How to Start Blueberry Plants From Another Grown Plant

Locate a healthy, disease-free branch from the upper section of a grown blueberry bush at the end of spring. Use sharp, clean pruning shears to sever a 4- to 5-inch softwood cutting. Check to see that the woody tissue of the cutting is established but it is still flexible, and its terminal leaves are not succulent, but almost mature.

Place the cutting in a glass of water, or wrap a moist paper towel around it. Collect several more cuttings in case the first cutting does not root. Keep all the cuttings moist.

Remove the lower leaves from each cutting, leaving three to four terminal leaves at the top. Scar the lower end of each cutting to make it easier for the roots to develop. Chip the bark off the lower 2 inches of each cutting, using a paring knife.

Mix together equal amounts of peat moss and perlite to create a plant medium. Fill a flat with the medium to ¼ inch from the top. Ensure the flat has at least one drainage hole through its base. Lightly mist the plant medium.

Insert the lower 2 to 3 inches of each cutting into the flat. Firm the soil plant medium around the base of the cutting so it stands on its own. Insert a wooden dowel at each corner of the flat.

Slide the flat into a clear plastic bag and secure its opening with an elastic band. The dowels should prevent the bag from touching the terminal leaves. Place the flat in a spot exposed to indirect but bright light.

Inspect the medium regularly to ensure it remains evenly moist at all times. Mist the cutting lightly every day to increase humidity. The cuttings root in 6 to 8 weeks.

Remove the plastic covering and keep the cuttings in direct sunlight for 3 to 5 days; this is known as "hardening off" the cuttings. Make sure the plant medium remains evenly moist throughout. Transplant the cuttings to individual peat pots filled with potting soil before planting them to their permanent location in the ground after a few weeks.