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What is a softwood cutting anyway?


Well, to be honest, at times it can be a little confusing even for me. It really depends on your geographical location and the exact time of year you are taking the softwood cutting. Below is an excerpt from a website I recently stumbled across that explains it quite well:

A softwood cutting is:

"Softwood is the term used to describe the stage of growth on a deciduous woody plant that's neither the new, green growth at the end of a shoot nor the stiff, woody growth near the base of the stem. The softwood lies between the two. The best way to know if a shoot has reached the softwood stage is to bend it. If the softwood snaps, the shoot is ready to be taken as a cutting. If the shoot is very flexible and doesn't snap, it's too green. If the shoot is not flexible at all, it is too far gone."

Source: Taunton.com

So, by following the "bend till it breaks" rule from the excerpt, it should be quite easy to tell when the new growth in the spring is truly softwood. This rule generally applies only until the summer begins to turn to fall, then we start encountering semi-hardwood. But that explanation is for another post.

So now that we all know what a softwood cutting is, let's go make some plants!

Dwayne Haskell owns and operates Mistkits.com where complete misting kits, individual components, and advice can be found. After building his own misting system for his nursery, he realized he could design and build systems for small nurseries or home gardeners who are interested in starting their own plants from cuttings.

He has written an E-book titled Build an Arbor in Just One Weekend, and another on gardening, landscaping and plant propagation tips. He also enjoys teaching others how to grow their own landscape plants and owns and moderates the Mistkits blog, where you can find more articles, polls, and quizzes on landscape and gardening related topics. Be sure to grab your own copy of an E-book when you visit!