rooting crabapples from a branch - Ask Extension
Last summer I trimmed my Prairiefire flowering crab and put several branches in a bucket of water, hoping they would root eventually. The bucket had ...
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rooting crabapples from a branch #868796
Asked May 16, 2024, 7:03 PM EDT
Last summer I trimmed my Prairiefire flowering crab and put several branches in a bucket of water, hoping they would root eventually. The bucket had a lid with several small holes drilled in it; the water never evaporated, and rain refilled it as necessary. I forgot to bring them in last winter--I'm sure the water froze solid--but to my surprise, this spring they have leafed out! But when I looked in the bucket, there were no roots whatsoever.
Is there any hope of planting these shoots? Can I do anything more to encourage root growth? It seems a pity, with branches so tenacious of life, not to give them a chance at becoming a tree.
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
These are hardwood cuttings. They are acting as if they are coming out of dormancy and as if they are still attached to the tree. Without roots they will die because they are getting water but no nutrients. You could try rooting them by taking off most of the leaves, cutting higher up, using a rooting compound and putting them in vermiculite or other loose soil mixed with vermiculite or perlite. The chances are pretty low that they will survive.
Softwood cuttings this spring would have a better chance. Spring plant hormones may help it root.
See: https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/propagation-deciduous-trees-and-shrubs-softwood-cuttings
Softwood cuttings this spring would have a better chance. Spring plant hormones may help it root.
See: https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/propagation-deciduous-trees-and-shrubs-softwood-cuttings
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