Propagate Chilean Myrtle From a Summer Heel Cutting

Propagate Chilean Myrtle From a Summer Heel Cutting guide illustration

Propagate Chilean myrtle from a summer heel cutting kept humid, or sow cleaned seed.

How to Propagate Chilean Myrtle care summary diagram

Take summer heel cuttings and keep them humid

FactorRecommendedAvoid
WoodA 3-to-4-inch heel cutting of half-ripe wood in July or August, from a non-flowering shootDo not take a floppy, flower-heavy tip and push it into wet mix
MixA draining cutting mix under a cover so the air stays humidDo not let the cutting dry out, and do not sit it in standing water
After rootPot it on and grow it for a season or two before the open groundDo not plant a new cutting into a windy bed the same week it roots

Cuttings keep the parent, including a named leaf color. Take a short heel of half-ripe wood in midsummer, keep it humid, then pot it when roots show. [1] Site and watering stay on How to Grow Chilean Myrtle.

Can I grow Chilean myrtle from cuttings?

Yes. Take a 3-to-4-inch heel cutting of half-ripe wood in July or August and keep it humid until it roots.

  1. Cut a 3-to-4-inch piece of half-ripe wood with a thin heel of older stem, from a shoot that is not in flower. July or August is the usual window. [2]
  2. Dip the base if you use rooting hormone, then push it into a draining mix. Cover the pot so the air stays humid, and keep the mix barely moist.
  3. When roots hold, pot it on. Grow Chilean myrtle in that pot for a season or two, then plant it out in late spring. [3]
  4. Softwood in early summer is a second window if you missed July. Keep those cuttings humid the same way.

Sow cleaned seed, or wait for a self-sown seedling in a mild garden

A seed makes a seedling, not a named leaf shrub. In a mild garden, plants also drop seedlings around the parent. [4]

  1. Collect ripe dark berries. Clean off the pulp. Soak the seed in warm water for about a day.
  2. Sow in late winter under cover, in a mix that drains. Keep it barely moist until seedlings show.
  3. Prick out into small pots. Grow them under cover through the first winter, then plant out after the last hard frost.
  4. If a seedling comes up under a parent in a mild garden, lift it with a root ball and pot it the same way.

Can I grow Chilean myrtle from seed?

Yes. Clean the fruit, soak the seed a day, and sow in late winter under cover. A named leaf color will not come true from seed.

If a cutting dries out before it roots, sow cleaned seed the same season so one route can succeed.

FAQ

Will a named leaf color come true from seed?

No. Take a cutting if you want the same leaf edge. Seed makes a seedling.

Can I layer a low branch?

Yes, if a low stem already touches soil. Cuttings are the usual route.

Recommended plants

References

  1. [1] Plants For A Future - https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Luma+apiculata
  2. [2] Royal Horticultural Society - https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/19921/luma-apiculata/details
  3. [3] Jekka's Herb Farm - https://www.jekkas.com/blogs/jekkas-blog/all-about-herbs-myrtle-myrtus
  4. [4] Trees and Shrubs Online - https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/luma/luma-apiculata/

This note is part of Luma Guides.

More notes on making another plant live in Propagating Guides.

Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors

This guide is written for real gardens, not perfect climates. Results vary with site, season, and plant choice. We draw on multiple sources and practical experience; treat the steps here as honest guidance, not a promise that every bed will behave the same.