How to Grow Gray Dogwood (Cornus Racemosa) | Gardener’s Path

Within several weeks to a few months, roots should form. When the cuttings are well established, they can be transplanted into the garden or larger pots.

From Suckers

You can also dig up and transplant suckers, the shoots this species naturally produces. In early spring, choose a young shoot growing a short distance from the parent.

Use a sharp spade to cut the connecting root, then lift the sucker with its root system intact. Replant it at the same depth in a prepared spot and water well until established.

Transplanting

To transplant cuttings, seedlings, or a starter plant, dig a hole twice as wide and the same depth as the root ball.

Unpot the plant from its growing container and set it so the crown is level with the surrounding soil. Backfill with soil and water in well.

Space shrubs about six to 10 feet apart to allow for their mature spread.

If you’re creating a hedge or thicket, place them closer together, about four to six feet apart, to encourage a dense stand.

Pests and Disease

For the most part, gray dogwoods are blessedly free from pests and diseases.

You’re more likely to run into herbivores that want to devour the twigs and berries. Let’s talk about those, first.

Herbivores

Birds adore the fruits and you’ll attract all kinds of sweet songbirds when you grow gray dogwoods.

Wildlife like bears, squirrels, and chipmunks will feed on the fruits, as well. But you might also attract some unwelcome critters, even when the plants aren’t fruiting.

Mule deer will assume that you planted gray dogwoods for their pleasure. They will mow down young plants and devour the leaves and young branches of more mature specimens.

Check out our guide to managing deer for tips.

Otherwise, fencing when the plant is young will help keep out the skunks, bears, turkeys, beavers, and rabbits.

When the plants are mature, they can mostly fend for themselves and will bounce back from a feeding frenzy.

Insects

I know I said they’re generally pest-free, but I do want to give you a heads up of the few critters that you might see, especially in stressed plants.

Our guide to dogwood pests has more information.

Dogwood Sawflies

Dogwood sawflies (Macremphytus tarsatus) are yellow and black caterpillars that feed on the foliage of many plants in the Cornus genus.

Severe infestations can strip small shrubs of their leaves.

You can put on some gloves and hand-pick the larvae, then drown them in soapy water.

Insecticidal soap, horticultural oil, or products containing Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk) are also effective.

Btk specifically targets caterpillars and is less harmful to beneficial insects than broad-spectrum insecticides.

Bonide Thuricide

You can find a quart-, gallon-, or 16-ounce concentrate of Bonide’s Thuricide, which harnesses Btk, at Arbico Organics.

Clubgall Midge

Clubgall midges (Resseliella clavula) are tiny flies with orange abdomens and black and yellow wings, but it’s the larvae that do the damage.

In spring, females lay eggs in developing buds. When the maggots hatch, their feeding triggers swollen galls that protect them as they develop. These galls can cause the affected twig to die.