How to Grow Privet Cuttings

Prepare a pot before gathering a privet cutting for propagation. Fill a 6-inch-deep plastic pot with sterile growing medium comprised of equal parts perlite, coarse sand and coir. Pour 2 cups of water onto the growing medium in the pot.

Gather a 5-inch-long softwood cutting from the tip of a healthy privet branch in early summer after the shrub has finished blooming. Sever the cutting 1/8 inch below a set of leaves using pruning shears.

Remove all the leaves from the lower two-thirds of the cutting to reveal the nodes, which will produce roots when placed in the growing medium. Dip the cutting up to its lowest set of leaves into 0.2-percent IBA rooting talc.

Insert the lower two-thirds of the privet cutting into the prepared pot. Make sure all the exposed leaf nodes are beneath the surface of the growing medium. Press the growing medium in against the stem to hold it upright.

Spritz the foliage three or four times with a spray bottle. Cover the pot with a 2-gallon plastic bag to create a greenhouse-like environment around the cutting.

Place the potted privet cutting on a bright, sheltered porch or under a tree with high, light shade. Protect the privet cutting from strong, direct sunlight since it will wilt if it becomes too hot.

Water the privet cutting only when the top 1 inch of growing medium dries out completely. Pour 1 cup of water around the base of the cutting to remoisten the soil. Mist the foliage whenever you remove the plastic bag to water the cutting.

Check for the formation of roots in three weeks either by tugging gently on the base of the privet cutting or by carefully digging around the base to reveal the thin, white roots. Remove the plastic bag once roots form.

Keep the privet cutting in a partially shaded location for one to two months after it establishes a healthy root system. Slowly acclimate it to stronger sunlight over the course of one week before planting it in a permanent bed.