lilac cuttings

Hi,

I currently live on the south coast of Oregon. When my mother and I bought a house here we thought we would be here forever. So, we planted the twiggy little bare plant in a green planter my mother had been dragging around with us from house to house for as long as I can remember. It was a piece of a lilac plant my grandmother had growing in Montana. Some one else had made the cuttings and started the plant for my mother. Well, now we find we have to move from Oregon and we must, absolutely must, take some of my grandmothers lilac with us. We have watched it grow large and green, but not with many blooms. I need to know how to take cuttings so I can take some with us to our new home. Can anyone help? I really don't want to disappoint my mother and have to leave the whole plant here.

Thank you,
Melanie

 

Hi Melanie,
In response your question, as before Lilac's are not the easiest to take cuttings from. However, what I would do is have a look, as often Lilac's send out small suckers near the base of the original plant, which will probably have roots. I would try this method, which I have used before. If not take a few cuttings from non-flowering stems, take a nice neat cutting just below a couple of pairs of leaves, remove these leaves, dip in hormone rooting powder, pop in a pot of good compost/soil and pop a clear plastic bag over the top. If you do not have a plastic bag, use a plastic coke bottle, cut the bottom of and leave the lid off, makes a good propogator. As it would be a shame to leave this plant behind, being that it is a family heir loom so to speak.

Hope this helps.

 

Thank you for the responses so far. It is soooo important to us to take some of this plant with us. Do I need to give the cuttings or suckers a very big pot to start with? :?: 10 inch or 12 inch or larger? We have to carry it but I want to make sure they have enough room. Taking cuttings now or digging up suckers will not decrees my chances of ending up with a healthy plant will it? Thanks again.

Melanie