How to propagate hydrangea.

The lushly blooming hydrangea, striking with the beauty of the inflorescences, because of which, sometimes, even the greenery of the bush is not visible, will leave few people indifferent, and the gardeners will simply lose their peace until this beauty is on their site. At first glance, even for experienced gardeners who do not have experience in growing hydrangeas, the reproduction of this shrub seems to be quite difficult. In fact, this process does not require any special skills. You just need to know some rules, as well as follow simple recommendations, and even a not too experienced gardener will be able to independently grow the required amount of planting material. So, in this article we will tell you how to properly propagate a hydrangea.

What options can you propagate hydrangea.

It should be noted that it is not at all difficult to obtain hydrangea planting material on your own, and there is more than one option for reproduction of a bush, including: seeds, layering, shoots, cuttings, dividing the bush.

It should be noted that the listed options have both pros and cons.

For example, it is not always possible to purchase the hydrangea of ​​the desired variety, and many order the seeds of the plant they like. In this case, you need to be prepared for the fact that the process of growing seedlings will require more effort and time, and the result will not meet expectations. Indeed, it is not uncommon that only half of the seeds can sprout, and the remaining half, as a result, will not fully possess all the qualities and properties of the mother plant. This, by the way, is a fairly common drawback of this particular breeding method. For this reason, more often, the shrub is propagated by cuttings, layering, and also by dividing the bush. Since many people note the ease and, at the same time, the effectiveness of the three listed methods, we will analyze each of them in more detail.

A bush from a cutting.

Cutting is perhaps one of the easiest ways to propagate hydrangeas. So, with its help, from a small plant, but with great, on your part, care and attention, you can grow a full-fledged shrub with gorgeous inflorescences, which will become a landmark of your garden, after which you can no longer be called an inexperienced gardener.

When starting to reproduce hydrangeas, you just need to take into account some of the nuances.

Cuttings should be cut from the number of healthy shoots, without signs of disease, pests, or any mechanical damage. Also, cuttings are recommended to be made from young, not yet lignified lower shoots, facing the sunny side. In addition, you should not cut cuttings from shoots of young shrubs that are not yet one year old. Rooting of such cuttings is unlikely. Moreover, the bush itself has not yet matured, the root system is not developed enough to restore the shoots that will be cut off. As a result, you can completely destroy the plant.

It should be noted that hydrangea can be cut through the entire season, from the first summer month to October. Therefore, if the first June attempt was not very successful, taking into account the possible mistakes made, you can practice in cutting hydrangea even until the fall.

In the summer, cut cuttings are usually planted directly into the ground, and in the fall in specially prepared containers, which are then placed in a room where the cuttings take root and grow until spring. In the latter case, of course, more care and attention will be required, it will be necessary to maintain a certain air temperature and prevent the soil from drying out.

For cutting shoots and cutting cuttings, only well-sharpened tools should be used.

Experts recommend cutting branches for cuttings in the morning or on a cloudy day, then they lose less moisture, which is important for their rooting and future growth. Moreover, the branches, immediately after they are cut, must be placed in water, not least leaving them without moisture.

After pruning, each of the cuttings should have three, at least two pairs of leaves. In the lowest pair, the leaves are cut off completely, in the second and third, they are shortened by at least half. Both the upper and lower cuts of the cuttings are made obliquely. The distance from the beginning of the cut to the internodes from which the leaves grow should be at least 1 cm.

Before planting the hydrangea in the ground, the cuttings must be left in the solution for three hours, placing them so that the shoot leaves are above the water surface. This solution consists of water with the addition of a few drops of a growth-promoting drug. The container with the cuttings placed in the solution is left in the dark. By the way, in the absence of growth stimulants, you can simply add a small spoonful of honey to a glass of water. As experienced gardeners note, the roots will appear even faster in this case.

When planting cuttings, it should be remembered that a sunny place is not suitable for them, since the leaves of the seedlings can burn. The soil optimal for growing cuttings of hydrangea consists of sand and peat, in a ratio of one to two. These components must be mixed well. In the absence of these ingredients, use a commercially available soil designed for growing azaleas, ideally balanced in composition and for young plants. hydrangeas.

It is necessary to melt wax, paraffin in advance, or you can simply prepare brilliant green. Before planting, in any of the indicated means, it will be necessary to lower the upper cut of the cuttings.

