How to Grow Winterberry From Cuttings

Winterberry is one common name for Ilex verticillata, a species of holly found throughout the eastern and central regions of the United States. Unlike many other holly species, winterberry is deciduous and features smooth, spineless leaves of a dark, bluish-green color. Female specimens bear a crop of bright red berries in autumn, which persist for several months and add visual interest to gardens during the winter. Gardeners grow winterberry for this reason, and many turn to home propagation to yield new plants. Fortunately, winterberries grow readily from softwood cuttings and will be ready to plant in a permanent bed in just a few months.

Things You'll Need

Perlite
Acidic compost
8-inch plastic pot

Pruning shears
0.1-percent IBA (indolebutyric acid) rooting liquid
Spray bottle

Instructions

- 1
  Combine two parts perlite and one part acidic compost inside an 8-inch plastic pot. Stir the components by hand until they are well integrated.
- 2
  Pour 3 cups of water onto the soil mixture. Stir in the water until the soil mixture is moderately moist throughout.
- 3
  Gather a 6-inch-long softwood cutting from an existing winterberry shrub in late spring. Choose a cutting with green bark, abundant foliage and a 1/4-inch-thick stem. Avoid stems with flower buds.
- 4
  Sever the cutting immediately beneath a set of leaves using pruning shears. Make the cut straight across.
- 5
  Remove all the foliage from the bottom 3 inches of the winterberry cutting. Dip the defoliated end in 0.1-percent IBA rooting liquid.
- 6
  Stick the cutting up to its lowest leaves into the prepared pot of soil. Press the soil firmly around the base of the stem.
- 7
  Set the potted winterberry cutting outdoors where it will receive filtered light. Limit direct sun exposure to less than one hour each day.
- 8
  Mist the cutting with a spray bottle at least once daily to keep the foliage hydrated and healthy. Mist the soil if it feels dry to the touch, but do not moisten the soil beyond the top 2 inches.
- 9
  Check for roots in six to eight weeks. Grip the cutting lightly at the base and try to lift it from the soil. Feel if the cutting is "stuck" to the soil by roots.
- 10
  Transplant the rooted winterberry into a permanent bed two weeks after rooting. Choose a sunny or partially shaded planting site with acidic soil and low to moderate drainage.

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