The propagation of exotic plants is almost the supreme discipline for hobby gardeners, although sometimes it is not difficult at all, such as with the screw tree. The screw trees are at home in the tropical forests of Africa, Madagascar and Malaysia.
The screw tree can be easily propagated via offshoots
How do I cut offshoots from the screw tree?
The screw tree forms small side shoots on the trunk, which can be used excellently as offshoots. Sometimes they root directly on the trunk, but this is not necessarily the case with all species and is also not necessary. Carefully cut off the shoots close to the trunk with a sharp and clean knife. If necessary, you can dry the interfaces (of course only on the trunk) a little with charcoal powder.
How do the offshoots have to be maintained?
Put the offshoots in a pot filled with a mixture of peat and sand about eight to ten centimeters high. Wet the substrate well and carefully stretch a transparent film over this pot. If necessary, support the foil with sticks so that the foil does not touch the cutting. A mini or small greenhouse is also a good alternative.
High humidity is beneficial for rooting and growth. In addition, the substrate should be slightly damp, but never wet. In a warm and bright location, your offshoot should be quite well rooted after about four to six weeks. Now they can slowly get used to the regular room air.
Normal room temperatures of around 20 °C to 22 °C are completely sufficient for the screw tree. In the early days (about two months) you should only water your young plants moderately. The top layer of soil is allowed to dry slightly in between. Waterlogging would cause the young roots to rot very quickly. On the other hand, if the air is too dry or watered too sparsely, the leaves will turn brown.
The essentials in brief:
- Use side shoots as offshoots
- cut in (early) spring
- grow in a peat-sand mixture
- under foil or in a small greenhouse
- Rooting after about 4 to 6 weeks
- slowly get used to normal indoor climate
- water moderately at the beginning
tips
A screw tree is quite easy to grow from scions, give it a try!