Did the callicarpa pieces flush new stem growth and make overwintering buds before shutting down for the winter?

"why do plant grown from cuttings almost never survive their first winter?" If that has been your experience you must be doing something wrong. Newly rooted cuttings have tender, succulent roots and should be held just above freezing their first winter. Are you allowing your newly rooted cuttings to freeze?

Here's my perspective about Callicarpa dichotoma. If you can propagate and grow dandelions & Canadian thistle, you can grow callicarpa. Pictured below is the panda enclosure at the Nat'l Zoo. Notice your callicarpa in the first pic which is among thousands that are a "gift" from the birds. They come up in fencerows & roadside ditches. It's a dominant weed in the Anacostia watershed. Having problems with this one put you squarely in brown thumb territory.

Embothrium, I dont believe so and now I remember I left them in their plastic totes well after they have rooted until September, which is when I planted it. I'm thinking they didn't have enought time to acclimate? They also did wilt the first 24 hours the first time I took them out of their totes to outside.

A recurring basic issue with cuttings of deciduous trees and shrubs is that if these don't flush a growth that makes winter stem buds the same year as when rooted they have no way to start growing again the following spring. With it not mattering how good of a root system they made that first year - no overwintering stem buds = no continuation the next year.

Therefore when attempting softwood cuttings of plants in this category it is desirable to take them as early in the growing season for each kind as can be done without the cuttings collapsing in the process. So that there is the longest possible time for these to be able to root, flush a growth, and set winter buds on that growth before that first fall.

Sam, well I planted them in the ground so they definitely froze. But I was told it was ok to plant first year cuttings in the ground with the root system I had.

Embo, I took cuttings in June, the earliest possibly time I can take cuttings because need to wait for wood to harden off, yet still no survival.. I will try again this year. Actually, if the roots and the bottom of the stem is still green does that mean it’s still alive? That’s what they look like now.

Looks like some new growth is coming from the base next to the old wood. Why so late and is it likely to survive emerging so late?

Di you mean survive the heat or in general? in your zone i would think it would keep growing untl December at least. the ground doent freeze solid untl january does it?

Well like in general. Last year in spring I had my leucosceptrum cutting come back so late in the season but just withered off. So I don’t know if its going to do something similar. I just have a feeling plants that start growing so late now won’t make it. Maybe the heat does have something to do with it, with the growth being so small and delicate yet.

Hey so I took some more cuttings of callicarpa in June and they’ve taken off pretty good, with nice root system and good flush of growth with new flowers. Question I want to ask is can I allow them to flower or is it better to pinch it off? Usually I would pinch off for new pot ups or new plantings but I haven’t repotted these callicarpas and the flowers are forming on new growth so not sure if that would make the situation different.

Oh by the way, the callicarpa cutting picture in the beginning of the thread is taking off like crazy!