My Attempt at Propagating Blueberries from Cuttings
Wouldn’t it be great to multiply your plants whenever you want? Propagating blueberries from cuttings feels like a huge milestone in the world of gardening. I’ve tried it a few different times and wanted to share my progress and notes on learning how to propagate blueberries from cuttings.
Trying to propagate blueberry bushes is a continuous effort for me. At the time of this writing, I haven’t nailed down the perfect process yet.
In fact, I am onto my second attempt – wish me luck!
A few years ago, I happened upon some powder blue blueberry cuttings and I was really optimistic about it. The sender told me she’d had a 75% success rate in rooting the cuttings!
If her math lines up with my novice attempts at propagation, I thought I could be looking at three or four of my five blueberry cuttings actually rooting!
(Spoiler alert: This batch did not work out as I had hoped. I am still including the details below for those who are interested.)
Starting blueberries from cuttings will be an enjoyable hobby for me once I can dig in and get it right. I think my kids will enjoy the results even more!
When to Take Blueberry Cuttings?
Knowing when to take cuttings can help your success rate. Plan to take hardwood blueberry bush cuttings in winter while plants are dormant. You can also take cuttings from softwood blueberry bushes in the early spring or whenever you notice the new growth.
When taking cuttings from blueberry bushes, the process may vary based on the type of cutting you take.
For softwood cuttings, clip off four or five-inch of the new year’s growth.
For hardwood cuttings, take six-inch pieces from your blueberry bushes in the winter when the plants are dormant.
This timing helps to avoid stressing the plant or the cuttings.
Tips on How to Take Blueberry Cuttings
Learning how to take a blueberry cutting is not hard!
Try these simple tips to get the best chance of success:
- Choose healthy, disease-free branches whenever you take cuttings.
- Check the tips of the plant to make sure you’re clipping a live cutting.
- Clip the cutting on a 45-degree angle just below one of the leaf nodes.
- For hardwood blueberry cuttings:
- Wait until late winter when the blueberry plants are dormant.
- Cut from last year’s new growth.
- Take six-inch cuttings that are about as thick as a pencil.
- Cut with a 45-degree angle.
- Wait until late winter when the blueberry plants are dormant.
- For softwood blueberry cuttings:
- Take cuttings in the early spring or summer.
- Cut from the current year’s growth.
- Cut four to five-inch cuttings from the soft wood.
- Take cuttings in the early spring or summer.
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Rooting Blueberry Cuttings: Steps
Growing blueberries from cuttings is a longstanding dream of mine. I received blueberry cuttings from another gardener in hopes of creating some new blueberry bushes.
These are the exact steps I used to try rooting power blue blueberry cuttings.
- Remove all the leaves except for the last two or three on the tip.
- Prepare a small pot or plastic bottle with damp peat moss mixed with Perlite. (I’ve heard you can also use soil mix.)
- Dip the bottom inch of the cutting into rooting hormone like Clonex or Take Root. (I use Clonex.)
- Stick the cutting securely into the peat, making sure it’s packed in pretty well.
- Add a clear plastic bag on top of the pot. Inflate it with your breath to add humidity. (I use open top “bread bags” available from your favorite grocery or big box stores.)
- Check the moisture occasionally. Avoid letting the cuttings dry out but also resist the urge to love on them.
- Keep the cuttings moist and warm.
- You should notice growth in two to five weeks. It may take three to four months until the root system is robust and ready for a bigger pot or your permanent planting location.
Note: Rooting hormone may not be required for blueberry propagation, but I like to up my odds with cuttings since I’m seeing success when rooting roses from cuttings.
Unfortunately, while the green leaves looked promising, these cuttings did not result in new plants. 🙁
TIPS: Starting Blueberry Bushes from Cuttings
Starting plants from cuttings can be so exciting and rewarding! My first time trying to propagate blueberry (powder blue) bushes did not work out but I am excited to be trying all over again with some new stem cuttings.
Here are a few tips to try when starting blueberry bushes from cuttings.
DO attempt it! It’s fun and educational! It can also increase your pick-your-own backyard options rather economically.
DO check for healthy, green stems! The healthier your cuttings, the better chances you have of successful rooting!
DON’T get discouraged. If it doesn’t work right away, there’s always next time. Try several different methods and see what works best.
DO trust in wetting the medium. I initially worried it would get too wet and my cuttings would mold. Things worked pretty well until no roots grew. 🙁
DON’T pull the sticks out to check for roots. Although, I am a total hypocrite here – who can resist?! (sigh) Do as I say, not as I do…
Finally, when it’s time to transplant blueberries outdoors, do so with care to reduce chances of transplant shock. You can follow the tips in my blog post for transplanting blueberry shoots as well as plants from pots.
Propagating Blueberry Bushes
Propagating blueberry bushes from cuttings has been a very fun gardening experiment for us so far. However, you can also propagate blueberries from suckers and sometimes from seeds.
Another blueberry propagation technique I plan to try is Air Layering. Air layering involves wrapping moist potting medium around the stems of the plants you hope to propagate.
I already have air layering kits and look forward to trying to air layer blueberries this season.
Propagating Blueberries from Suckers
With blueberry suckers, you should be able to dig up a little stem that’s wandered far from the parent plant. Make sure the roots are intact and give this baby its own space to grow!
Propagating Blueberries from Seeds
I’ve never successfully grown blueberries from seed, but I hear it’s possible.
I’ve read you should separate the tiny seeds from the fruit in a food processor with some water.
