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Japanese Flowering Cherry
Prunus serrulata
Reviewed by Kiersten Rankel M.S.
QUICK ANSWER
Softwood cuttings taken in late spring are the best home method and root in 6 to 10 weeks under high humidity. Hardwood cuttings taken in winter root slower over 4 to 6 months but use simpler equipment.
Seed propagation needs 3 to 4 months of cold stratification and produces variable seedlings that may not match the parent tree, but it works for growing rootstock or experimenting with new forms. Most named cultivars are produced commercially by grafting, which is impractical at home.
Seed propagation needs 3 to 4 months of cold stratification and produces variable seedlings that may not match the parent tree, but it works for growing rootstock or experimenting with new forms. Most named cultivars are produced commercially by grafting, which is impractical at home.
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Softwood cuttings
Best in late spring while new growth is still flexible
Hardwood cuttings
Best for using winter pruning material with no special equipment
From seed
Best for growing rootstock or experimenting with new forms
Softwood cuttings
Time
6–10 weeks
Level
Intermediate
Success rate
Moderate
You'll need
Sterile pruning shears
Rooting hormone (recommended)
4-inch pots with drainage
Perlite and peat mix (50/50)
Clear humidity dome or plastic bag
Heat mat (optional)
1
Take cuttings in late May or early June
Cut from this year's new growth that is still bendable but no longer floppy at the tip. The bark should be green and thin. Avoid stems that have already hardened to brown wood, since they have moved past the softwood stage and root much worse.
2
Cut 4 to 6 inch pieces
Use sterile shears and cut just below a leaf node. Strip leaves from the bottom two-thirds and shorten remaining large leaves by half. Softwood cherry cuttings lose water fast, so keep them in a damp paper towel or sealed bag while you work.
3
Dip in rooting hormone
Tap the cut end against the rooting powder, then knock off the excess. Cherry cuttings root much better with hormone than without, especially for named cultivars.
Skip the heaviest concentrations marketed for woody trees and use the standard dilution for softwood, since too-strong hormone can burn the tender stem.
Skip the heaviest concentrations marketed for woody trees and use the standard dilution for softwood, since too-strong hormone can burn the tender stem.
4
Insert into the rooting mix
Push each cutting 2 inches into a moist perlite and peat blend. Firm the medium around the stem. Space cuttings 2 inches apart in a tray or use one cutting per 4-inch pot.
5
Cover and provide bottom heat
Tent a clear plastic dome over the pot, propped above the leaves. Place in bright indirect light at 70 to 75 degrees with a heat mat under the pot if your room runs cool. Vent the dome daily for 10 minutes to refresh the air and prevent mold.
Keep the medium damp but never soggy. The medium should feel like a wrung sponge.
Keep the medium damp but never soggy. The medium should feel like a wrung sponge.
6
Pot up at 6 to 10 weeks
Tug gently after 6 weeks. Resistance means roots have formed. Once roots reach 1 to 2 inches, pot each cutting into a 4-inch container of standard potting mix. Acclimate slowly to lower humidity over 2 weeks, since softwood cuttings collapse if pulled out of the dome too fast.
WATCH FOR
Cuttings turning brown from the bottom up within 2 weeks. The wood was too soft, the medium too wet, or the dome too warm and stagnant. Take fresh cuttings from slightly firmer wood, use a grittier mix that drains in seconds, and move the dome out of direct heat. Cherry softwood is forgiving but not invincible.
Hardwood cuttings
Time
4–6 months
Level
Beginner
Success rate
Low
You'll need
Sterile pruning shears
Rooting hormone
Deep nursery pot or sheltered trench
Coarse sand or gritty mix
Mulch
1
Cut in late winter
Between December and February while the tree is fully dormant, cut pencil-thick pieces 8 to 12 inches long from last year's growth. The wood should be firm and brown-gray. Make the bottom cut just below a node and the top cut just above a node so you remember which end goes down.
2
Wound and treat the base
Slice a thin sliver of bark off one side at the bottom. Dip the wounded end in rooting hormone. Cherry hardwood cuttings have a low natural rooting rate, so the wound and hormone are both important.
