Evening star., 1954-01-17
By w. H. Younqmon

BY w. n. Iounqm0n
Growing evergreens from cut
tings Is a fascinating experience,
one that many gardeners have
attempted with varying success.
In midwinter when snow and
cold make indoor gardening at
tractive. one can quickly gather
a few cuttings of coniferous
evergreenS without too much risk
Of catching cold.
The coniferous evergreens-
false cypress, juniper. yew and
several other kinds-are started
at this season of the year. Some
times the cuttings taken in
February root better than those
taken in January. but this will
depend upon the season. Cut
tings that are frozen should be
thawed slowly.
Most evergreens root rather
readily from cuttings. the pine
being the principal exception,
although the spruce is consid-
cred rather difficult. Whether
growing from seed is impractic-
able for one reason or another,
the evergreens are grown from
cuttings commercially.
Roofing Mixtures Vory
: The growing of yews (Taxus)
from cuttings by gardeners is
probably more widely practiced
than OF the other evergreens,
probably because they root
rather readily in sand and peat
moss media. To propagate the
upright yew (Taxus cuSpidata
capitata) take cuttings from the
upright or central branches. !,
The false cypress (Chamaecy-
pariS) is one of the more COM
monty grown evergreens in the
Washington area and propagates
readily from cuttings. Use
peatmoss-sand mixture, al
though some studies have shown
a higher rate of roofing for the
moss false cypress (Chamaecy-
paris pisifera plumsoa) in peat
alone. Most of the false cypress
grown in the Washington area
are the tall trees, but there are
q number Of dwarfs which are
worthy of propagation.
Arborvitoe Situations
The arborvitaes root rather
readily from cuttings, but this
will vary somewhat in the diff
ferent roofing media. The globe
arborvitate gave a higher per-
centage in sand alone as does the
yellow-hued variety. The slow
growing variety, Wareana, how
ever. rooted better in peat. In
all cases the peat-sand mixture
was intermediate.
The jumpers are also propa-
gated from cuttings which seem
to root best in sand alone. al
though the Douglas and Spiny
Creek gave the best results in
peat or peat and sand. Even
noting these exceptions the
gardener will probably want to
stick to sand-sharp river sand
for juniper cuttings.
The spruce are noted as being
difficult to propagate from cut
tings. The best results reported
were obtained from late Febru-
ary cuttings grown in sand
under relatively high tempera-
ture and humidity. Not all
propagators have achieved such
success. however. *'
The Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga)
is generally raised from seed and
the dwarf varieties by grating.
The hemlock (Tsuga) is han
died in the same way-seed or
by grating.
The white fir (Abies concolor),
although not especially suited to
this area. may be rooted in peat.
Cuttings taken in February were
reported as giving best results,
The true cedars-Cedrus, which
includes the Deodar, Atlantic,
and Lebanon Mote: the Deodar
Is the one most commonly plant
ed in this area). root readily
from cuttings taken in the late
summer or fall. A sand-peat
mixture is suggested.
How to Toke Cuttings
The cuttings usually taken are
the smaller twigs-from 3 to 6
inches in length-which may be
obtained by tearing" them from
the main stem of the branch.
This usually leaves a small heal"
at the end. Some propagators
think that this is needed for
roofing. but DR.. Creech. superin-
tendent Of the Glen Dale Plant
Introduction Station, advises
that 1t interferes when inserting
the cutting. He removes the heel.
The needles are cut from the
base Of the cutting-those that
would be buried in the media.
The cuttings are usually in
serted at a 45-degree angle, and
spaced an inch or two apart.
They should be inserted to a