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We are currently on holiday in a region where wild sea buckthorn is very common. We'd like to take some home to plant in our garden, kind of a living souvenir.

The typical method for propagating would be to dig out new shots that have emerged from the existing roots. But apart from it being forbidden or at least morally questionable I want to be sure I get a female plant and males and females grow quite intertwined here. So I'd like to take a few cuttings from select plants.

Various sources in the web suggest different methods, from rooting them in (the local) sandy soil to drawing roots in a jar of water, also some say to take wooden stems, other fresh green ones. Hm...

Now add to this my very limited equipment:
No rooting hormones (some sources say it's useless for sea buckthorn anyway), simply a knife, a few food containers that could stand in as planters and some small plastic bags (the sandwich-baggie-type) if really needed for a makeshift greenhouse. Plus I'm about 1000 km from home and whatever I do must withstand a 10 hours car trip, possibly more if we do a detour.

How would you proceed?

To clarify:

Yes, I know that sea buckthorn loves to spread, I already have a male for pollination and a suitable place to plant it and no, I don't want to go to a nursery, where's the fun in simply buying a pot?

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This article indicates that:

  • sea buckthorn is hard to propagate
  • "it will regenerate from root pieces "(confirmed from my copy of Dirr)
  • which is also confirmed here

So, carefully, due to the thorns, get sections of root from your desired plant and put them in a little bag of the local soil that is damp. They should have no problems lasting the trip home.

You seem to indicate a reluctance to dig out new shoots but you have to go with how the plants work. Just pick a female plant at the edge of an area so you are getting the plant you want.

Stephie: it wouldn't be the first time that references disagree with each other. How easy a plant is to propagate should not be different from country to country yet.... Take some softwood cuttings as insurance if you can. Extra material never hurts.

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  • Will do if I can get them - most places I've seen I would have to battle a thick undergrowth of stinging nettles and bramble, knee-high. Besides, digging is forbidden at least in the protected areas, snipping off a branch or two would be ok, they get cut back for harvesting anyway. Sigh. Any suggestions on cuttings? It appears it's doable, but not easy? Other sources write about "I forgot a branch in a vase and suddenly there were roots" - but without details, as usual.
    – Stephie ♦
    Aug 6, 2015 at 13:06
  • Your own source writes: "By softwood cutting - simple, inexpensive, and highly successful".
    – Stephie ♦
    Aug 6, 2015 at 13:38
  • I already have a few twigs in a jar... Will start digging if I get the opportunity and try cuttings in soil, too. Will post an answer if I'm successful - or a major fail.
    – Stephie ♦
    Aug 6, 2015 at 15:44

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