3
Insert two-thirds deep
Push each cutting deep into gritty mix or directly into a sheltered trench, leaving only the top 2 to 3 inches above the surface. Cherry hardwood needs stable cool conditions to callous over winter without drying out.
4
Mulch and forget for 3 months
Cover the surface with 2 inches of mulch. Water once if there is no rain for 2 weeks. Otherwise leave the cuttings alone. Disturbing them shifts the bottoms and breaks early callus.
5
Check for callus and roots in spring
By April or May, look for a swollen base and tiny white root tips. New leaves at the top alone do not mean the cutting has rooted, since buds can flush from stored energy. Pull one cutting gently to check.
Cherry hardwood cuttings have a 20 to 40 percent home success rate even when everything is done correctly. A bigger batch makes up for the low rate.
Cherry hardwood cuttings have a 20 to 40 percent home success rate even when everything is done correctly. A bigger batch makes up for the low rate.
6
Pot up successful cuttings
Once roots fill the bottom 2 inches and you can lift a cutting with soil clinging to it, transplant into a 6-inch container of standard potting mix. Grow on in part shade through the first summer.
WATCH FOR
All cuttings looking dead by late spring with shriveled wood and no callus. The wood was too old, took on frost damage in storage, or sat too dry through winter. Try again next winter with fresher pencil-thick wood, store in damp sand if you cannot plant right away, and pick a sheltered spot away from north winds.
From seed
Time
3–4 months stratification + 4–8 weeks germination
Level
Intermediate
Success rate
Moderate
You'll need
Fresh ripe cherry pits (current season)
Bowl of warm water
Damp peat moss or sand for stratification
Sealed plastic bag
Seed-starting pots with drainage
Light potting mix
1
Collect and clean fresh seed
Gather pits from ripe summer fruit, scrub off the pulp under running water, and let them dry for a day. Cherry pits lose viability if they dry out too long, so move to stratification within a week.
2
Cold stratify for 3 to 4 months
Mix the cleaned pits into damp peat or sand, seal in a plastic bag, and refrigerate at 35 to 40 degrees. Cherry seeds need this cold chill to break dormancy. Check the bag every 2 weeks and add a few drops of water if it dries out.
Some pits will start to sprout inside the bag near the end of stratification. Plant any sprouting pits immediately rather than waiting for the rest.
Some pits will start to sprout inside the bag near the end of stratification. Plant any sprouting pits immediately rather than waiting for the rest.
3
Sow 1 inch deep in spring
After stratification, push each pit 1 inch deep into a 4-inch pot of light potting mix. Water gently to settle the soil. Use one pit per pot since transplanting young taproots is risky.
4
Keep at 60 to 70 degrees
Place pots in bright indirect light at moderate room temperature. Seedlings emerge in 4 to 8 weeks as a single thick green stem with two heart-shaped seed leaves.
5
Grow seedlings on
Cherry seedlings put out true leaves a couple of weeks after the seed leaves. Keep the soil evenly damp and feed with a half-strength balanced fertilizer once the second set of true leaves appears.
6
Transplant after one season
After a full growing season, move seedlings to a permanent garden spot or grow them on in 1-gallon pots. Note that seed-grown trees vary in flower color, form, and bloom time. They often differ noticeably from the named parent and may take 4 to 7 years to flower.
WATCH FOR
Pits sitting in soil for 2 months with no shoot emerging. The cold stratification was too short, too warm, or too dry. Lift one pit gently and feel for a sprouting radicle. If the pit is hard and unchanged, return the rest to the refrigerator in fresh damp peat for another 4 to 6 weeks before sowing again.
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About This Article
Kiersten Rankel M.S.
Botanical Data Lead at Greg · Plant Scientist
Editorial Process
Propagation methods verified against Prunus serrulata growth data from Greg's botanical database, cross-referenced with USDA hardiness zone data and published horticultural research.
391+ Greg users growing this plant
USDA hardiness zones 5a–8b