Pine trees are cone-bearing evergreens that can range in height from 25 to 150 feet. There are more than 100 species of pine trees, which grow all over the United States. They all can be grown by stem cuttings taken from an existing tree. The success rate for propagating pine trees with cuttings is not as high as with other plants such as shrubs and flowers. If you do not succeed the first time, do not be disappointed and do not hesitate to try again. Knowledge of the correct environment in which to raise the cuttings and of how to care for them will increase your success rate.
Take a 6- to 10-inch hardwood cutting from the pine tree in the winter when it is dormant. The branch should be mature, but from only the last year's growth. Cut from the tip of the branch. The cutting must be from a branch that is healthy and disease free.
- Pine trees are cone-bearing evergreens that can range in height from 25 to 150 feet.
- Take a 6- to 10-inch hardwood cutting from the pine tree in the winter when it is dormant.
Strip about a third to half of the cutting's needles from the bottom of the stem. Dip about an inch of the base in a rooting hormone and tap off any excess hormone.
Fill a pot with half perlite and half peat. This will provide a firm rooting medium with good drainage. Stick the cutting into the potting mix about a third of its length. Remove any needles that touch the soil.
Mist the pine cutting and place a plastic bag over it to keep it moist. Keep the rooting medium and cutting moist but not soaked until the cutting takes root.
- Strip about a third to half of the cutting's needles from the bottom of the stem.
- Mist the pine cutting and place a plastic bag over it to keep it moist.
Place the cutting in a cold frame or in another protected cool area to root. Keep it out of direct sunlight. Rooting can take more than a year for pine trees, so be patient and keep your cutting moist. When it begins to sprout new growth on its own it is ready to be transplanted to a new pot for growing.