propogating fruit bushes....

[Liz 89]

i've read in GYO how to do this with blackcurrant bushes, but i also have a cranberry, redcurrant and blueberry bush, and was wondering how i prune them so that i can grow new bushes from the cuttings. they are all only small at the moment, but following GYO's advice, i have managed to get 3 hopeful new blackcurrant bushes from the one i have.
thanks in advance. xxxx

[Liz 89]

sorry! this was meant to be for the fruit page! don't think i can move it....oops, sorry again.

[Geordie]

To propagate blueberries, take softwood cuttings in early summer and root in seed compost with extra grit. Cover the pot with a polythene bag. The cuttings will be ready for potting within 4-5 weeks.

Cranberries are propagated in late summer using semi-ripe cuttings and may be over wintered in a gritty compost in a garden frame or on a windowsill.

Propagating currants is a simple matter - so much so that prunings left on the ground may take root. Take hardwood cuttings from mature wood, 10-12 inches long, and set the cuttings 3/4 of the way into the ground. New roots will strike from a number of areas along the stem. In colder areas, cover these cuttings with mounds of dirt or straw to prevent heaving. The following year these rooted cuttings may be set into the garden. Another method of propagating is by layering. Bend a low-growing branch to the ground and cover with soil. Keep the branch under the soil by weighing it down with a rock, or fashion a pin from a coat hanger and pin it down. Layering can be done in fall or spring. Once the roots are established, cut the branch off and plant in its permanent place.