| What is the proper way to operate a green house for cuttings of photina (red tips). Temp? Sun exposure for how many hours a day? |
| You won't need a greenhouse to root photinia cuttings. They are some of the easiest plants to root! Take cuttings of new stems (4-5" long), remove the lower leaves and dip the cut end in rooting hormone. Place the cuttings in moistened potting soil in a regular nursery container so there's room for root growth. Set the pots in a protected place outdoors. Shade is best. Check the containers for moisture and water when the top of the potting soil begins to dry out. You will know your cuttings have rooted when you see new top growth. Or, you can propagate your photinia through a process called layering. Simply bend a pliable branch down to ground level, anchor the stem to the ground (leaving the tip of the stem exposed). Cover the stem part that is touching the ground with a mound of soil. The stem will develop roots where it is anchored to the ground. This takes several months but by this fall you should be able to separate the rooted stem from the parent plant and pot it up on its own or plant it somewhere else in your landscape. Best wishes with your photinia! |
