How to propagate dogwood yourself?
There are several ways to propagate dogwood: seeds, layering, dividing the bush, root suckers, and grafting. Subject to all the rules and a clear sequence of actions, any method will bring excellent results. To begin with, you should study the details of each method and choose the option that is more acceptable for yourself.
How to propagate dogwood cuttings
Separation of the escape is done in the morning. From the branch you like, the upper part of the shoot 10-15 cm long is cut off. Using a sharp knife, we make an oblique cut 1 cm below the last bud. Then shears will need to remove all the leaves, except for the top 2-3.
The finished cutting should be placed in a pre-prepared solution for several hours, which is a growth stimulant. After the time has elapsed, rinse the workpiece with cold water and plant it in a greenhouse.
If a lot of cuttings sit down, then they are placed densely. Approximately every 3-4 cm. It is necessary to water the soil well. After planting, sprinkle the soil with pre-washed coarse sand. Its layer should be about 10 cm.
At the end of the work, it is necessary to cover everything with film. A distance of approximately 20 cm should be left from the tops of the cuttings to the ceiling of the greenhouse. Greenhouse conditions require maintaining a humid climate with a temperature of about 25 ° C. Do not forget in the future about mandatory ventilation and periodic watering.
The root will form in two months. It is possible to reduce the rooting time when using certain types of stimulants.
The formed root system signals the arrival of the hardening pore of the seedlings. It is worth starting with a short-term removal of the film in the greenhouse, gradually increasing the time daily. It is necessary to calculate the period so that on the tenth, perhaps twelfth day, completely remove the mini-greenhouse.
Later you can plant young dogwood seedlings. When adaptation takes place in a new place, it is advisable to feed with organic and nitrogen fertilizers... A year later, they are transplanted to a permanent place of shrub growth. For such works, both spring and autumn are suitable.
This method is characterized by a low growth rate of seedlings. But it is quite suitable if it suits the gardener or there is no need for a large production volume of cultivation.
Dogwood propagation by seeds
This method is no less lengthy, laborious and painstaking. For reproduction of dogwood from the stone, the fruits are harvested in the fall, removing the pulp from the grain. Then, for a whole year, the seeds are placed in a humid environment with moss or sawdust. Of course, it is necessary to regularly water the substrate, protecting it from drying out. This is how stratification occurs, which is needed for the speedy growth and hardening of seeds.
Another method of this growing method involves planting freshly harvested seeds directly in the open ground in the fall. By the same principle, chrysanthemum seeds are propagated. Dogwood germination will also occur in a year. But in this case, germination can be much worse due to the unpredictability of natural conditions.
The seeds, which are collected from unripe fruits, have the best germination.
Dogwood seeds go 3-5 cm deep into the ground.When the first shoots appear, feed and water as needed. It is also necessary to arrange protection for sprouts from exposure to direct sunlight in order to avoid burns of foliage and rapid drying of the soil.
In autumn a year later, the seedlings will be up to 15 cm high. They can already be transplanted to a new place of growth.
The first fruits will appear only after 7-10 years.
Grafting of dogwood with a handle
This method is called budding. It is most preferred among gardeners for breeding dogwood and other species. fruit bushes, trees. A big plus of grafting is that it can be done both in the spring during the period of movement of the juices, and from the middle of summer, when the bark is well peeled.
Grafting of dogwood by cuttings is carried out mainly on its wild species because of their greater adaptation to various natural factors and survival in the natural environment.
A suitable height for grafting on wild dogwood is 10-15 cm.If standard forms are used, 75-80 cm.
The stock, that is, the place where the graft will be inserted, is cut exactly. A depression is formed in the middle part. Graft - upper cutting. It should have a total length of about 15 cm.
Prepared like this:
- The future upper part is cut off over the kidney with an oblique cut. It must be treated with garden varnish.
- The lower part should have a wedge-shaped cut with a length of 4 cm. This is done using two oblique sections with a sharp disinfected object.
Two-year-old seedlings are used for grafting dogwood.
In the process of grafting, the scion wedge is carefully inserted into the recess so that part of the cut remains outside. The joint is wrapped in transparent material to support the structure. The bush itself is sprinkled with a mixture peat and sand to the grafting site.
After such a procedure, the dogwood should be placed in greenhouse conditions, where the two parts will grow together faster. This requires an elevated temperature. Successful fusion can be determined by the appearance of a new tissue at the site of inoculation - callus. This means that it is time to transplant the dogwood into the open ground and remove the winding.
Further, you will only need to monitor in order to cut off the shoots that have appeared from the rootstock in time. This procedure is necessary to avoid the formation of fruits on the wild part of the dogwood.
Reproduction by layering
The easiest way to get a new plant is vegetative propagation. This method involves sprinkling earth on individual branches from the selected bush. After such a procedure, the shoots take root and new dogwood seedlings will appear from them.
In autumn or early spring, one-year shoots or branches that are two years old should be selected on the bush. Having tilted and slightly pressed them to the previously dug ground, secure with pins near the soil surface. Sprinkle with earth the entire part of the shoot, except for the top. It must be pinned and, slightly raised, fixed on a vertical support. Regular watering is required.
Pre-fertilization of the soil will ensure the early emergence of buds and new shoots. Already in the spring of the next year, young dogwood seedlings are separated from the old bush and transplanted to a new place.
Dividing the bush
This fast propagation method is used when a large mature plant needs to be transplanted to another location. One bush is divided into many new seedlings.
Reproduction by division can be done twice a year:
- before the buds ripen in early spring;
- late autumn.
Taking the plant out of the ground, it is cleaned of dry branches. The soil is carefully removed from the rhizome and the bush is divided into several parts. Each new, ready-to-plant specimen must have a stem and root. Having trimmed the rhizome, each part of the dogwood shrub is transplanted to its own separate, specially prepared place.
Any of the described methods is available and not difficult to implement.The main thing is to adhere to the rules while observing the temperature regime, watering and choosing the right place for planting a new bush. Then, after a certain time, you can get an excellent harvest of very useful dogwood berries.