Many trees can be propagated by yourself with little effort, instead of buying them for a lot of money in a garden center or in the tree nursery. However, it takes a while for tiny cuttings or seedlings to grow into large trees. You therefore need patience - and a sure instinct, because not every seed or twig grows into a real tree.
Trees can be propagated from seeds or cuttings
propagate deciduous trees
You can simply go and collect local deciduous trees in the spring, because then small and large seedlings of oak, maple, beech, chestnut, linden, etc. will grow out of the ground everywhere. All you have to do is carefully dig out the young plants and plant them in the designated spot in the garden. Furthermore, many deciduous trees can be easily propagated by seeds - but make sure that they are exposed to a cold period. Without frost, the germination inhibition cannot be broken and the rearing fails. A quicker (and easier) way to grow a new deciduous tree than from seeds is to use cuttings. To do this, proceed as follows:
- Tear off half-ripe shoots that are 10 to 15 centimeters long.
- These must have a small tongue of bark from the main shoot.
- Place the shoots in a glass of water and position it in front of a window.
- Wait for the cuttings to root.
- Now you can turn them into a loose mixture of sand and compost.
Furthermore, the propagation of deciduous trees is also possible via sinkers and cuttings.
propagation of fruit trees
Although apples, pears, cherries and plums also belong to the deciduous trees, you will not obtain varietal fruit trees from seed propagation. For a bountiful harvest of tasty fruit, you need to cut shoots for use as scions. After all, fruit trees are sorted only through budding or another form of refinement. You put the noble variety on a seedling of a suitable wild fruit, because this is often more robust and vigorous than the desired variety itself. Only peaches and nectarines are often varietal, i. H. they can also be propagated by cuttings or by sowing.
propagate conifers
Growing a conifer from seed is a tedious business. It is easier to grow it from cuttings. And that's how it works:
- Tear off semi-soft shoot tips in late spring to about mid-summer.
- These should no longer be quite soft, but not yet lignified.
- This approximately 10 to 15 centimeters long shoot tip should have a bark tongue.
- Now remove the side shoots and needles in the lower area.
- Stick this shoot end in a rooting powder.
- Plant it in a pot with a sand and compost mixture.
- Put a cut PET bottle, foil or glass over it.
- Water and air regularly.
- The cuttings should have rooted by fall.
tips
If you take cuttings from a deciduous tree, it should have a maximum of four leaves. If these are very large, cut them in half with a knife and in this way reduce evaporation and the loss of valuable water.