How to propagate myrtle at home with cuttings

A beautiful myrtle tree cleans the air in the room and has a beneficial effect on a person, calms him. An experienced florist knows how to propagate myrtle at home. There are two main ways - cuttings and seed germination. These procedures will be interesting to everyone who already has a tree growing at home.

Propagation by cuttings

Many flower growers are interested in such a legendary and exotic plant as myrtle: propagation by cuttings at home will not allow you to throw away all the cut shoots, but give one of them a chance at life.

Propagating myrtle is very easy.

Spring and summer are ideal for propagating myrtle cuttings. May and August are best suited for this purpose, but you can carry out the procedure in other months. When the weather is warm, cuttings will take root quickly and will grow. But in the fall, when it is rapidly getting colder, the sprigs have no chance of rooting, so you can’t propagate plants with cuttings at this time of year. Winter plantings are not for tropical trees.

Cuttings

Where to get the cuttings and how to prepare them:

1. Sanitize clippers or pruners to prevent infection in the plant.
2. Cut off a strong healthy shoot. You can cut both green and woody processes. But we must remember that green branches take root faster.
3. Separate from him a stalk 12-15 cm long and remove leaves from its lower half.
4. It is advisable to plant a branch immediately, because it can be stored for no longer than 24 hours. To do this, they wrap it in a damp cloth.
5. Myrtle stalk is treated with a root growth stimulator. You can put it in water for several hours in which this drug is dissolved.
6. Put drainage: perlite and vermiculite are poured on the bottom of the pot or box. A pot with a drainage hole is required so that water does not accumulate near the roots.
7. Prepare the substrate: mix turf (30%), humus (20%), peat (30%) and sand (20%). If this is not possible, use greenhouse land.
8. The soil is abundantly watered with water, which must first be defended during the day.
9. The cuttings are carefully inserted into the ground to a depth of 3 cm.
10. Tamp the soil.
11. Top seedlings are covered with glass or a plastic bottle with a cut neck.
12. The box is placed in a warm place, protected from sunlight and bright light.
13. Once a day, the greenhouse is removed and the myrtle is allowed to ventilate.
14. It is necessary to carefully monitor how the young myrtle grows: the rooting of cuttings occurs within 1 month.

Rooting

There is an alternative way to root myrtle. To do this, put the handle in water closer to the heat source (battery, heater). He will take root in 1.5 months.

Step-by-step transplant instructions:

1. Crushed stone, broken brick or pebbles are poured at the bottom of the tub.
2. Expanded clay or other small drainage is laid on top of the second layer.
3. Prepare a new substrate: mix deciduous earth, vermicompost and perlite.
4. Vertically place the seedling in the soil and sprinkle the root neck with earth.
5. Water the soil with plenty of water. If at the same time he settles, you need to add some more earth and water again.
6. Excess fluid must be drained and the condition of the drainage hole in the bottom checked.
7. Mulch the earth from above with vermiculite.

Young sprout needs excellent care

After 2-3 years, the young myrtle tree will bloom.

Beginning flower growers are faced with a difficult choice in which way it is better to grow myrtle: cuttings are the fastest and most effective way to propagate this plant. Cut off shoots retain all the properties of the mother plant.

Seed propagation

Unlike cuttings, when propagated by seeds, a new plant will not retain the qualities and even varietal characteristics of the mother bush. Growing from seeds will require a lot of work and time, but may not succeed, because not all of them will germinate.

It is necessary to choose seeds no older than 1 year, because over time they lose their quality and may not sprout. You can buy myrtle seeds in the store or get them from the berries of an adult tree.

So that they actively germinate, they are stratified. This is done in winter - in January or February:

• Anneal the sand over a fire or pour over potassium permanganate solution, and then treat with fungicides.
• Soak the seeds for 24 hours in a glass with potassium permanganate.
• Pour wet sand and seeds into a small box or bag, mix them and refrigerate for 2 months. They should be there at a temperature of 0 ... +4 ° C.
• Sometimes they are aired on the windowsill. You can keep the mixture in the refrigerator at night, and put it in the open during the day.

Stratified seeds can be sown in March or April. It is in this way that this plant propagates in the wild.

How to propagate myrtle seeds:

1. Prepare soil from peat, humus, sand and turf.
2. Sow the seeds and cover them with a thin layer of earth (thickness should be about 1-2 cm).
3. Cover with glass or clear plastic wrap and place on the windowsill. It is advisable that the room temperature is maintained at not lower than + 20 ... +25 ° C.
4. Once every 1-2 days, the drawer must be opened for ventilation.
5. Seedlings, which grew by 2 leaves, need to dive. Each plant is planted in a separate small pot. The top of the seedling must be nipped, so that the crown grows densely.

Seed propagation

Seedlings are transplanted into large pots after 1-1.5 months. They are carefully removed from the containers and, together with the earthen lump, are transferred to new boxes. Then you need to pour some more soil.

Myrtle will bloom only in the 5th year after sowing. The long-awaited white flowers will appear on the branches.

Skilled gardeners know how to propagate myrtle seeds, and can grow a tree from a tiny seed.

After the pick

Breeding difficulties

With any method of propagation, young sprouts need good care. Every year they are transplanted into a more spacious container. Each new pot should be 3.5 cm wider and deeper than the old. The transplant is done in early spring, in February or March, until the myrtle bloomed. The width of the pot, suitable for an older plant, is easy to measure: it should be 2 times less than the crown of a tree in diameter.

Starting from the second year after planting, myrtle needs pruning. It is necessary not only to remove dried, damaged, diseased shoots, but also to form a bush. Strong pruning will help rejuvenate the tree. It is necessary to trim all myrtle, regardless of their height. At home, they rarely grow above 2 meters. It is advisable to trim the crown in spring. You can not carry out cutting and transplanting in a row, you must wait a while.

Very often, flower growers encounter problems when propagating this plant. Myrtle leaves may turn yellow, dry, fall off. Branches also sometimes fade. The reason for this is too dry winter air. To help the tree, it is sprayed with a solution of growth stimulant and make a greenhouse - covered with plastic or glass dishes. The dried parts of the myrtle must be removed.

Young plant after transplantation

Propagating myrtle is quite simple and easy. It does not take a lot of time and effort. The result will please the grower: these plants purify the air and bloom incredibly beautifully. It is not without reason that in the culture of many peoples, myrtle is considered a sacred tree, a symbol of love and purity. Many people believe that this tree brings peace and prosperity to the house.

Watch the video: Backyard Plant Propagation Episode 9 How to Root Hollies, Lantana, Crape Myrtles (November 2024).