Yes, you can root a flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), but the word “branch” can be misleading. A large branch cut from the tree and pushed into the ground will not behave like a willow stake. What roots readily is a short, soft, leafy shoot tip taken at the right time of year, or a low branch that is still attached to the tree.
The short answer: yes, but use a shoot tip, not a big branch. The USDA Forest Service says flowering dogwood roots readily from cuttings taken in June or right after bloom, using only terminal shoot tips about 3 inches long with two to four leaves, dipped in rooting hormone, set about 1.2 inches deep and kept under mist. Cuttings from young trees root and grow better than those from old trees. A low branch can also root by layering while still attached. Red-flowered dogwoods are hard to root and are usually budded or grafted.
Why a big branch won’t work
The USDA Forest Service’s Silvics of North America is specific about the kind of cutting that roots: only terminal shoot tips, trimmed to about 3 inches (8 cm), keeping two to four leaves. That is a soft, actively growing piece of the current season’s growth, not a woody limb. NC State Extension lists stem cuttings and seed as the recommended propagation methods for flowering dogwood.
The Forest Service does list hardwood cuttings in winter among other vegetative methods for dogwood, along with grafting, budding, and suckers and divisions in spring. But it gives detailed rooting instructions only for the June shoot-tip method, which is the one to try at home.
How to root a dogwood shoot tip
| Step | Forest Service guidance |
|---|---|
| Timing | June, or immediately after the tree blooms |
| Material | Terminal shoot tips; young trees preferred |
| Length | About 3 inches (8 cm), with two to four leaves |
| Hormone | Base dipped in IBA and talc, 1 part to 250 by weight |
| Depth | About 1.2 inches (3 cm) in rooting medium |
| Conditions | Under mist, with at least 18 hours of light a day |
In practice:
- Choose a healthy, vigorous tree. The Forest Service notes cuttings from young trees usually show better growth and survival after rooting than cuttings from mature trees.
- Take the cuttings in June or right after flowering.
- Trim each to about 3 inches, keeping the top two to four leaves.
- Dip the base in a rooting powder containing IBA.
- Stick the cuttings about 1.2 inches deep in a moist rooting medium.
- Keep humidity high. Commercial growers use mist. At home, a clear cover over the pot helps keep leaves from drying out.
- Give the cuttings long days. The Forest Service cites a photoperiod of at least 18 hours.
Take more cuttings than you need. Not every cutting roots, especially without mist.
Rooting a branch that is still attached: layering
If you want to use a branch, layering is the better route. The Forest Service notes flowering dogwood reproduces extensively by layering, where a low branch touching the soil forms roots while still attached to the parent. Because the branch keeps getting water and food from the tree while it roots, it does not depend on mist or rooting hormone. Once the layer has its own roots, it can be cut free and moved.
Like a cutting, a layer is a clone. It keeps the parent’s flower color and form. The Forest Service notes vegetative propagation is necessary to reproduce traits such as bract color and fruit retention, which seedlings do not reliably carry.
Red and pink dogwoods
The Forest Service notes the red form of flowering dogwood is difficult to start from cuttings and is usually propagated by budding in late summer or grafting in winter. Clemson Extension explains that pink and red cultivars come from the naturally occurring variety Cornus florida var. rubra. If your favorite tree is pink or red, layering may be a more realistic home method than cuttings, or buy a grafted tree.
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Why not just grow it from seed?
You can, but the results differ. Clemson notes dogwoods grown from seed vary in the age at which they begin flowering, while almost all dogwoods sold are asexually propagated and flower at an early age. A rooted cutting or layer keeps the parent’s traits.
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Rootmax mycorrhizae a root stimulator for plants enriched with mycorrhizal fungi. It is superior to rooting hormone for cuttings & rooting gel. This advanced rooting powder proliferates root growth in all plants, trees, flowers, edibles and shrubs making them stronger & with greater vigour
Rootmax mycorrhizae a root stimulator for plants enriched with mycorrhizal fungi. It is superior to rooting hormone for cuttings & rooting gel. This advanced rooting powder proliferates root growth in all plants, trees, flowers, edibles and shrubs making them stronger & with greater vigour
Encourages rooting in all cuttings
Caring for the new dogwood
Once rooted, young dogwoods need steady moisture. The USDA NRCS plant guide says flowering dogwood is intolerant of extended drought, especially in the first year after planting, and recommends daily watering for the first few weeks after planting, then twice a week for the rest of the first year. It notes partial or broken shade is best, though dogwoods tolerate full sun. For more methods, see how to propagate a dogwood tree, and for later care, how and when to prune a dogwood.
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Package Include: 15 pieces plant propagation root ball
Sources
- Flowering Dogwood, Silvics of North America, USDA Forest Service
- Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood), NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Dogwood, Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
- Flowering Dogwood Plant Guide, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Top photo: Dcrjsr, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons