Updated at: 21-06-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

You’ll be pleased to know that propagating dogwood trees (Cornus florida) is as simple as it is economical. Our assurance is that planting a big number of dogwood trees in your own backyard and giving some away to your friends will be a breeze. You probably can’t wait for your dogwood trees to blossom in the springtime with their beautiful pink and white flowers.

3 Ways to Propagate Dogwood Trees

Dogwood trees, which are classified as deciduous because they lose their leaves each year, can reach heights of 30 feet and a spread of 35 feet in zones 5 to 9. Seeds, cuttings, and layering are all viable methods of propagation.

Propagating Rooted Cuttings of Dogwoods, Rose of Sharon, Weigela, Climbing hydrangea, and Spirea - YouTube

Method #1: Cuttings

Cuttings from either softwood or hardwood trees can be used to propagate dogwood trees. The best cuts, according to the pros, are 3-inch terminal shoot tips with two pairs of leaves. When you take cuttings from your dogwood trees at the appropriate time of year, they will root better than with any other method.

In case you were wondering, the best season to chop softwood is in the summer. While you’re at it, pick softwood cuttings from bendable branches that can snap.

On the other hand, winter is the ideal time to harvest hardwoods. Take these cuttings only from branches that have lost their pliability due to drying out and hardening.

Not all your dogwood cuttings are going to flourish. Because of this, expert gardeners recommend planting multiple cuttings rather than a few.

Before burying the cut ends in the rooting medium, soak them in rooting hormone. Before they take root, keep your cuttings wet and out of direct sunlight. A semi-professional greenhouse is a good place to nurture your new plants for the first four to eight weeks, but it’s always a good idea to wait until spring to plant them outside.

Method #2: Layering

The layering strategy gives you a better chance of success than using cuttings. To do this, you’ll need to bend a flexible branch so that a section of it touches the ground. It’s notched and treated with rooting hormone before it’s buried in the soil.

As soon as the buried branch begins to grow roots, the branch’s leafy end should rise above the ground and become the top of the new dogwood tree. With dormant wood in the spring or grown wood in the fall, the layering method is best used Keep the soil surrounding the buried branch moist and soft until the roots begin to form after a few months of watering. You can remove the rooted pieces from the parent plants in early autumn or the following spring before replanting them in a new site.

Method #3. Seeds

Despite the fact that most dogwood hybrid seeds are sterile, they can easily be found at gardening stores. However, you can also collect seeds from non-hybrid dogwood trees that are naturally occurring.

Keep in mind that dogwood trees require a substantial amount of time before they begin to germinate during the stratification period. Seeds should be planted outdoors in September or October for spring germination in March or April.

When you sow dogwood seeds, you need to keep them in a controlled atmosphere for several months to protect them from the sun and the wind. When they are robust enough, you can remove them from their protective home and plant them outside.

Dogwood Tree Rooted Cuttings Update - YouTube

Seeds planted in containers should be buried in a wet growth medium and kept at 35 to 41 °F for the stratification period of roughly 120 days. The next step is to break the seeds’ dormancy and stimulate germination by warming them to a temperature of 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

What are the Things that You Need to Consider When Propagating Dogwood Trees?

Starting dogwood trees can take a long time, regardless of how you propagate them. Most farmers have to wait several months before they see a viable plant after using the layering technique. Furthermore, if you start from seeds, the germination process can take up to a year to complete.

Even if you have a neighbor who has a dogwood hybrid, experts advise against collecting the seeds unless you are prepared to plant anything other than the parent tree. Flower output and disease resistance are among the characteristics that gardeners want to replicate and enhance in their hybrids.

Propagate Your Dogwood Trees in a Semi Pro Greenhouse!

A semi-professional greenhouse is the finest place for you to grow your dogwood trees. You can control the temperature and moisture levels in the enclosed area in addition to protecting your delicate dogwood plants from harsh weather conditions, destructive bugs, as well as harmful animals. Experience the fantastic advantages of a semi-pro greenhouse for yourself.

Dogwood stem cuttings can be used to propagate a variety of plants, but timing is crucial. Trees should be chopped down as soon as they finish blooming in the spring. If the stem snaps when you bend it in half, it’s ready to be cut. Cut a little more than you think you’ll need.

The length of the cuts should be between 8 and 13 centimeters. Just underneath a set of leaves, make a little cut. A plastic basin loaded with damp paper towels and another damp towel should be used to store your cuttings as you take them. Starting dogwoods from cuttings is a simple process that follows these steps: Remove the stem’s lowermost leaves.

Rooting hormone can enter through these incisions, promoting root development. The remaining leaves should be halved if they reach the earth when the stem is buried 1.5″ (4 cm) deep. Shorter leaf surfaces allow less water to evaporate, preventing rot. Rooting medium should be poured into an 8-cm (3-inch) pot.

A commercial medium or a blend of sand and perlite can be used for this purpose. Don’t use standard potting soil, which retains too much moisture and causes the stem to decay before it can begin rooting out. Using water, moisten the rooting media. Remove any surplus rooting hormone by rubbing or dipping the stem’s bottom 1.5 inches (4 cm) in the solution. After inserting about 1.5 inches (4 cm.) of the stem into a rooting medium, firmly press down on the soil to keep the stems upright.

Wet the cutting area before you begin. Create a tiny greenhouse by putting the potted cutting in a large plastic bag and sealing it. It’s important to keep the leaves away from the bag’s edges. Place clean wooden sticks around the pot’s edge to keep the bag from touching the plant, if required. Once a week, check the dogwood cutting for roots.

Amazing Fast Hardwood Cutting Rooting Trick | Rooting Red and Yellow Twig Dogwood Cuttings - YouTube

You can gently tug on the stem or check the pot’s bottom for signs of roots emerging. The stem will withstand a tug if it has roots. Within six weeks, you should notice that the cutting has sprouted roots. The new plant should be placed in a window that receives a lot of sunlight when the plastic bag is removed. Make sure the soil is always moist when working with plants or animals.

Until the plant is flourishing, use half-strength liquid fertilizer every two weeks. Repot the dogwood cutting into a larger pot filled with ordinary potting soil after it has outgrown its small container.

Final Thoughts on How to Propagate Dogwood Trees

Dogwood trees can be grown in a semi-professional greenhouse now that you have learned how to propagate them. Try out greenhouse gardening today.