I truly appreciate all the tips and information you have shared. I live in northwest Florida and enjoy taking cutting all year . Especially flowering shrubs and trees.
I'm so excited! Tried this and now have rooted popcorn viburnums, Japanese maples, rosemary and a dogwood. When should I fertilize them? Still in tote, this was done over winter.
That is so excellent. What is great about hardwood cuttings is they should be rooted by Spring. Then you have time to get the plants settled into pots before the next winter. They can get established and far more likely to survive. A tip, as you get ready to pot up the cuttings, open the lids a little for at least a week. The totes stay very humid inside, it’s a shock for some plants to abruptly leave that environment. Open about 25% the first week and then 50%. Be careful about rain as there are no drainage holes in the totes. You could end up with your plants sitting in a lot of very wet soil.
From home, I sell 100 blueberry plants per month. I sold 300 in December, Toledo, Ohio. For $391, I buy 100 one-liter blueberry shrubs from Hartmann in Michigan. Sell for $10 each. Buy two varieties that flower at the same time, for cross-pollination. Profit 650 per month. No overhead, because they are already potted. $$$$$
Will be starting some hardwood cuttings soon inside. I still can’t get over the fact that your totes are outside all this time. I’m in (now) Zone 6 NE PA and wondering if I can pot them out and leave them outside to develop roots. Also should they have a southern exposure? Thanks for all you share. I also like to follow Fraser Valley rose farm for propagation advice. Like to share my rooted cuttings with family and friends.
You bring up a good point. If we started the cuttings inside they would start putting roots out almost right away. The woody plants do fine callousing over in the cold but won't put roots out until it warms up. If you are doing an amount that you can keep inside you should be further along by spring. But I would not take something actively growing inside with tender new roots and move it outside. That might be a big shock. So keep them inside until it warms up. We do everything outside in the totes as we don't have enough room inside to hold hundreds of cuttings. We should try a couple of totes inside and see if it speeds things up and the plants are already rooted by the Spring. Yes, we watch every video Jason puts out and really respect his knowledge, not to mention also a great guy. RUclips is such a great place to learn and share ideas! Thanks for the comments and for watching! Much more to come!
Yes, absolutely! You can root hardwood and softwood cuttings of Silky Dogwood in totes. They tend to root pretty well. Hope it works for you and thanks for watching 🌲🌲🌲
Thank you for watching! We are right at the edge of zone 6A/6B. Will absolutely work in the Chicago area as long as the plants you are propagating are hardy for your zone. The totes address some major issues. They are a perfect wind break and it is the cold, dry wind that can kill off cuttings and plants with beginning root systems. The air holes in the side allow for a little airflow to help with fungus and bacteria growth. Because mostly sealed, the air and roots are kept consistently moist. Once you see some strong root growth it’s ok to feed a little but only with slow release fertilizer. When roots are well formed by spring you can start transplanting. We do recommend opening the tops 10-20% then about 50% so the plants can acclimate to less humidity. We will do a video this spring to follow up on all the cuttings currently in the totes. Many are now well rooted however some are just starting. Thanks 🌲🌲🌲
Thanks for the question. We purchased so that are 24" x 16" x 13 7/8” high. These hold about 100-125 cuttings and are $9.00 at Walmart or Amazon. We also use a larger size that is 32-1/8"L x 19-1/8"W x 13-3/4"high. The brand is Sterilite but you can use any brand. We suggest a clear top or white. A dark color top is going to collect sun rays and potentially cook your plants. Keep these in a well shaded area. The lid should completely cover the tote so rain water won’t flood your tote. Watch garage sales and for people downsizing. You can get some of these almost for free. They don’t last forever outside so if you see some for free or at a low cost grab some. It’s hard to have too many of these. Best to you 🌲🌲🌲
Thank you! Wish you the same. We also have had plenty of failures. We tried using smaller propagation trays and pots with domes, pots with bags over them, etc. The totes are much more secure and stable. Rooting takes time so they are in there a long time. Sometimes 6 months. They won't fall over and the lids won't come off. They only need occasional watering and provide a very stable environment. Just add some patience and you will see your success rates go way up.
