How Long Does It Take for Blueberry Cuttings to Sprout Roots?

Rooting Time

• Blueberry softwood, or summer, cuttings are rooted in four to eight weeks under ideal conditions. Blueberry plants are sometimes also propagated using hardwood cuttings. It can take longer than six months for this type of cutting to root. However, hardwood cuttings generally require less attention than softwood cuttings.

Taking and Preparing Cuttings

• Take softwood cuttings in early summer from a healthy, disease-free and actively growing mother blueberry plant before fruit buds begin to form. Cuttings should measure about 5 to 9 inches long and have several leaves. Remove leaves from the bottom one-third to one-half of the cutting and insert it about 2 inches deep into well-drained rooting medium. Hardwood cuttings are taken from dormant plants before budbreak and root best if they are from 1-year-old shoots with a diameter under 1/4 inch that are at least 4 inches long with healthy leaf buds.

Conditions

• Regular misting or light watering helps to keep the medium constantly moist, but not wet, which is particularly important when rooting softwood cuttings. To encourage root growth, position the cuttings in a warm spot with bright, indirect light and place a heating mat or cable kept between 68 and 73 degrees Fahrenheit under the rooting container.

Checking for Roots

• To check for roots on a blueberry cutting without injuring them, use your fingers or a blunt object inserted under the cutting to gently lift it out of the medium. If no roots or only very small roots have developed, carefully replace the cutting and gently firm the medium back around it. If the cutting has several roots that are at least 1 inch long, it is ready for transplant into a larger container with plenty of holes for drainage and filled with well-drained potting soil.