Using willow water to start elderberry cuttings

JohnW Moody wrote:Thank you everyone!

Hi John, It's great to see you hanging out and answering questions here at Permies! Do you recommend using willow water to help the cuttings get started?

Richard,
Thank you.  Personally, I see little to no need.  Generally good quality cuttings of elder are quite prolific (and relatively inexpensive if not shipped) apart from any intervention.  
You will possibly increase your success rate some, so if you have it and like using it, no harm.

Sorry if I should be starting my own thread for this but I think it relates to the initial post to warrant continuing it. Do you usually take dormant hardwood cuttings or spring softwood cuttings? I'm fairly new to cuttings and cloning but am under the impression that for rooting the softwood cuttings are best but for grafting you would use a fall hardwood cutting? Would it be for the dormant hardwood that you would want to use something like willow water with? Or am I barking up the wrong tree with my tangent?

Gail,
Elder can be propogated in many, many ways - hardwood, softwood, root/rhizome, seed...  I have done all but seed, and all were successful.    

Both hardwood and softwood can be direct planted/transplanted.   You do hardwood when dormant, aiming to get 4 growth nodes per cuttings (about 6-8 inches in cutting length usually).  

I have never used willow or other rooting chemicals with hardwood dormants, and yet had 75% general success rate or higher.