Question
My mother gave many pieces of her plum trees to friends. She claimed she just cut a branch and put it in the ground.  This sounds too easy to me.  Now a cousin wants a cutting from my tree.  Can you tell me the procedure?  I live in Santa Barbara & the tree will be going to Monterey.

Answer
Take soft wood cuttings in the early summer that are 6-8 inches long.  Strip off all of the leaves except the last two or three.  Dip the cuttings in a rooting hormone like Rootone, which is available at most nurseries and garden centers and place the cuttings one inch deep in damp, warm sand.  Don't let the sand dry out and make sure it stays warm.  Rooting should have started by 8 weeks.  You can probe gently with a stick or pencil around the cutting to check for roots.  Once a good root system has been established, gently prick out the cuttings and plant them in separate pots and then place outdoors in a spot where the cutting will be protected from direct sunlight, wind, hail, rain and extremes in temperatures for 10 days.