Extra Large Marge Elderberry Cuttings

When you receive your elderberry cuttings the first thing you want to do is soak them in well water or distilled water for 24 hours. Fill a large glass container such as a canning jar with the water and place your cuttings in the water, angle side down.

Place the jar in a cool location away from direct sunlight and let sit for 24 hours. After the 24-hour soak period it's time to prepare the elderberry cuttings for planting.

Remove the elderberry cuttings from the container of (well or distilled) water and place them on a paper towel to air dry for a couple of minutes. Empty a small amount of rooting stimulant into a clean bowl. Dust the angled end of the elderberry cutting with rooting stimulant and tap the cutting against the side of the bowl to remove the excess. PS - IVE HAD HIGH PERCENTAGE RATE NOT USING ANY ROOTING STIMULANTS!

Plant up to three elderberry cuttings in a large pot by carefully inserting the angled end dusted with rooting hormone into the soil.  Be sure to leave the top nodes located near the flat end of the cutting exposed as this is where the new elderberry plant will develop leaves.

Root your elderberry cuttings indoors in an unheated, sheltered and shady spot.  Be sure to check the pots weekly to ensure that the soil is still moist, and water as needed.  After 10 to 12 weeks the plant will be ready to transplant.

The best permanent location for an elderberry bush is one that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day and allows the elderberry to get about 10 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet around. Elderberry is one of those plants that "sleeps, creeps and then leaps", meaning that it spends most of its first year establishing a good root system, begins to take off on the second year, and then grows vigorously during its third year. You can control the size of your elderberry bush by pruning away the old third year wood and removing any canes that are growing where you don't want them to be.