Winter can be bleak for those who love watching plants grow. Short days and cold temperatures mean there isn’t much happening with our green-skinned friends. However, while the plants are dormant in January is the perfect time to start hardwood cuttings and live stakes before they wake up for spring. The difference between hardwood cuttings and live staking is that hardwood cuttings are started in pots while live stakes are stuck directly in the ground where you want the plant to stay. Hardwood cuttings tend to be smaller; they must fit in the pots after all, whereas live stakes tend to be as large as possible while still using vigorous young stalks. In this article we will discuss some basic techniques for success with hardwood cuttings and live staking, and profile a few local native species for which these techniques are most successful.

Basic Principles of Hardwood Cutting

Hardwood cuttings and live stakes are started when the plants are dormant because it takes time for the cells to change from shoot cells to root cells. Until the new roots develop, the cutting/live stake has a very limited ability to acquire water. When the leaves come out and the plant is actively photosynthesizing, the plants will start losing water very quickly. So, we need to give the cuttings some time for the roots to develop before the leaves come out.

Typically, cuttings should be 1-2 cm in diameter and contain at least 2-3 dormant buds. The best stems for hardwood cutting are vigorous 1–2-year-old shoots. We like to start our cuttings in one-gallon pots, so we cut them into 15-20cm lengths. The top cut should be straight across the stem and directly above a dormant bud. We like to make the bottom cut at a diagonal angle to distinguish it from the top. Any small branches should be trimmed off. The cuttings should be stuck into the pots bottom side down, with 2/3 of the cutting pushed into the soil.

Species That Grow Well From Cuttings

Snowberry

This should be one of the most common native shrubs on Mayne Island, except it’s not. Loss of cougars and the resulting increase in blacktail deer population, in addition to the introduction of the invasive fallow deer, has resulted in snowberry being greatly reduced on Mayne Island. However, if you have a fenced site this is a great native shrub, and the most drought tolerant species we grow from hardwood cutting. The species is notoriously difficult to grow from seed. We have found the proportion of successful cuttings has increased with the use of heat mats. Like our other species, we start cuttings at three per one gallon pot. We find with bottom heat we get about 80% success. That might drop to 50-60% without heat.

We keep the cuttings in the group pots until early June, at which time the roots have established and the individual cuttings are just starting to get their roots entangled. At this time, we split them and put them each in their own pot. If you split too early the roots, aren’t developed enough and you end up causing too much stress to the new plant. If you wait too long you end up damaging the roots because they are so entwined with their neighbours. Once in their own pots and with regular watering (and 50% shade cloth) the plants are ready for planting in their final location in October. Often, we keep them in pots until the following spring or fall, depending on our supply, but we try not to keep plants in the pots for more than two growing seasons.

Thimbleberry

This deciduous shrub is one of my favorites. It always reminds me of hiking on the west coast of Vancouver Island where in places it is one of the most common understory shrubs. On Mayne Island thimbleberry has been drastically reduced in abundance due to deer, but I know of at least a few places (mostly behind fences) where it still grows.

The Conservancy has been growing this species for just the past 3-4 years, but has had good success with cuttings. We start them outside, and other than summer watering and 50% shade cloth May – Sept, they are not given any special treatment. Our experience is they take two growing seasons before they’re ready for planting. This shade-tolerant, large-leaved member of the Rubus genus is a great addition to shade or semi-shaded areas of the garden. Like a lot of shade-tolerant species, thimbleberry is relatively slow growing so care should be taken not to overharvest cuttings from one area.

 Salmonberry

Typically, the salmonberry is the first native plant to flower each year, often as early as January. The brilliant purple flowers are a welcome sign that spring is on the way. This species will spread by rhizome, forming thickets once established and creating the perfect habitat and springtime nourishment for ground-nesting songbirds. The berries taste pretty good, if you can find ripe ones the birds haven’t gotten to first. Vigorous 1-2 year old shoots make the best cuttings. At the most productive sites, the one-year-old shoots can be 2cm thick. Make sure to use sharp pruners to avoid splitting the stems when you cut them. Gloves are also recommended.

Live Staking

Live staking is a method for establishing shrubs directly on-site. We have found early January is the best time of year to start plants from live staking. This is an easy and cost-effective method for native plant propagation, but it only works for some species and in the right place. This technique can be applied with success to wetland loving shrubs staked in places with wet soils. There are four native shrubs we recommend for live staking: Pacific willow, Hooker’s willow, red-osier dogwood, and pink spiraea.

Stakes should be about 1 metre in length, and 2-4 centimetres thick. The best stakes are cut from two- to three-year-old vigorous growth. These are often straight shoots growing quickly from low on the plant. For Pacific willow, Hooker’s willow, and red-osier dogwood, you can often find nice stakes of the desired thickness. The stems of pink spiraea, however, only grow about 0.5-1cm thick, so you will have to settle for the thickest ones you can find. Stakes can be cut at a 45⁰ angle at the bottom to help stick them into the ground, and to keep track of which end is the bottom (that’s important). In the case of pink spiraea, push the stakes into the ground as deeply as possible without breaking the thin flexible stems. For the other species, the stakes should be hammered into the soil to half their length or more.

Stakes are not available for sale, and there are no public places when you can harvest them on Mayne Island. If you have a wetland site where you want to try live staking, please contact us and we will do our best to help source some stakes for you. Our hope is that with successful restoration of the many man-made ponds on Mayne Island, we will have a robust supply of stakes for future use. In the meantime, local supply is limited, and we are sourcing from a larger wetland site on North Pender Island.

Check out this event recording (37:00 – 44:00 minute mark) for more information about live staking with the below species.

Pacific Willow

This small tree is by far the easiest native species on Mayne Island to grow from live staking. The key to success is having a wet location. This species thrives in seasonally flooded conditions, so in January when you start live stakes the ground should be flooded. If starting at the edge of a pond, wade into the pond, or drive the stake diagonally and deeply into the ground to that the deep end of the cutting will have access to summer water. The best material for stakes can be found where an established tree has been cut and has sprouted from the cut base, or where a tree has fallen and suckers have come up along the trunk. If starting this species in pots as hardwood cuttings rather than stakes, we recommend keeping them in a water bath to reduce the frequency of watering.

Red-osier Dogwood

For a large shrub that tolerates almost year-round flooding, the red-osier dogwood is remarkably drought tolerant. Prized in the horticulture industry for its red stems, white flowers, and white berries, this species looks good all-year round. Despite tolerating drier sites once established, live staking for this species is usually only successful in wetter locations such as at the edges of ponds.

Pink Spiraea

This species can be started from stakes, seed, or cutting. It loves seasonally flooded soils in full sun but will tolerate drier conditions. Once established, and under ideal conditions, pink spiraea can be aggressive, earning its other common name of hardhack. Late season pink flowers provide food for pollinators.