Plant Propagation - Stem Cuttings

Last year my aunt sent me some small grape vines that she started from stem cuttings. Unfortunately, with the unfavorable spring, only 2 of them took. But these grape vines did spark my interest in propagating by stem cuttings. I have done a bit of this before with various house plants. These have been no brainer plants though - you pull off a piece, stick it in water or dirt, and it grows like mad.

What I am interested in trying is propagating things that are a little trickier - bushes, trees, more grape vines, etc. With all of the landscaping and berry planting I would like to do yet, it could get quite expensive. (If you have just read my husband's newest post, you will see that our land is pretty bare right now - and that we will need to figure out a happy balance with trees!) So last fall I bought some rooting hormone, and I have started my research. This is what I have gathered:

• A lot of plants propagate best with hardwood cuttings - which need to be taken when the plant is dormant.
• Some plants will propagate with the cutting from new growth taken early in spring.
• It takes just a little bit more than dipping the cutting in rooting hormone and then sticking it in dirt.

And that is about all I know so far! Obviously, I have a bit more research to do, and I need to do it rather quickly if I want to get cuttings while plants are still dormant - which I do! I want to get started this season since I realize that my plants are going to be a bit behind plants that I would buy, but they will be cheaper. :)

With that said- has anyone out there propagated from cuttings? I'd love to hear what worked for you and any advice or sites you might have for a newbie!

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