American beautyberry can propagate from seed, root cuttings, or softwood cuttings. I had a lot of success with softwood cutting propagation – even when I neglected the cuttings.
How to Grow New Beautyberry Shrubs from Softwood Cuttings
Growing new plants from softwood cuttings is easy. Follow these steps to propagate American beautyberry:
- Make a cutting at a leaf node (where a leaf grows from the stem), ensuring you get about 4 to 6-inch stems.
- Remove the leaves from the bottom 3 to 4 inches of the stem.
- Dip the cut end of the stem in rooting hormone and then push it into moist potting soil.
- Gently press the soil down around the planted stem.
- Keep the potting soil moist but not wet for several weeks. It may take as long as 10-12 weeks for your cutting to take root well.
My Experience Propagating American Beautyberry Softwood Cuttings
I had great success with rooting cuttings. The new plants grew despite neglect and some challenges. I transported some cuttings from Mississippi to my home in Georgia in a soda bottle filled with water.
When we finally made it to my home in Georgia, I dipped the end of the cuttings in rooting hormone and stuck them in potting mix in small pots. I kept the soil moist, but not wet, for several weeks. Then, they were overwintered in my garage where I watered them infrequently.
These beautyberry cuttings looked like dead sticks in the spring. However, they began sprouting leaves when I put the pots in the shade out in my yard, watered them, and kept an eye on them. Success!
Growing Beautyberry from Seeds
Seeds should be planted in the fall. If you plan to store them in order to plant later, you will need to clean all pulp from the seeds. Read the USDA fact sheet for instructions: http://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_caam2.pdf
