I want to propagate and **old** lilac bush…it is at my grandmothers home, which is being sold end of March. Normally, I would dig up some shoots from the ground, but its so early in the season, there are none. I have rooting hormone- can I root it?? If so, from where do I make a cutting: do I need tender new suckery shoots or a part of a main branch? This thing is super woody & 60 years old so finding a small branch is tough. Thanks! pls email me at mardeka@aol.com as I have no way of finding your reply on this page.
The best and easiest way is going to be capturing a “sucker” that pops form the ground below the mother plant. The sucker will have the start of a root system already if you dig deep and carefully enough. You can root a cutting but you have to wait until it starts to grow and produces new growth in early summer. The new growth will root much more readily than anything on the plant now. HERE’S a link to an article that will walk you through the rooting process.