Optimal Time/Temperature for Germination:conditions. It grows rapidly in wet conditions and tolerates humid conditions more readily than overly dry conditions. Although it can be grown from seed with relative ease, Spicebush is not as easily propagated otherwise. It can be successfully propagated by softwood cuttings, although a successful propagation can be difficult. The best time to take softwood cuttings for spicebush propagation is in the late summer or autumn. Use a rooting hormone for best results, and plant the cutting in a moistened mixture of perlite and soilless mix. Softwood cuttings need high humidity in order to sprout roots, so keep the newly potted softwood cutting in a plastic bag to create a humid environment until roots develop. Fortunately, the berries that adorn the female plants contain its seeds, so if you have a female spicebush (or know someone that does!) it is easy to grow new plants. If by seed, place fresh seed from harvest buried in a pot with a silty soil, and allow the soil mi- crobes to break down the flesh of the fruit over the fall and winter. Leave this pot outdoors buried halfway underground so it is not subjected to the coldest winter temperatures. In early spring, strain the silty soil from the seeds by using a hose on a jet setting and a strainer; washing the silty soil away leaving only the seeds and sow in early spring.