The Oleander is an evergreen shrub with long narrow leaves that, when in bloom, has showy flowers at the tips of the branches. Yet, for all their beauty, remember that they are extremely poisonous if ingested. Oleander are often grown as ornamental landscape shrubs or planted closely together to form a border or screen/hedge. They can be propagated quite easily by stem cuttings.
STEP 1: Take 4 to 5-inch semi-woody tip cuttings from Oleander in the spring or fall (preferably newer growth in spring). Using sharp scissors cut at a slant directly below a leaf node. Mine are not very close to the house, so I drop them in water to keep the cuttings from drying out.
STEP 2: Snip off all the leaves except for the top set or two and any buds or blooms. Roots will form from the nodes that are submerged in the growing medium. Plus trimming off most of the leaves will help the plant use its energy to form roots instead of supporting foliage growth.
STEP 3: Fill containers with vermiculite or other sterile growing medium. Moisten the vermiculite with water and then use a pencil or some other similar object to create holes in the soil for the Oleander stems.
STEP 4: Dip cuttings in a rooting gel covering atleast 2 nodes.
STEP 5: Place Oleander cuttings in the pre-made holes and gently firm the vermiculite around each cutting.
STEP 6: Mist cuttings and cover with a clear plastic dome, bag, etc. Place in bright, indirect sunlight or under a "grow light". If you have a heat mat, keep it around 70 degrees. Remove cover daily and let cuttings air to help prevent "damping off". Keep a steady supply of water from the bottom of the container that can soak up to the cuttings. It is critical that the cuttings do not dry out.
Be patient and after a few months you will have rooted Oleander cuttings!
Comments