Evergreen Holly cuttings

Question

Your instructions for getting cuttings from the holly mention 2 cuttings. First, make a cutting just below a union bud, then another cut 3/4 inches above the bud. This puzzles me. I assume the first cut was to remove the cutting from the bush. Does the second cut mean to remove a 3/4 inch piece from the end of the cutting or does it mean a partial cut, rather than a cut completely through the stem – which would remove a section of the stem, just to injure the stem to encourage the rooting?

Answer 1

It means to make a partial cut into the holly piece, 4-6″ above the first cut, partly to mark the butt, or bottom end of the cuttings, and partly to injure it to facilitate the formation of roots. The method described in that article, involving completely burying the cutting in the soil, is but one method of starting cuttings. For another discussion of a number of other approaches, check out this article: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/hil/hil-8702.html