Planting in a pot
Hydrangea is a beautiful shrub with lush foliage and multi-colored inflorescence caps. Many amateur flower growers, having seen this blooming beauty at least once, will no longer want to part with her. In order not to buy planting material, the plant can be propagated independently.
One way is propagation by cuttings. Its advantage is the complete preservation of all the decorative features of the species, as well as the ability to quickly grow a blooming young specimen. To propagate hydrangea in this way, you will have to spend a little time and effort, as well as take into account some features and nuances. In the article you will learn how to cut hydrangea cuttings.
When can hydrangeas be cut?
Pruning cuttings and processing them with a stimulant
An important point for successful propagation by cuttings is the preservation of moisture in the shoots. Therefore, the best time for slicing is early morning. It is necessary to cut off the very top of the shoot, which has 2-4 pairs of leaves. You should choose the strongest, healthy branches without any defects. The cut is made at a 45˚ angle just below the bottom knot.
The bottom two sheets should be completely removed. The remaining sheet plates are cut in half.
If the reproduction of the plant occurs in early spring, then the cut branches are kept in a warm place in water for 3-5 days. Then they should be cut into several parts, while each of them should have 3-5 kidneys.
Not every cooked hydrangea cutting takes root well and grows, therefore cuttings are recommended to be treated with stimulants, which contribute to the rooting and rapid growth of young specimens.
Prepared cuttings are soaked for 10-12 hours in a solution of "Epin" in the proportion of 2 ml per 2 liters of water. Another option is a solution of HB101, at the rate of 1-2 drops per 1 liter of water. In this case, the soaking time is reduced to 30 minutes.
Finally, the lower part of the cutting, including the first internode, is dipped in Kornevin or Root powder to stimulate root formation. Then the cutting is planted in the ground.
How to root hydrangea cuttings
It is important to consider that propagating hydrangea by cuttings (it doesn’t matter, in spring or summer) is not a quick matter that requires patience. Before starting the treatment of cuttings with root stimulants, the soil should be prepared for planting. There are different composition options. The most common ones are:
Before planting, the substrate is treated with steam for disinfection.
The cuttings must be planted in the ground at an angle of 45˚, deepened by about 2-3 cm. They should not touch each other, and their leaves should not touch the sand.
Another way to root cuttings is in water. Water is settled in advance for 2-3 days to remove calcium salts from it. When the length of the roots reaches 2-3 cm, the cuttings are planted in the ground. The water in the glass should be changed every other day to avoid rotting of the cuttings.
Caring for planted cuttings
To do this, the container with the planted cuttings is covered with a transparent plastic bag or a glass jar and placed in a shaded place. This will protect the cuttings from overheating and drying out.
The greenhouse needs to be ventilated daily. Watering should be carried out as needed - about 1-2 times in 10 days. If it is summer outside, containers with cuttings can be taken out into the fresh air into the garden.
The main condition is that the ambient temperature during the day be in the range of 20-25˚, and at night - 15-18˚. When creating such favorable conditions, the roots of the cuttings should appear within a month.
Planting in a pot
When the cuttings take root and they have 1-2 new young leaves, the shelter is removed.
After a week or two, each of the cuttings can be transplanted into individual pots. They should be shallow, diameter and height - about 10 cm.
The soil for young plants needs nutritious and light. You can buy ready-made substrate in the store or prepare the mixture yourself. To do this, take peat, river sand and garden soil in a ratio of 2: 1: 2.
Hydrangea can be planted in open ground only next spring.
Landing in the garden
For the winter, young specimens of hydrangeas can be dug into the ground directly in pots so that their root system does not freeze. In this case, they should be carefully covered, for example, with fallen leaves. Another option is to place containers with cuttings in the basement with a temperature of 1-5˚, only after the leaves have fallen. Watering stops completely.
In the spring, when the first signs of growth appear, watering is gradually restored.
When the threat of frost passes, young plants are planted in open ground either in a permanent place or in a "school" garden for another 1 year.
Before planting, the earth is well dug up. 1 tablespoon of universal mineral fertilizer is added to each well. Hydrangea is planted along with a clod of earth.
In order not to damage the root system, watering is not done for several days before transplanting. Thanks to this, the hydrangea is much easier to get out of the pot along with the ground. To get a lush bush, after transplanting, it is recommended to cut the seedling to 2/3 of its height.
Features of reproduction of hydrangea by type
The main feature when cutting large-leaved hydrangeas, is its low cold resistance compared to other species. The basic principles of its reproduction are the same as described above.
However, it reproduces exclusively by non-lignified cuttings of the current year. The best time for this is from June to September. Only apical cuttings should be selected. For the winter, not only young specimens of this species are sheltered, but also adults, in order to avoid freezing.
cuttings hydrangea paniculata carried out only in summer, when the shoots contain a lot of moisture, and the leaves do not evaporate much of it. This is around the middle and end of June.
How to propagate hydrangea paniculata - cuttings are recommended to be taken from the bottom of the bush. At the same time, they are not cut off, but break off along with the “heel”. The lower leaves are removed, and the rest are not shortened. Then the cuttings are planted either in pots or in open ground. Otherwise, the breeding technology does not differ from the standard.
If buds appear on the bush in the first year of life, it is better to remove them. This will help strengthen the root system. For the winter, young specimens shelter only the first few years of life.
Feature when cutting tree hydrangea, is the possibility of rooting its cuttings not only in spring and summer, but also in autumn. At the same time, the process of rooting and growing young specimens is carried out at home in pots.
Hydrangea care basics in the garden
When you know how to propagate hydrangeas from cuttings, it is important to follow the rules for caring for the plant.
Hydrangea is a photophilous plant. Therefore, the most suitable place for her will be a sunny place, but at the same time protected from cold winds and drafts.
The plant also loves moisture. It should be watered abundantly and regularly, especially on hot summer days. The soil must not be allowed to dry out.
In addition, hydrangea is demanding on the composition of the soil. It will grow well in nutritious, acidic or slightly acidic soils that are well permeable to water and air.
Sand, from which nutrients are quickly washed out, or soil with lime impurities are completely unsuitable for it.
For good growth and abundant flowering, hydrangeas need regular ones. From early spring until the end of July, she needs mineral fertilizers twice a month and organic fertilizers once a month.
For the winter, hydrangea bushes are covered with spruce branches or fallen leaves., since they are not very cold-resistant and can freeze slightly. To stimulate flowering and form a lush bush, pruning is carried out in the spring. The tops of the shoots are cut so that 3-4 flower buds remain on each of them.
Knowing how to grow a hydrangea from a cutting, you can grow a chic lush bush that will delight you with multi-colored large inflorescence caps for a long time!
You can read about caring for room hydrangea.