Once I start, I’ll likely keep trying until I’m successful, but it sounds a lot quicker to just grow them from cuttings.
Progress of My Powder Blue Blueberry Cuttings
Here is the timeline of my attempt at rooting Powder Blue Blueberry cuttings here in Pennsylvania.
- Friday, March 5 – Received cuttings in the mail. Sender previously informed me they’d been returned to her and probably ended up a week delayed in getting to me.
- Monday, March 22 – Saw a peek of green on a tiny node on the woodiest, thickest powder blue blueberry cutting!
- Monday, March 29 – Found multiple tiny blueberry leaves unfurled from that tiny node. A new tiny green node also appeared on the upper part of the same cutting.
09.29.2021 – Update: Most of the cuttings seemed dead on arrival so I am thinking the ones she sent me were the parts she may have needed to prune away for her plant’s future growth. Only one of the cuttings, pictured above, showed signs of growth.
The green foliage pictured above grew for a couple of weeks and then died back. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the green leaves grew, but no roots formed beneath the soil.
Better luck next time! I will definitely be trying this again with my own blueberry bushes!
2023 Update – Unfortunately, none of these blueberry stems ended up rooting. In the meantime, I’ve taken a few cuttings from my potted blueberry bush and tried rooting them in water. No roots yet, but I may move them to soil soon actually.
* I will continue to update this post with progress on my plan of learning how to propagate blueberries.
By the way, if you love growing from cuttings, you might want to try my other post on Fig Cuttings!
FAQ – How to Propagate Blueberry Bushes
Some blueberry softwood cuttings root readily in water. However, many gardening experts recommend planting blueberry cuttings in soil or damp peat moss as opposed to rooting blueberry cuttings in water.
Hardwood cuttings from blueberry plants tend to root best in soil or peat mix.
Despite this advice, I decided to try growing blueberry cuttings in water as an experiment to see if we have any luck. We had awesome luck with our butterfly bush rooting in water!
I will update this post with our progress. So far as of April 9, 2023, we have leaf growth but no roots emerging just yet.
Like other woody perennials, it can take some time for blueberry bush cuttings to form roots. In fact, it may take as long as 3 to 4 months for a blueberry cutting to grow roots!
Propagating blueberries most often involves taking a cutting, or cut length of stem, from an existing blueberry bush and encouraging it to root in soil. You may also try rooting in water although soil propagation seems to be a more successful method.
Some gardeners also attempt to propagate blueberries from seed, or in other words, germinating blueberry seeds to grow new plants. Keep in mind that starting blueberries from seed, if successful, will still likely take much longer to produce fruit.
Final Thoughts: How to Propagate Blueberries from Cuttings
I was so excited to receive cuttings from blueberries of the powder blue variety. I’ve heard of these and had hoped so deeply that the cuttings would take. Unfortunately, this first attempt at propagating blueberries did not pan out.
Still, propagating powder blue blueberry plants was an exciting experiment and I am excited to keep trying with other blueberry varieties!
Have you ever tried propagating blueberries from cuttings? How did it work out? I need to know! Please post a comment so we can chat – let’s all share our favorite tips for growing blueberries from cuttings.
By the way, if you love growing your own fruit and DO successfully root blueberry cuttings, you might want to check out my guide to blueberry companion plants. It should be helpful when you plant them outside, particularly if you’re like me and always wish you had more garden space!
04.09.23 – Updated to add more photos, added FAQ section, updated headings, broke apart text, and updated progress. Added Amazon product suggestions to suit the DIY. Republished from April 2, 2021.
05.31.23 – Updated to include link for transplanting blueberries.
Are you going to try again this year? Softwood is probably what you want, but hardwoods from pruning, like you had, can totally work. I don’t think there should be a benefit to the humidity plastic. Leafing out doesn’t really matter for growing roots. I would try again and place the pot in the shade of an existing plant through the summer, keeping it moist.
Thanks for posting your attempt and results! I love reading everyone’s different methods especially when it’s not presented as “the best/only/ideal way”!
Hi Karolyn, Wow, thanks for your amazing comment and encouragement – I love it! Yes, I would love to try propagating blueberry cuttings again and will plan to try your method this summer. Thanks so much for sharing it – I wondered about the softwood cuttings and also thought perhaps the hardwood ones spent too long away from moisture when they had the hiccups with USPS. Oh! My husband also got me an air layering kit for Christmas so I might give that a try as well. Thanks for the great feedback – I hoped tracking my experience and results would be useful or interesting in some way. And I will definitely update the post with my next attempt. Thanks again – lovely to hear from you. Happy Gardening!
Just curious on the bag do you tighten it somehow?
Hi Cynthia, great question! Thanks for your note – yes, I either zip the ziploc baggie as closed as I can around the jar or vase, or I use a rubber band around the neck to hold the bag on for a tighter seal. You can also use masking tape if you prefer, but I find the rubber band is easy for removal for water changes. Best of luck!
I have blueberries in water right now too. I have leaves but no roots. So we’ll see what happens!
That’s Great! Good luck! I am cautiously hopeful but willing to reboot and try again if it doesn’t work out. Fingers crossed for us both!
Have you tried air rooting? You would probably get 99% success. Caveat is you need a mother plant.
Hi Martin, thanks so much for this great suggestion! I have a set of air layering / rooting balls and plan to give that a shot this year for sure. I tried with one branch of a rose bush last fall but it did not work out. I am really hopeful to research successful tricks for the air rooting and give that a shot. Do you have any to share? Thanks again and best wishes!