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
Germination period for Snow Mountain beardtongue (Penstemon purpusii)
March 12, 2008 - Why is the germination period for the Snowmountain Beardtongue so long?. I understand it to be approximately 690 days.
view the full question and answer
Propagation of Passiflora lutea by seed
July 11, 2007 - How long does it take to germinate yellow passionflower vine seeds? Where can a vine or seeds be purchased? What would they cost?
view the full question and answer
Transplanting Sideroxylon lanuginosum in Austin
August 12, 2009 - I have a tall (30-40 ft) Sideroxylon lanuginosum in my backyard. Last fall hundreds of saplings popped up in my yard following runners from the tall tree. I would like to keep a few of these sapling...
view the full question and answer
I have a plant with plantlets on its leaves. What is it?
April 14, 2008 - Pardon my inexperience.
I received a plant as a gift, that is quite similar to aloe, yet smaller. It "bloomed" with tiny paired leaves sprouting from each of the serrations along the larger leav...
view the full question and answer
Trimming prairie coneflower for lower height when blooming in Hampshire IL
August 16, 2009 - Can the prairie coneflower, Ratibida Columnifera, be cut by half or some amount before setting flower buds to force the plant to bloom at a shorter height? If not, when is the best time to dig and tra...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |