A Production System and Costs for Propagating Dogwood Cultivars from Softwood Cuttings

Propagation of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.) cultivars from softwood cuttings offers a successful alternative method to producing cultivars by field budding of dogwood seedlings. The total cost to produce an acceptable rooted cutting is $0.34. A 9-month propagation period, mid-July to mid-April, is required. Variable costs comprised 79% of total costs with labor being the most important variable cost item. Rooting dogwood cultivars is economically practical and in the future more growers will be producing dogwoods by this propagation method.