Heather is by no means the same as heather, although common heather and snow heather are very similar. But due to their different flowering times, both species are also cut at different times.
A vigorous pruning promotes flower growth
Timing for pruning depends on flowering time
So that the heather plants do not bare from below, but always sprout and bloom beautifully, you have to cut them back vigorously at least once a year. The right time depends on the respective species and their flowering time, whereby spring is never wrong as a cutting time. Cut the plants to a hand's breadth above the ground. You can also make an autumn cut with the summer heather, but you should better refrain from doing this with the winter heather - otherwise you will cut off the flower buds and thus prevent flowering.
cut cuttings
Heathers are great to propagate in spring by cutting, but propagation from cuttings is the quickest way to quickly produce large numbers of young plants. Both heather and common heather are propagated by so-called cracklets, which are cut in July.
What are "Riftlings"?
Strictly speaking, cracklets are not cut, but torn off the plant. A tongue of bark remains, which is cut off except for a short remainder. The high concentration of growth hormones in the bark tongue has a beneficial effect on rooting. If you don't want to be so rough with your plants, you can of course also cut the cuttings.
Propagating heather by cuttings
The propagation of cuttings in heather plants works best with the following method:
- Remove young side shoots (about five to eight centimeters long) from the main shoot,
- by tearing them down.
- A tongue of bark remains from the main shoot.
- Make sure to choose branches without flowers and flower buds if possible.
- Branches with flower buds root more slowly.
- Plant the cuttings in a mixture of equal parts sand, peat and bog soil.
- Cover them with clear plastic wrap.
- After about three weeks you can gradually remove the plastic film.
- Don't forget to water regularly.
- Shading is necessary in very hot weather.
tips
What you should always do, however, is regularly cleaning out faded inflorescences. In this way you stimulate the plant again and again to form new flowers.