Hi John, Yes, we have the totes in a naturally shaded area and they sometimes get some green on the outside. When we empty them, we give them a good scrub. First of the hardwood cuttings videos came out last week. Here it is: ruclips.net/video/ezELW4Z3p1g/видео.htmlsi=SyLr1PTIIytaAlbB We still have a lot more hardwood cuttings to take so more videos to come on that topic. Thank you for watching and your interest. 🌲🌲🌲
Just finished watching and wanted to drop a note. Great episode and a lot of great content. I wanted to ask where in the world are you located? I am in Texas, we have had a few cold snaps, and the temps are sitting in the 20's.
Yes, We are in north west New Jersey. Planting zone 6B. For the most part of the plant is hardy in your zone the cuttings will be OK too. That said an extreme cold snap or more likely wind can damage young plants. The totes help tremendously in protecting against wind. We did have some single digit cold last year but I don’t think it killed any propagated plants or plants in our larger nursery. Bigger problems are usually heat and lack of water. Thanks and best to you 🌲🌲🌲
Hi, Sorry to hear that your plants are rotting. We are far from experts for zone 9 but some possible tips. Best time to water is early in the morning. This gives plants a good drink but any excess water will evaporate or seep into the soil. Watering at night can cause rot over night. Watering during the day doesn’t give water time to reach deep roots as it evaporates off. So a really good watering in the early morning is best. You might also be watering too much. Try cutting back along with only watering in the morning. Assuming your soil is sandy and drains well. If not this could also be a problem. If you suspect your soil isn’t draining add some sand or perlite next time you plant. This may help, hope so!
We use the 30 up to 70 quart size totes. You can use many other sizes but for many plants you want a tote that is at least 10-12 inches tall. Need room for your rooting media and lots of room for the plants. We do prefer bigger totes, lots of room and easier to work with.
Thank you for this info! So, you'll pot them up in individual pots and grow them on for the summer or the next year? When will they be a saleable size?
Yes, the softwood cuttings from last year will come out of the totes in the Spring. Pot them up and let them grow. Some will be ready to sell in Spring of 2025. Some we will let grow to the Spring of 2026 or even longer. The woodier plants we grow do take 2-3 years to get to a good size to sell. Of course some plants take longer than others. Thank you for watching.
Hi thanks for asking. This was a follow up to an earlier video about “Getting Plants for your nursery, from softwood cuttings” Cuttings were taken last summer. We had a lot of questions about leaving them out all winter in the totes. The rule is if the plant is hardy in your zone, the rooted cuttings will be fine. We will follow up again on these in the Spring once they wake up from being dormant. Then they go into pots and grow them out. We are also doing videos about taking hardwood cuttings now over the winter. We will root them in the same totes. We would hope they would have roots sometime in the spring. More videos to come. Thanks for watching. 🌲🌲🌲
Thanks for the tips
Thanks for watching! More to come 🌲🌲🌲
I truly appreciate all the tips and information you have shared. I live in northwest Florida and enjoy taking cutting all year . Especially flowering shrubs and trees.
Glad you joined us. We up north are jealous of you down south who can propagate all year long. Thanks, Larry 🌲🌲🌲
Thank you for the inspiration from you and your wife. I'm a new subscriber.
Thanks, glad to have you! More videos to come 🌲🌲🌲
I'm so excited! Tried this and now have rooted popcorn viburnums, Japanese maples, rosemary and a dogwood. When should I fertilize them? Still in tote, this was done over winter.
That is so excellent. What is great about hardwood cuttings is they should be rooted by Spring. Then you have time to get the plants settled into pots before the next winter. They can get established and far more likely to survive.
A tip, as you get ready to pot up the cuttings, open the lids a little for at least a week. The totes stay very humid inside, it’s a shock for some plants to abruptly leave that environment. Open about 25% the first week and then 50%. Be careful about rain as there are no drainage holes in the totes. You could end up with your plants sitting in a lot of very wet soil.
@@Growing-Our-Retirement Good to know, thanks!
