Live Stakes

Live stakes are cuttings of specific shrubs that have the ability to grow roots directly from their stems under certain conditions. Many of the species in Maine that have this ability grow in or around wetlands. Using live stakes is an easy and inexpensive way to add shrubs to an existing wet area or ditch so you can avoid mowing, create a thicket for wildlife on the edge of a woods, or create a screen of vegetation with the added benefits of providing food and nesting habitat.

Red-twig dogwood (l); Pussy willow (center); Silky dogwood (r)

Native Maine species for making live stakes

Common name	Scientific name
Willows – basically all	Salix spp.
Silky dogwood	Swida amomum
Red-osier dogwood	Swida sericea
Round-leaved dogwood	Swida rugosa
Gray Dogwood	Swida racemosa
Buttonbush	Cephalanthus occidentalis
Speckled alder	Alnus incana
Northern spice bush	Lindera benzoin
Black elderberry	Sambucus nigra
Meadowsweet	Spiraea alba
Arrow wood	Viburnum dentatum
Nannyberry	Viburnum lentago
Winterberry holly	Ilex verticillata

Gray dogwood (l); Red-twig dogwood (r)

Harvesting

In order to harvest live stakes, cuttings can be taking during the dormant season (winter or early spring). However, early spring is the optimal time, because they can be harvested and immediately planted after the ground has thawed. If you harvest when they can’t go directly into the ground, they need to be stored in a cool dark place and kept moist. Drying out will diminish the stake’s ability to grow roots.

To harvest stakes, take cuttings from any of the species mentioned. Be sure to limit the number of stems you harvest to about 1/3 the total number on any single plant as not to damage the donor plant. Aim for stems between ¼ and 1” in diameter. Cut each stem into sections about 2'– 5’ long that contain 5–7 nodes (leaf or branch buds) per section. Cut off any small branches. Make a horizontal cut immediately above a bud at the top end and make a cut at an angle immediately below a bud at the bottom end. This will help you easily recognize which end goes up when planting. As mentioned above, store the stakes appropriately until it is time to plant. Before planting, soak the stakes in a bucket of water for about 24 hours.

Locating

Because many of the easy-to-root species are adapted to moist soils, that is where you will have the most success with this technique. The edge of a woodland where there is standing water for only a small part of the year will be able to support any of the species on the list. If you want these species to live in a dryer area, I would recommend getting them started in a semi-shaded area with moist soil, let them establish roots and shoots for a year or two, then transplant them to their new home. If you want to plant them directly in a location that is partially sunny but fairly dry, you should be prepared to water the stakes during the first summer of establishment.

Planting

To succeed with live stakes, it is important to plant them deeply—that means that 2/3–3/4 of the entire stake will be underground with only one or two nodes or buds above ground. To do this easily, you should make a pilot hole with a piece of rebar or some other long narrow object about the diameter of your stake. Make your holes at a 90-degree angle to the surface of the soil. Insert the object into the soil to the appropriate depth, remove it, then insert the live stake. If the hole is substantially larger in diameter than the stake, fill it with soil or compost and then water it in. Even if you can’t get much soil into the hole, watering will help collapse the sides of the hole to provide good contact with the stake to eliminate the possibility of the stake drying out. If you plan to transplant the stake in the future, remember when digging it up how deeply it was planted and be sure to dig down to remove the entire stake along with its new roots.

Surviving

Some species will root more easily or more consistently than others. If you are planting to create a thicket or stabilize the shore of a pond or stream, plant one about every square foot or two. Some will not survive, so it is important to plant densely to accomplish your objective. If all goes well you will see leaves emerge in early summer. Do not worry if you don’t see a lot of growth, the plant is working on its roots. The plants should should start to put on new growth the following summer. This method creates a lot of plants with little investment but you will have to be patient for them to really establish and start growing!