# Cutting and starting elderberries - Sambucus spp. (nigra and canadensis) LeoEC - 2022-03-09 In my last post I wrote about when to collect cuttings to propagate elderberries. Today I'll write a little about how I make those cuttings and prepare them for rooting. But first... Did you know that elderberries have been used as food and medicinally since at least 400BC and almost definitely before that? Their use is documented by Hippocrates and Dioscorides in Greece and continues unbroken to the modern day with the expected exponential increases in volumes of experiences and studies. If you would like to learn more and have access to a web browser (snicker), one place to find a lot of history on past significance of elder is from the book "A Modern Herbal" by Maude Grieve, 1931. It is available online for free at https://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/e/elder-04.html Of course, those old sources didn't know what they didn't know and now we question many of their practices. Some of their applications stand to this day because of the unique and logical way herbal medicine was and is practiced. It is an iterative process where a symptom or condition is observed and a plant which has previously been found to counteract that symptom is selected. It is a scientific process when carried out as intended. However, it lacks the direct peer review and statistical validity needed in modern medicine. To boot, it is also missing any need to really understand exactly which molecules and systems are affected. In many ways, that is the allure of herbal medicine -- it is open for hacking and ubiquitous as weeds. It is especially hackable because many, many common medicinal herbs are basically food that people have eaten in small quantities for millennia. But not all herbs are safe so make sure to pay attention. Some herbs have been used medicinally and are toxic when used in certain ways. Personally, I don't spend much time with those herbs. For something more recent, and a quick read, here is a summary of usage and research results. https://botanicalinstitute.org/elderberry/ Where was I?... ###Elderberry cuttings -- how I'm doing it When the bush is dormant in the winter and the temperature is below freezing is a good time to prune them making it an ideal time to collect a lot of cuttings. I wait until near the end of winter so you don't have to maintain the cuttings inside too long. I start by cutting out the branches and trunks that will not get enough light to be productive and healthy. Then I will remove any branches that I believe may be hard to harvest or impede harvest of productive areas of the bush. Assuming you are pruning a bush which is a few years old (literally just three is all it takes), you'll get enough good cuttings for rooting all the plants you want. There are so many resources on how to prune bushes and trees so if you need help with that you'll probably have no trouble finding out how to prune a fruit bush or tree. Now you have a pile of brush. Don't let it set outside long. The colder and dryer it is outside the quicker you will have to protect your cuttings from the cold dry air. You can bring a large bag with wet papers lining the outsides for insulation and moisture or just move quickly and drag a lot of branches indoors where you can take a little more time. I do the latter. Once inside I can take a little time to asses the wood as I'm selecting which branches look best. I look for branches in the range of 5 - 10mm in diameter. Larger or smaller might work but I stick to the 5 - 10mm cuttings. I look for a branching point where the branch is in that size range and has at least three healthy looking buds. *********************************************************************** * Q: What is a healthy bud and/or branch? * A: You'll know it when you see it if you look at a bunch of branches * on a bush. Looking closely, you'll notice some branches are * withered with some dents and look dry. When you cut them they * will look all shades of brown from the bark to the pith. On * the contrary, a healthy branch will have a thin layer of green * under the bark when you cut it. *********************************************************************** The buds at this dormant time are little bumps in the bark which are pretty easy to see when you look closely. It is common to cut diagonally a little below the bottom of the 3 buds and horizontally a little above the topmost bud. This means you can cut many segments for rooting at one time and easily remember which end goes down in the dirt. :) ###Sticking your elder sticks in the dirt This is basically what it sounds like; take the bottom of the cutting with the diagonal cut and place it in some soil. To keep your life simple use some sterile growing medium like peat moss, "Pro-mix", potting soil, and sand are all common rooting media. Many others can be tried and may work too. I use promix which contains "sphagnum peat moss, coir, perlite, limestone, and mycorrhizae [beneficial fungi]". I prefer to place one cutting in one small container like a yogurt container. However, my indoor growing area is limited to 4 shelves each with 2 feet x 4 feet of surface area. Since I have lots of other plants to start, grow, and rotate through I have to keep things compact and I will group some of the cuttings together and worry about separating them when they've rooted and can be transplanted. Oh, don't forget to water your "sticks in dirt." It feels funny at first when you think about it but it is necessary to encourage the rooting process. Make sure to keep the soil moist but not soaked. The top should dry out a little periodically but just under the surface should remain damp. Keep you're newly planted sticks above freezing, let them get some light but not too much, and preferably put them in a spot where the temperature is around 60 - 70 degrees Fahrenheit or about 15 - 22 degrees Celsius. Watch for their buds to open up into leaves. When you see the leaves fill out and they look healthy you should have a rooted cutting! If you can plant it outside take time to introduce it to the outdoors little by little so you don't shock it too much. Maybe a few hours a day for a week and then don't leave them outside overnight unless you're sure the frost is past. ###That simple? Mostly. You may want to consider putting the diagonal, "dirt end" of the cutting in some rooting compound. There is common commercial rooting compound in most garden centers, online, and big box stores which contain a rooting hormone and describe themselves thusly: "The active ingredient, indole-3-butyric acid, promotes the development of roots on most popular home, garden and greenhouse plant varieties. This ingredient is similar to the rooting hormone that naturally occurs in plants, indole-3-acetic acid." So you can just stick them in the dirt and many will root. The hormone will increase your success rate. However, there are other options too. Honey is known for encouraging rooting and so is water that has had willow branches soaked in it. I've heard stories of aspirin water working but I've never tried it and don't know the concentrations folks have used. Finally, in the "That simple?" category I'd mention that there is a bit of an art to maintaining a good moisture level so watch for signs of mold. It is helpful to make sure the environment containing the cuttings doesn't get too humid and has periodic air exchange. Wanna know something? I thought this was going to be a quick post. After writing it I feel like there are literally 100's of things I didn't cover. Oh well. I guess I need to work on managing my scope better ;) Happy rooting! Oh, and I'd love to hear your suggestions, comments, or experiences if you can figure out my messaging system.