you have to do.. what you have to do.. when you can do it ...

if you hadnt done it already ... i would have suggested that you pot it ... put in in full shade.. and grow a good root mass for fall planting ... its just easier to baby it in a pot .. and though a full sun plant... letting it settle down for a few months.. before you plant it permanently ...

so far so good ... you did well on that part ...

i woud have told you that its stressed.. and that it should not be fert'd for a mnoth or tow... while it settles down ... so this is where you went off my script ... and i presume this is what you are second thinking ...

i tried searching the term.. and found a pediatrician .. lol ... can you link us to what this stuff is...

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffcm&q=Watch+Us+Grow&ia=web

these should be all that foo foo .... but you need to give it some significant time.. to settle down ... it might not look good for a month or so ...

any chance at a pic or two??

ken

ps: oh.. propagation ... is usually a winter thing.. so timing might be off ... and the only way to answer your question.. is that you would take a dozen cuttings.. and stick them in a pot.. and in due time.. you will find out which show signs of life.. and which are dead ... you just play the odds ...

it looks like softwood cutting can be rooted... so its not just a winter thing:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Mock+Orange+propagation&t=ffcm&iax=videos&ia=videos

Sounds like you have done all you can. I would keep in dappled shade while it is growing roots. Make sure your pot has good drainage, keep watered, and I wouldn't fertilize. It will concentrate on growing roots for now.

Yes, post a picture. We all love pictures and you will be able to keep up with the progress.

You can see the brave little green leaf on the right! Actually, the bud below it is now beginning to open too - I swear it wasnt a few hrs ago. It's in shade, but its bright shade.

On the left, you can see where the big main branch was (about an inch in diameter). I cut off about 3 ft of that branch cos it just was too big and didnt seem to have much life in it. That main branch is now at a 45 degree angle, but it was growing out pretty much horizontal to the ground. In fact - at that spot where I cut it off (and where the other two thinner branches branch off) there seem to be some roots beginning to grow. I was thinking making a collar around the branch and filling it up with soil (so the roots can continue growing and thaen at some point cut it off and have two plants? I dont know if I want to divide it now - doesnt it still get some nourishment from the big roots below until it has its own roots?

Its bigger than it looks in the pic . The pot is quite large - 20 gals.. The roots including part of the big main root fit right in there without much of any room to spare. The branches that are left are about 24 inches tall.

If you want to propagate it later take cuttings and root them, leave the original acquisition intact. Meanwhile at this time new roots will appear in response to the stem buds opening, but the annual peak of existing root elongation won't come until next year's set of stem buds is formed this fall. This is because the root activity schedule of cold climate adapted woody plants is regulated by hormones produced by stem buds.

And yes the more live root and top is present in a transplant the more it can grow away afterward, because the new growth is fueled by energy stored in the existing roots and top. With arbitrary top pruning at planting time having a temporary dwarfing effect on new plantings.

Watch Us Grow - I guess its a Wisconsin thing. Ive always put some in the hole when Im planting and it seems to help but---- who knows! The label says "prevents shock and stimulates root development"

I didnt have much on hand, so only gave it about half of what I would otherwise. So - maybe that's a good thing if the fertilizer is too stimulating.

https://allpurposeplantfood.com/#

it seems to help but---- who knows!

Yes, actually without testing the procedure you don't know. Testing as in taking say 20 or more identical shrubs, giving them all the same planting site and other conditions except for giving half the Watch Us Grow treatment and half not, weighing them all a year later to see which, if any of the two sets grew more.

The Myth of Vitamin Stimulants

https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/vitamin-b1.pdf

The product I used has "proprietary" ingredient - so Im not really sure whats in it. Could be just plain old snake oil.

Sounds like something with auxins ie rooting hormone might be beneficial, though, but since its already potted is there anything that could be added retroactively?

Of course we had high winds and below freezing temps last night and continuing into the day- I put the plant under a tent this a.m. to keep the wind off it and put some christmas lights under the tent for the low temps (mid 20s) that will continue the next 3 nights.

Not before noticing though that the little green leaf has slight yellow tinge from its ordeal last night- bummer! Im sorry Im just hovering over that thing like an anxious neurotic parent. Trying to remind myself it survived a hundred years in WI weather!

PS - Can anything grow from a severed root? There is a section about a 1/2 inch thick and foot long I cut off so I could fit the plant and all the roots into the pot . There is no portion of the crown or any upper growth - will anything grow from it if I put it into the ground?

I'm happy to report that the little leaf seems to be turning into a little branch with multiple leaves, and some other buds below are just starting to open up as well as one on another branch.

Do I assume that if there are leaves opening up there is root growth also happening below?

Ive been giving it some limited amts of sun and continuing to protect it from strong winds. Havent had to worry about heat - temps in 40s-50s, a few days of 60s. At what point should I put it out into direct sun or should I expect to baby it through the summer?

When would you expect more shoots to come up from the roots? Im trying not to be impatient - I am actually enjoying watching its slow progress.... but still.... just cant wait to smell that divine mock orange fragrance again!

This old thread! In case anyone's interested...... Uh, nobody? OK well Ill tell you anyway.

The things this poor transplant went through First there was the week of freaky low temps with high wind (wind chill below zero). Then there was attack by some flying insects which pretty much devoured all the leaves, then there was my trying to spray something on the remaining plant to get rid of the insects, but the treatment ended up killing severa of the tender shoots that were left.

Then there was days of heavy rains which oversaturated the over-large pot and I thought it had good drainage only to look closer and see that the pot really wasnt well drained at all. Should have repotted but didnt. I did move it to higher, dryer ground but that wasnt enough. Remaining leaves turned yellow and fell off The few remaining buds eventually died.

Since then I repotted into a smaller pot and saw that there were in fact some white roots below that had started to grow. Ive just left it sitting there all summer . Is it at all possible that new shoots might come up from those roots?

A few wks ago there was one pair of leaves starting to come up from below which looked just like the opening buds that had appeared earlier this spring - same shape and color - and I was all excited only to find the next morning that some animal or something had bit off the leaves!!! This poor plant just cant catch a break.

So then - yesterday I see there are two more little green leaves same shape and color coming up from below. Either its regrowing from roots. Or its just a weed! We shall see.... I have a row cover over it to protect against whatever that was that ate the other shoot.

You certainly deserve an award for tending this baby! I hope you have a toddler by fall and a teenager by spring!