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The boxwood (Buxus) can easily be propagated by cuttings. Important details and step-by-step instructions for bed and pot propagation can be found here.

In a nutshell

  • Propagation by cuttings is the most promising
  • right timing is crucial
  • woody shoots reduce the risk of fungus
  • then optimally care for the cuttings

Best time

Theoretically, a box tree can be propagated from cuttings throughout the entire gardening season/vegetative period. However, the best time is midsummer at the earliest. Ideally, late summer is chosen at the end of August to the beginning of September. Then hobby gardeners benefit from the following advantages:

  • Lignification of new shoots started - reduces risk of fungal infections
  • Sufficiently robust shoots to withstand high stress from rooting and budding
  • in mid/late summer boxwood grows faster - better for growth
  • Protect the bed sufficiently from the first frost

Alternative in the pot

If the best time to propagate cuttings has been missed, box trees can be placed in a pot until October. The advantages remain, but in the event of approaching frost and increasingly cold nights, the cuttings move to frost-free winter quarters. This saves them energy they need for rooting.

Suitable boxwood

A strong, healthy mother plant is required to ensure that the boxwood cuttings grow well, form roots before the first frost and remain robust through the winter months. This is also a prerequisite for the mother plant to survive the shoot loss well and not be weakened.

A suitable box meets the following criteria:

  • dense growth
  • rich leaf green
  • grown tall
  • at least two, better three years old or older
  • pest free
  • healthy with no previous or current medical conditions

Suitable cutting

The ideal cutting looks like this:

  • well developed
  • about ten inches long
  • slight brown discoloration of the bark
  • not completely lignified; otherwise root formation difficult

Instructions for the propagation of cuttings

Cut and prepare

  • Select and separate shoots with several side shoots (cuttings) that are at least two years old
  • Tear off side shoots at the "stem" so that a ring with dividing tissue remains
  • Cut off the bark tongue on the crack (cutting) for a straight cut and better sticking
  • Shorten the tips of the cracked pieces by a third (prevents rapid dehydration and promotes dense crown growth)
  • remove leaves from lower third
  • Place the crackling two to three centimeters in a water container for between twelve and 24 hours
  • Dip interface in seaweed meal or special mineral rooting powder before setting

Notice: Dipping in rooting powder or seaweed meal is not absolutely necessary, but it significantly promotes growth.

Set

In the bed

  • Soil: Mix normal, well-drained, loose garden soil with sand
  • Put the cuttings in the ground up to the first leaves
  • Planting distance: small varieties up to 15 centimeters high six to eight cuttings; over 15 centimeters growth height four to six cuttings
  • Location: sheltered from the wind; sunny to semi-shady; not hot

In the pot

  • Use a pot with a water drainage hole
  • Fill in potting soil or nutrient-poor substrate
  • Insert the cutting up to the first leaves
  • for stability: press the earth lightly
  • pour generously
  • Prick out: as soon as the first shoots/leaves appear
  • plant in nutrient-rich substrate after pricking out

Tip: It is advisable to stretch a translucent, transparent film over the pots to maintain continuous moisture. This is to be opened every second day for the exchange of oxygen and to be removed again after the formation of the first new shoots/leaves.

pour

Moderate soil moisture is required for root formation and establishment. "Watering over" and waterlogging must be avoided at all costs because they provoke mold. The optimal watering time can be found out by means of a thumb test:

  • Thumb easily pushes more than an inch into soil surface: do not water
  • Thumb can be pressed less than two centimeters into the surface of the earth: watering requirement

hibernate

When overwintering the boxwood cuttings, a distinction must be made between bed and pot planting.

In the bed

If the cuttings have been placed in the garden bed in late summer, they will usually have grown into viable young plants by the time frost/winter begins. An insulating layer on the earth's surface protects them from freezing temperatures. Various materials are suitable for this, such as:

  • straw
  • leaves
  • brushwood
  • pine needles
  • bark mulch
  • garden fleece
Bark mulch is a good winter protection for boxwood.

In the pot

The cold gets unfiltered through the walls of the pot and the bottom. If the substrate freezes through, the freshly grown and still sensitive roots can suffer life-threatening damage. For this reason, cuttings in pots should always be relocated to a frost-free winter quarters. This should meet the following requirements:

  • Temperature: between two and five degrees Celsius
  • Light: penumbra
  • no wind or drafts
  • ideal location examples: bright basement; unheated conservatory or greenhouse; Garage or garden shed with windows

follow-up care

If the cuttings have come through the winter healthy, they experience their first spring as an independent, self-propagated plant. The following should be observed:

bedding cuttings

  • Enrich soil with mature compost
  • water regularly without overwatering
  • first cut not before autumn
  • Green manure only from the second year
You should not cut young boxwood straight away.

pot cuttings

  • gradually get used to the outdoors
  • plant in the garden bed at the earliest from mid-May after the ice saints
  • Mix the garden bed with mature compost beforehand
  • Protect from direct and too much sunlight, otherwise there is a risk of burns
  • do not fertilize before the second year after planting
  • ensure even soil moisture
  • can now spend winter in the garden bed

frequently asked Questions

How fast does a cutting grow into a boxwood?

If a cutting meets ideal conditions, it usually grows between ten and fifteen centimeters per year. Large varieties can also achieve a growth rate of up to 20 centimeters per year.

Does pruning speed up the growth of boxwood cuttings?

In principle, box trees should not be cut more often than once every four weeks. Accelerated growth cannot be achieved if this “rule” is observed. However, nitrogen fertilizers can promote growth. But you should not practice this, because rapid growth always means a higher susceptibility to diseases and pests for a Buxus. In addition, it weakens the young plants in particular, which in the worst case scenario will not survive the next winter unscathed.

When should the cold protection for cuttings be placed in the bed at the latest?

You should wear protection against the cold at the latest when the weather forecast announces frost for the next few days. It is better to be on the safe side beforehand, because frost can also come as a surprise. Until mid-October is a recommended time.

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Garden plants