Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Tuesday - November 03, 2009
From: Nassau Bay, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Propagation
Title: Propagation of American Beautyberry
Answered by: Nina Hawkins
QUESTION:
Hello. I would love to know how to propagate the American Beauty (Texas Location) as I think it is most gorgeous. We lost most of our shrubs/plants in Ike and are replacing them. If I do these from seeds, what is the procedure to follow? Can I just put it in the soil as is, will it root this way?ANSWER:
Callicarpa americana (American beautyberry) is most often propagated by seed but can also be propagated by root cuttings or soft wood tip cuttings. According to How To Grow Native Plants of Texas And The Southwest by Jill Nokes, "American Beauty-berry can be produced by sowing the cleaned seeds lightly in a greenhouse kept just above 40 degrees in November. They will germinate in January and February, and are ready to plant outside under shade by April... Simple cold stratification for 1 month produced adequate germination for one grower." Softwood tip cuttings should be taken from "early May through June, just after the first flush of growth but before the plant has flowered." The cuttings should be 4 to 5 inches long with the leaves from the bottom half removed. Treat the cuttings with rooting hormone (5,000 ppm) and place gently in your rooting material. Roots should begin to grow within 1 to 2 weeks. Hardwood cuttings should be 5 to 8 inches long, treated with rooting hormone (10,000 ppm), and placed under intermittent mist. While we don't think that putting cuttings directly in the ground will work very well, you may successfully separate large clumps of mature plants in the winter.
We wish you the best of luck with your propagation endeavors! Callicarpa americana is a beautiful shrub that does well in many different soil types and whose lovely purple berries attract a variety of birds. It is one of our favorites!
More Propagation Questions
Obtaining seeds for mutant white bluebonnet
April 18, 2007 - I have seen a white bluebonnet in Brenham on Easter and wondered how rare the white ones are and how you get seeds for those. Are there any special directions on collecting seeds for planting next fa...
view the full question and answer
Assuring berries on Viburnum dentatum
October 27, 2008 - I just purchased 2 blue muffin viburnum bushes-I live
in Kansas-How many years will it be before they get berries?
They are full size(3-4 ft) Do I need to trim them down for winter or just mulch the...
view the full question and answer
Controlling Passionflora Incarnata propagation
March 20, 2012 - Would a cinderblock raised bed, 8 inches in height, be sufficient to contain the roots of passiflora incarnata and keep them from traveling to places where I don't want the vine? Are the roots deepe...
view the full question and answer
Adding Wildflowers to Corpus Christi
May 20, 2012 - I have a dry sandy yard, full sun in Corpus Christi with lot's of stickers mostly, want to transform to wildflowers. When should I plant, how should I prepare soil, should I dig out stickers? Which w...
view the full question and answer
Possibility of propagating buckeye from basal shoots
June 25, 2008 - I have a beautiful red buckeye tree that has small shoots coming up at the base. I would love to share these with my friends. How do I do this?
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |