How To Root Vinca Vines

By  Mary Kenney

Things Needed

  • Sharp garden shears

  • Stake

  • Garden twine or twistie

  • Glass jar

  • Water

  • Rooting hormone

  • Vermiculite

Tip

For best results, take cuttings or do layering in early spring.

If you have rooted cuttings by water, you can transplant them either directly into soil or you can slowly add soil to the water in the jar, over time, until it is all soil. If you plant directly into soil, be sure to keep the soil around the newly planted cutting very moist for some time.

Warning

If you take cuttings from thick, woody stems, they will root much more slowly than if you choose tender, younger shoots.

Vinca is an evergreen vine with glossy leaves that commonly produces blue flowers in the late spring or early summer (some cultivars produce white or pink flowers). Left alone, it forms trailing vines; pruned, it becomes thicker and taller. Gardeners prize vinca as a landscaping plant that can grow in sun or shade, spreads rapidly and thrives in dry or moist conditions. Root vinca in one of three ways: layering, rooting cuttings in water, or rooting cuttings in soil.

Layering

Step 1

Prepare a section to layer. Select a vigorous parent plant with long, trailing vines. Hold a section of vine about a foot from the tip, and bend it gently up so that it is vertical to the ground, forming a 90-degree angle. Remove any leaves from the part of the vine touching the ground (the "bent" part of the vine).

Step 2

Plant the new vine section. Dig a shallow hole below the bend in the vine. Insert the garden stake and cover the bend of the vine with soil, so that is about 4 to 5 inches below the soil's surface. Use garden twine or a twistie to secure the vine to the stake.

Step 3

Water the new plant thoroughly. Continue watering it regularly and test for root formation after several weeks by gently tugging the plant. When it has some resistance, use your garden shears to cut the parent plant away from the new plant.

Water Cuttings

Step 1

Make cuttings. Use your garden shears to cut off 2 or 3 inches of vine from the parent plant. Cut at a node, and remove any leaves near the node.

Step 2

Put the cuttings in water. Place the cuttings in a glass jar filled with water. Watch for root development.

Step 3

Transplant your cuttings. When thick roots have developed, you can transplant the cuttings to a pot or into the garden.

Soil Cuttings

Step 1

Make cuttings. Use your garden shears to cut off 2 or 3 inches of vine from the parent plant. Cut at a node to remove any leaves near the node.

Step 2

Root the cuttings in soil. Dip the ends of the cuttings in rooting hormone. Place them in moist vermiculite or other starting soil in potting trays or small containers.

Step 3

Transplant the cuttings. When the cuttings resist a bit to a gentle tug, you can transplant them into larger pots or into the garden.

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