Happy Growing! Let us know how you are doing!
Hi, I am just starting a backyard nursery side hustle. Just found your channel. Thank you for all the great information.
Welcome! Best to you in your nursery! Lots more to come!
From home, I sell 100 blueberry plants per month. I sold 300 in December, Toledo, Ohio. For $391, I buy 100 one-liter blueberry shrubs from Hartmann in Michigan. Sell for $10 each. Buy two varieties that flower at the same time, for cross-pollination. Profit 650 per month. No overhead, because they are already potted. $$$$$
Wow, That is excellent! Plants certainly be a great side hustle! Wish you lots more success!
@anneharrington7951 how do you find buyers?
Will be starting some hardwood cuttings soon inside. I still can’t get over the fact that your totes are outside all this time. I’m in (now) Zone 6 NE PA and wondering if I can pot them out and leave them outside to develop roots. Also should they have a southern exposure? Thanks for all you share. I also like to follow Fraser Valley rose farm for propagation advice. Like to share my rooted cuttings with family and friends.
You bring up a good point. If we started the cuttings inside they would start putting roots out almost right away. The woody plants do fine callousing over in the cold but won't put roots out until it warms up. If you are doing an amount that you can keep inside you should be further along by spring. But I would not take something actively growing inside with tender new roots and move it outside. That might be a big shock. So keep them inside until it warms up.
We do everything outside in the totes as we don't have enough room inside to hold hundreds of cuttings. We should try a couple of totes inside and see if it speeds things up and the plants are already rooted by the Spring.
Yes, we watch every video Jason puts out and really respect his knowledge, not to mention also a great guy. RUclips is such a great place to learn and share ideas!
Thanks for the comments and for watching! Much more to come!
I’d love to hear y’all talk a little about how you sell them. Thanks for making the content, I know it’s a lot of work
Thanks! We have a video in the works about selling. Look for it in the next few weeks. 🌲🌲🌲
I need to try this with my silky dogwood shrubs! I bet this would help them root really well. ☺
Yes, absolutely! You can root hardwood and softwood cuttings of Silky Dogwood in totes. They tend to root pretty well. Hope it works for you and thanks for watching 🌲🌲🌲
@@Growing-Our-Retirement Thank you so much for your great tips!
Thank you for this great video.
Would the tote method work for Chicago weather. Could you share which zone you are located in?
Thank you for watching! We are right at the edge of zone 6A/6B. Will absolutely work in the Chicago area as long as the plants you are propagating are hardy for your zone.
The totes address some major issues. They are a perfect wind break and it is the cold, dry wind that can kill off cuttings and plants with beginning root systems. The air holes in the side allow for a little airflow to help with fungus and bacteria growth. Because mostly sealed, the air and roots are kept consistently moist.
Once you see some strong root growth it’s ok to feed a little but only with slow release fertilizer.
When roots are well formed by spring you can start transplanting. We do recommend opening the tops 10-20% then about 50% so the plants can acclimate to less humidity.
We will do a video this spring to follow up on all the cuttings currently in the totes. Many are now well rooted however some are just starting.
Thanks 🌲🌲🌲
Are you selling any bare root plants? I'm interested. Thanks!
Hi thanks for the question. No we are not. This isn’t something we do much of, maybe in the future. 🌲🌲🌲
Can you tell me what size totes you use, the dimensions and where you get them? Thank you!
Thanks for the question. We purchased so that are 24" x 16" x 13 7/8” high. These hold about 100-125 cuttings and are $9.00 at Walmart or Amazon. We also use a larger size that is 32-1/8"L x 19-1/8"W x 13-3/4"high. The brand is Sterilite but you can use any brand. We suggest a clear top or white. A dark color top is going to collect sun rays and potentially cook your plants.
Keep these in a well shaded area. The lid should completely cover the tote so rain water won’t flood your tote.
Watch garage sales and for people downsizing. You can get some of these almost for free. They don’t last forever outside so if you see some for free or at a low cost grab some. It’s hard to have too many of these.
