Propagating privet: via cuttings, offshoots & more

There are many options for multiplying beautiful privet in the garden. Let us show how to go about propagating privet with cuttings, offshoots and more.

Like so many plants, privet (Ligustrum) has the ability to reproduce without seeds. And it is even pretty easy to do. If you enjoy growing cuttings and offshoots, then this is the plant for you.

If you want to surround your entire garden with privet, this can quickly eat into your budget. But fortunately there are other quick and easy methods of propagation you can carry out at home in your own garden. Since privet grows rapidly, this option is just perfect. A fully opaque hedge, however, will take time. Alternatively, you can also plant a hedge with purchased specimens and plant your propogated plantlets in less important places.

Propagating privet via cuttings

Privet can easily be propagated via cuttings. To do this, cut off non-woody young shoots in the spring at a length of about 15-20 centimetres. On the lower half of the cutting, you should remove all the leaves. Then put this part of the shoot in loose soil. Either do this directly in open ground or put it in a pot. The cutting should be at least half submerged. With sufficient water, the cutting will now quickly grow into a young plant. You can remove the tip to encourage branching.

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Privet propagation via offshoots

Privet offshoots can also be propagated. For this, however, you will not be using young shoots, but lignified branches. That is why late August is the right time for this. The procedure is then very similar to that of cuttings. Cut a 15 centimetre long cutting and remove superfluous leaves. Now push the wood about halfway into the ground and press lightly. Now you only need to water regularly and wait until the plant develops.

Propagating privet via sinkers

The right time for this measure is in the summer. However, offshoots or sinkers must not be trimmed too harshly from the mother plant beforehand. There needs to be at least one branch long enough to be bent to the ground. Once you find one, you should lightly score the branch with a sharp and clean knife at the points where it will be able to touch the ground. Then dig a small trough in the ground. Instead of planting the offshoot in the ground, you can also do this directly in a pot. To do this, simply place a sufficiently large pot with loose earth under the branch. Once you have dug the trough, place the scored part of the branch in the hole and cover with soil. The tip of the shoot should still be exposed above ground. To prevent the branch from springing back up, you can put a sufficiently heavy stone on the pile of earth with the branch underneath, so that it can root in peace. Once the sinker has grown roots, you can disconnect it from the mother plant.

Summary: Propagating privet

• Propagation via cuttings is particularly fast and easy and can be done in the spring with the help of unwooded shoots
• Offshoot cuttings can only be taken in late August cut, as woody branches are needed for this purpose
• For sinkers, bend a sufficiently long shoot to the ground or to a suitable pot and “plant” it, so to speak.

You can learn how to properly plant privet in this dedicated article.