Hydrangea cuttings - problems

About mid July I took six Hydrangea cuttings from my solitary but large Hydrangea bush.

These rooted really well within a month, no problems at all.

About a month ago I took six more cuttings - not one of those rooted and I have no idea why. Nothing had changed in the way that I treated them, etc.

Any ideas please?

Surely they should have rooted within one month?

All I did with the cuttings was putting them into (wet) cuttings compost (the same type each time), kept them indoors in the warm but out of direct sunlight and misted them every day.

A took some more two weeks ago - I wonder how they will do?!

 

Temperature variation?

 

Could be, the weather has been a little cooler of late. I didn't think that the house temperature had changed that much though.

Edit: I've just moved the latest cuttings to a warmer room, but that doesn't get as much light (note: no direct sunlight of course). What is most important to new cuttings - light or warmth?

 

As an aside, regarding the cuttings which I have which are rooted (and still in pots) - how is it best to over-winter them? They are already outside (in pots) but my plan was to bring them inside whenever the weather was due to become very cold (or very wet and/or windy (or the pots will blow over and maybe break the plant stems as it can get very windy where I live)).

I have also planted three of the Hydrangea cuttings outside (they all have very well developed root systems) as a kind of experiment to see if they can survive the winter. This also applies to two Buddleia cuttings, both extremely well rooted, now planted outside.

 

Don't know whereabouts you are so cannot comment on the outside plants. This has been a non-summer in Scotland. The night time temperatures have only got up to 10degrees on 2 nights. The natural light has been scarce too. Light and heat in my opinion are both important factors. I took clematis cuttings which rooted and then stopped in its tracks. Not enough heat and light. If you have a heat pad this could stop the variance in temperature. If it's really dark you could think about adding more light on the subject. Don't be too disappointed if the cuttings fail there's always next year. Someone else may have some useful tips to throw into the mix.

 

Thanks for the tips - sorry to hear about your lousy "Summer"! I'm in south Wales, but in a moderately high location which gets a lot of wind and rain (but doesn't often get too cold thankfully, except on rare occasions).

 

I took a hydrangea cutting in July too - straight into compost and it rooted quickly. Took two a month later, dipped them in hormone rooting powder, into compost and they both failed. Guess it must be a temperature thing as they were all in the same place.

 

It must indeed be down to temperature, sorry to hear about your cuttings. We'll know better next year.

I've been wondering - the cuttings that failed were in apparent good health, just no roots. Maybe I could have tried again with them by re-cutting them at the next leaf joint up and re-planting? (and storing in a warming room). Or is it a case that once they've failed then those cuttings will never root? They were a month old.

Also, how long does a cutting have in order to root? For example, if I take some cuttings, place them in a not-warm-enough room for a week and then transfer them to a warmer room, will they then have a chance of rooting? I ask this as my latest cuttings were in the same room (for a week) where the failures were, but I've now moved the newwest cuttings to a warmer room. Could they still root?