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How to Start Hydrangeas From Cutting

By: Bridget Kelly

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21 September, 2017

hydrangea image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com

Gardeners understand the value of learning how to propagate plants. When you find a particular plant you enjoy, you can always create another one. Propagating hydrangea is not difficult, as they root quickly with minimal care. The trick to being successful in hydrangea propagation is to choose the right branch to cut. It should be healthy and pest free and cut in May or June.

Snip a 6- to 8-inch piece of old growth (one that had no flowers this year) from the hydrangea. Take the cutting at a 45-degree angle, 1 to 2 inches below a leaf node.

Gardeners understand the value of learning how to propagate plants.
Propagating hydrangea is not difficult, as they root quickly with minimal care.

Pour equal parts of peat moss and sand into a container with drainage holes. Water the medium, stirring to ensure it is mixed and is uniformly moist. Allow the soil to drain completely. Pour it into the planting pot, to within a quarter inch of the rim. Use a pencil to create a planting hole for the hydrangea cutting.

Cut the hydrangea stem to 5 inches long. It should have at least two nodes (where the leaves joined the stem). To remember which end is the top, cut the bottom at an angle and cut the top straight across. With the exception of two leaves at the top of the cutting, remove all leaves.

Pour equal parts of peat moss and sand into a container with drainage holes.
Use a pencil to create a planting hole for the hydrangea cutting.

Pour the root hormone into a small dish and dip the bottom end of the stem into it.

Poke the hydrangea stem, hormone tip down, into the prepared planting pot, burying it until just the top leaves are above the soil. Pack the soil around the base of the cutting.

Spray the hydrangea cutting with water from a misting bottle. Mist it several times a day for the first week. Mist the soil if it appears to be drying.

Place the potted hydrangea cutting in an area with a lot of light, but not direct sunlight.

Pour the root hormone into a small dish and dip the bottom end of the stem into it.
Place the potted hydrangea cutting in an area with a lot of light, but not direct sunlight.

Allow the soil to dry out to within an inch of the top after the first week, then water it until the water drains from the bottom of the pot. The cutting should root within four weeks.