Ok...I have gotten some "twigs" off of forsythia bushes before and had gotten them started with no problem whatsoever! That was many many years ago. Now today...my 2 sisters have their own forsythia bushes and I got some branches off of them and tried to get them started to no avail!! What am I doing wrong? Is there a foil-proof way of getting these forsythias started?? Your help would be most appreciated! (I am in Zone 4(central Ohio) and it's past blooming time for forsythias now.) Thank you!!
keep the cuttings shady & moist and they should take. Forsythia is one of the easiest things to root on the planet! :haha:
Maybe my green thumb was bruised on the days I tried. But...I've tried two times now and I just do not understand why they aren't rooting!! Makes me so mad! I really really want a nice bunch of them to take off & grow! I did it several years ago without even trying and now that I really do want them badly.....grrrrrrr......I've had no luck. But.....I shall keep on trying!!! I've kept them moist/wet and in shade so I'm doing that ok. Should I maybe add a little bit of soil to them or just plain water? Maybe I'm just trying too hard, huh? :waa:
Do you have access to a willow tree? Put it in a bucket with willow branches and it should root - willow has some hormone that helps.
Where you cut the cutings off the plant. Don't take any of the old wood, only the new spring growth. We stick these in wet peat moss with good success.
I've had the best luck by starting them just before the fall rains start. I cut a twig of new growth and sharpen the end and just push it down into the ground. That way the stem is tight against the earth and the air can't dry it out. Keep it moist. Usually here in kentucky it rains quite a bit in the fall so it usually roots good before winter and the next spring they bloom and grow like crazy. Good luck