The planting soil is slightly moistened and cuttings are planted. The depth of their planting is no more than 3 cm, and the leaves should not touch the ground. On top of the soil, a layer of sand with a thickness of at least 2.5 cm should be poured. Further, in order for the cuttings to take root more easily, they must be covered. You can use cut plastic bottles, glass jars, and even simple plastic bags for this. However, using bags, they will need to be removed every other day and the seedlings should be ventilated. Covering the cuttings will allow you to water them less often during the week, just a couple of times is enough. Leaving the seedlings open, in addition to increasing the number of waterings, it will be necessary to spray them additionally, up to twice a day.

Usually, rooting of cuttings takes at least a month, regardless of whether they are planted in open ground or in a container. If you did everything correctly, the cuttings took root and took root, then after this time the buds will begin to swell and, soon, new leaves will hatch. You should not rush to remove the shelters, this should be done not earlier than the moment you notice that the cuttings have started to grow.

Further, it is important to provide the seedlings with constant care, monitor the air temperature and soil moisture. Recall that you will need to water and spray the plants at least 2 times a week. At this stage, the seedlings are very weak and react to any seemingly minor changes. For example, temperature fluctuations of 5-7 degrees can already cause their death.

In the spring, a couple of weeks before the hydrangeas are planted, they begin to harden. Containers with plants for several hours a day are left, first, on a closed veranda. Then, as the plants adapt to a given temperature, they continue to be hardened and taken out into the street, starting from one hour a day, gradually increasing this time.

As soon as positive temperatures are established, the plants are planted in a selected place or in separate beds for subsequent growing.

Divide the hydrangea bush.

Let's make a reservation right away that the division of the bush is unacceptable for only one type of hydrangea - panicle. The possibility of using this method is also limited to a certain period - mid-September. Delenki planted at a later date, most likely, will not have time to grow roots, as well as stock up on food and nutrients necessary to survive the winter.

Dividing the bush will require care and accuracy. To begin with, they dig in the bush a little, then, slowly, completely dig it out with a pitchfork, trying to injure the roots as little as possible. The dug out shrub is divided in such a way that at least 2 renewal buds remain on each of the divisions, that is, buds from which shoots will develop in the future.

Planting holes must be prepared in advance. In addition, complex mineral fertilizers must be added to the soil mixture with which the holes will be poured, which contribute to the adaptation of plants after division and transplantation. Further, the bushes should be watered abundantly. In order for the plants to take root faster and build up the root system, watering is done every two days. However, if the fall is rainy, then there is no need for watering.

It is possible to get a cut without digging up a hydrangea. To do this, the bush is dug in, freeing some of the roots from the ground. Further, the shoots, along with the roots, are separated from the bush using a well-sharpened and clean tool. The resulting cut, without hesitation, is planted in a hole prepared in advance. This method of dividing is, of course, less painful for the shrub. In addition, this method is suitable for those who would like to rejuvenate already mature bushes.

Getting the cuttings of the plant.

It is advisable to start propagation of a shrub by layering after the end of its flowering. This method, perhaps, will require almost no effort, while in the spring you will have the required amount of planting material.

To begin with, the soil of the trunk circle must be dug up by about 15 cm.In this case, you do not need to be zealous, since you can easily damage the roots. Further, the ground is leveled and, perpendicular to the bush, small grooves are made, only a couple of centimeters deep. A shoot is laid in each groove and fixed with metal pins, made, for example, of wire. Try to lay the shoot so that the top of the shoot stays above the soil and is vertical. The layers need to be sprinkled with soil a little, so that the sprouts that begin to appear after 2-3 weeks can break through the soil layer. When the sprouts reach 8-10 cm in height, they will also need to be hilled. It is important to remember that the best result will be given by not yet lignified shoots.

When watering your hydrangea, do not forget to water the cut furrows. You can divide the layers not earlier than spring or next fall.

It should be noted that this breeding method is still not very common. The shrub, which is regularly cared for, does not have many shoots, since it undergoes regular sanitary pruning, as well as formative pruning. However, due to its efficiency and ease of execution, it is quite suitable for breeding shrubs.

Conclusion

Thus, the above methods for breeding a shrub will not cause difficulties even for a novice gardener. The main thing to remember is that hydrangea is a very moisture-loving plant, therefore ensuring regular watering is the key to the correct and timely development of the shrub. Well, the reward for the painstaking work will be lush blooming buds, pleasing to the eye and decorating the garden.