Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) prefers moderately nutrient-rich, rather dry soil and a location that is as sunny as possible. There are numerous species and varieties that can only be propagated using cuttings. On the other hand, lilacs are rarely propagated by seeds.
The best time to take cuttings is in May
Cut and pot the lilac cuttings
Spring is the best time to take lilac cuttings. In May or June, cut off young side shoots that are 15 to 20 centimeters long, if possible in such a way that a piece of the previous year's main branch remains on the cutting. In addition to these axillary cuttings, lilacs can also be propagated very well via shoots or head cuttings, provided they are young shoots. Of course, these must not have any flowers.
Select and prepare cuttings
The mother plant from which you take the cutting must be absolutely healthy and growing normally. Over-fertilized lilacs often show excessive growth, and these cuttings are usually very weak. Also, do not use any parts of the plant that are too stunted and make sure that the lilac is not affected by diseases or pests. After cutting the cutting, remove most of the leaves so that the water loss through evaporation does not become too great. It is enough if one or two pairs of leaves remain.
plant cuttings
Fill the planter with a mixture of lean seed soil and sand. Instead of sand, perlite (€37.51), expanded clay (€19.73) or peat are also good. Put the substrate in a small pot and insert the cutting up to a third of its total length. You can dip the bottom end in rooting powder if you wish, but this is not essential. Water the transplanted cutting lightly and put a cut-off, translucent PET bottle or plastic bag over it.
Care for cuttings properly
Moisture is the key factor for root formation. The cuttings must be watered and sprayed regularly, avoiding excessive moisture at all costs - otherwise the cutting will rot instead of rooting. For this reason, you should air the protective hood every day.
Repot rooted cuttings
As soon as the first roots form, the cutting begins to grow and form young leaves. Now you can quickly transplant the young plant into a more nutrient-rich substrate. This is usually the case with lilacs in autumn, although you should overwinter the minis frost-free and only plant them out in the following spring.
tips
Propagation is also quite easy via root suckers. However, this method only works with ungrafted lilacs, grafted varieties, on the other hand, develop wild shoots.