Was it root rot? I didn't water them much ?just enough to keep the soil moist.

So I'm losing hope for this round, but if you can tell me what might have gone wrong and how to correct it, I may try again. Thanks so much!

Anna

Answer
Hi Anna,
Thanx for your question.  When making cuttings, you must remove all but the last two leaves.  Make your cuttings at a leaf axil (where a leaf joins the stem).  Don't make cuttings from blooming ends.  Blooms suck a lot of energy out of the plant.  Most shrubs are not easily rooted in a glass of water although pussy willow is an exception.  Sometimes, new green growth (such as the tiny leaves you describe) will appear but most likely those were small buds that were getting ready to leaf out anyway.  The 50/50 perlilte/potting soil mix sounds good but most rooting medium is simply perlite, sand or a soil less mix.  Kept moist but not soggy and warm at the bottom.  Many people use the tops of their refrigerators to maintain bottom heat.  Seal the container inside a clear plastic baggie to help maintain humidity otherwise, you will need to mist several times per day.  Some shrubs root readily by just sticking them in damp soil, like forsythia, others are more finicky and require humidity, bottom heat and regular misting.  That's why I prefer using the methods described above for best results.  Keep your growing zone beneath a 40-watt shop light until new leaf grow appears.  Most rooting will begin to occur within 8 weeks.  Green, flexible twigs root better than hard, older, woody cuttings, in most cases.  It is easier to root cuttings in the spring.  You can root things outodoors by placing them outdoors through the winter and keeping them hydrated.  You can also take low-hanging branches, scrape away the surface until you see yellowish or whitish flesh and bury this in a shallow dent in the ground, cover with soil and place a rock on top to keep the branch from moving (still attached to the mother plant).  If you do this in the spring, you should have a well rooted new plant that you can harvest in 3 months, just cut it away from the main branch, dig it up and replant it somewhere else or you can do this in the autumn and harvest your new plant in the spring.  I hope this helps.
Tom