Best to you 🌲🌲🌲
@ thanks so much for your quick answer! I really like your channel!
Thanks for watching! Just checked, Walmartc has the best price on the totes. Happy propagating!
@ we are pretty new to it and have had much failure so far. Gonna try your method. God bless you and your wife!
Thank you! Wish you the same. We also have had plenty of failures. We tried using smaller propagation trays and pots with domes, pots with bags over them, etc. The totes are much more secure and stable. Rooting takes time so they are in there a long time. Sometimes 6 months. They won't fall over and the lids won't come off. They only need occasional watering and provide a very stable environment. Just add some patience and you will see your success rates go way up.
What kind of block are you using
Looking forward to hardwood cutting video.
The first few totes had green mold(?) on cover. Was that inside or outside, not a concern?
Hi John, Yes, we have the totes in a naturally shaded area and they sometimes get some green on the outside. When we empty them, we give them a good scrub.
First of the hardwood cuttings videos came out last week. Here it is: ruclips.net/video/ezELW4Z3p1g/видео.htmlsi=SyLr1PTIIytaAlbB
We still have a lot more hardwood cuttings to take so more videos to come on that topic.
Thank you for watching and your interest. 🌲🌲🌲
Just finished watching and wanted to drop a note. Great episode and a lot of great content. I wanted to ask where in the world are you located?
I am in Texas, we have had a few cold snaps, and the temps are sitting in the 20's.
Yes, We are in north west New Jersey. Planting zone 6B. For the most part of the plant is hardy in your zone the cuttings will be OK too.
That said an extreme cold snap or more likely wind can damage young plants. The totes help tremendously in protecting against wind. We did have some single digit cold last year but I don’t think it killed any propagated plants or plants in our larger nursery. Bigger problems are usually heat and lack of water.
Thanks and best to you 🌲🌲🌲
Great information, thanks!
Thank you for watching 🌲🌲🌲
I am in zone 9 in Florida. My plants rot. Any idea on how to avoid rotting.
Hi, Sorry to hear that your plants are rotting. We are far from experts for zone 9 but some possible tips. Best time to water is early in the morning. This gives plants a good drink but any excess water will evaporate or seep into the soil. Watering at night can cause rot over night. Watering during the day doesn’t give water time to reach deep roots as it evaporates off. So a really good watering in the early morning is best.
You might also be watering too much. Try cutting back along with only watering in the morning.
Assuming your soil is sandy and drains well. If not this could also be a problem. If you suspect your soil isn’t draining add some sand or perlite next time you plant. This may help, hope so!
How many inches is that block? Thank you!!
We use the 30 up to 70 quart size totes. You can use many other sizes but for many plants you want a tote that is at least 10-12 inches tall. Need room for your rooting media and lots of room for the plants. We do prefer bigger totes, lots of room and easier to work with.
Thank you so much.
Absolutely 🎄🎄🎄
Thank you for this info! So, you'll pot them up in individual pots and grow them on for the summer or the next year? When will they be a saleable size?
Yes, the softwood cuttings from last year will come out of the totes in the Spring. Pot them up and let them grow. Some will be ready to sell in Spring of 2025. Some we will let grow to the Spring of 2026 or even longer. The woodier plants we grow do take 2-3 years to get to a good size to sell. Of course some plants take longer than others. Thank you for watching.
@@Growing-Our-Retirement Great--thank you for your reply
New here, i have some videos to catch up on it appears. Are these cuttings taken from dormant trees/bushes over winter?
Just heard the answer to this in the video!
Hi thanks for asking. This was a follow up to an earlier video about “Getting Plants for your nursery, from softwood cuttings” Cuttings were taken last summer. We had a lot of questions about leaving them out all winter in the totes. The rule is if the plant is hardy in your zone, the rooted cuttings will be fine.
We will follow up again on these in the Spring once they wake up from being dormant. Then they go into pots and grow them out.
We are also doing videos about taking hardwood cuttings now over the winter. We will root them in the same totes. We would hope they would have roots sometime in the spring.
More videos to come. Thanks for watching. 🌲🌲🌲