Not everyone may have the money to buy several sweetgum trees. It would be a much cheaper alternative to grow this plant yourself from seeds or to propagate it using sticks. But how exactly does that work?

Propagation via seeds often fails

Propagation via cuttings

Propagation via cuttings is quick and not particularly complex. Compared to sowing, this method is more recommended for the hobby gardener. The time for this propagation has come in the fall between the end of September and mid-October.

First you need sticks. You can gain this by pruning an older sweetgum tree. The sticks should be shoots that are 1 to 2 years old and 15 to 20 cm long. If you have found a shoot with at least two buds, cut it off at an angle. The shoot tip is removed.

This is how it goes on:

  • Fill the pot with potting soil
  • Stick the center drive in there
  • moisten the substrate
  • put in a cool place (temperature between 5 and 12 °C)
  • keep moist
  • new leaves are a sign of successful rooting
  • plant out in spring
  • Location: sunny and as sheltered as possible

Sowing - complex and not recommended

Sowing is time-consuming and not recommended. The main reason: the seeds of the sweetgum tree are cold germs and need stratification. Furthermore, most of the seeds in fruit you collect yourself are sterile and therefore not germinable. Very few seeds are fertile. It is therefore better to buy the seeds in specialist shops!

This is how sowing with seeds from your own harvest works:

1. Sow seeds in potting soil, keep moist at 20 °C for 2 to 4 weeks
2. Artificial cold period for 2 months: put seeds in the refrigerator
3. Actual sowing: Sow the seeds, keep them moist and place them in a cool place

If the cotyledons are visible, you can place the plants in a warmer place. But be careful: they should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Only when they have already developed several pairs of leaves is it time to get them used to the sun and plant them outside.

tips

Stratified seeds are also available from specialist retailers. Sowing is much less complicated here.

Category:

Trees