Anyone who has been seized by the mystical attraction of elder will want more specimens in the garden. For hobby gardeners, it is a matter of honor to carry out the propagation on your own. The following lines show how it works with cuttings.

Elderberry cuttings are booming in summer

During the summer, the elder is at the zenith of its vitality. If you now take the time to propagate cuttings, you will receive excellent starting material. The optimal offshoot is semi-lignified, 10-15 centimeters long and has several leaf nodes. These sleeping eyes are easy to spot as little bumps under the bark. If you have selected all cuttings, it goes on like this:

  • Fill small pots with peat sand, perlite, (37.51€) coconut hum or potting soil (mainly low in nutrients)
  • defoliate the lower half of each cutting
  • cut the top half leaves in half to save energy
  • Remove flowers and buds
  • place 1-2 offshoots in such a way that at least 1 dormant eye is above the substrate
  • after watering, put a plastic bag over it or put it in the mini greenhouse (€7.95).

The location is warm and sheltered without the cuttings getting under the blazing sun. While rooting is taking place, the potting soil must not dry out under any circumstances. Contact between the hood and the offshoot is prevented by small wooden sticks that act as spacers. Propagation is successful when the young plants sprout fresh. The elders will be planted out next spring.

Cuttings - the winter alternative to cuttings

The propagation of elderberry during the winter dormancy is less complicated. In this variant, woody, one-year-old elder branches are used. They shed their leaves long ago, but still have several sleeping eyes. Since polarity is important here, cut the shoot tip straight and the lower end at an angle. This is how it goes on:

  • Cut each stick to a length of 15-20 centimeters
  • plant three quarters in pots filled with moist peat sand or sand
  • the obliquely cut end of the branch points downwards

The cuttings are neither watered nor fertilized until the first shoots appear. The location is cool and dark to semi-shady. Only when the first leaves appear do you start with a restrained water supply and place the offspring lighter and warmer. Until autumn, pot the young plants repeatedly into nutrient-rich substrate and then plant them out.

tips and tricks

Use pasture water with natural growth hormones as irrigation water during reproduction. Simply cut one-year-old willow branches into pieces, pour boiling water over them and leave for 24 hours. Then sieve and use to moisten the substrate.

Category:

Vegetable garden