Tree nurseries usually offer a wide variety of birch species as early seedlings in practical containers. However, if you would like to propagate your young birch all by yourself, there are three options available: transplanting a small plant, growing from seeds or propagating the birch from a branch.

Propagation via seeds is more tedious but worthwhile

Birch propagation made easy

As pioneer plants, birches colonize fallow areas particularly quickly. That's why you usually find numerous small specimens next to a mature birch: just dig up a small seedling and take it with you to your garden. It may be advisable to inquire with the owner beforehand. The birch is a shallow rooter, so you can dig it up to 1-2 meters high, preferably in April. The young tree should be in the so-called mouse-ear stage of early shoot formation. It is best to carefully cut out the balls with a spatula to protect the roots. Plant and water the birch in your own garden.

Grow birch from seed

Sowing is also a very promising way to your own birch. All you need is a birch with a ripe infructescence and a pot with soil:

  1. At the end of March to mid-April, the seeds can be easily removed from the brownish infructescence. Simply crumble in the palm of your hand and then hold over the pot of soil. In this way, the seeds spread almost by themselves.
  2. Turn the earth once with your hands.
  3. When the young birch that grows from it is strong enough, you can place it in a planting hole in the garden.

Propagation from branch

Since the birch is a pioneer plant designed entirely for seed dispersal, you need to provide a cutting with optimal conditions to encourage rooting. This works as follows:

  1. Cut off a strong shoot tip cutting of at least 10 to 20 centimeters in length from the desired birch species. It should be solidly woody underneath with multiple eyes and green on top.
  2. Strip leaves from bottom.
  3. Remove larger leaves at the top with scissors.
  4. Cut off the beginnings of the flowers, they use up unnecessary energy
  5. Place the cutting carefully and as straight as possible in a small pot with soil
  6. Position in partial shade - direct sun would burn it
  7. Keep moist - not wet
  8. Wait until the first roots grow out of the pot and you can plant the young birch.

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Trees