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Propagation of chrysanthemums is possible by any vegetative means - using cuttings, division or layering. You can also grow seedlings from seeds, but this is a more labor-intensive method. Reproduction occurs in the second half of spring or early summer.
Is it possible to propagate chrysanthemums?
Chrysanthemum can be grown at home. There are several proven methods for propagating indoor and outdoor bushes:
- spring-summer or autumn cuttings;
- receiving layerings;
- division;
- growing from seeds.
Vegetative methods make it possible to obtain a plant with the same characteristics as the mother bush. When chrysanthemums are propagated by seeds, the crop does not inherit all varietal characteristics. This method is highly labor-intensive and time-consuming.
Most often, gardeners choose vegetative methods for propagating chrysanthemums.
When can chrysanthemums be propagated?
The crop is cultivated throughout the season.The timing depends on the chosen method, as well as on the growing conditions - in the garden or at home:
- Cuttings are carried out in late spring or early summer. This method is also suitable for autumn propagation. In the spring and summer, planting material is placed in open ground in a greenhouse or under film. In the fall, the mother bush is dug up and stored in the cellar, and then cuttings are obtained (in February). Autumn cuttings are also suitable for indoor chrysanthemums. They are grown from a street bush or from a bouquet branch.
- Chrysanthemum propagation by layering is also allowed in the spring (April). Although it is better to dig in the mother shoots in the fall. Then they can be transplanted to a new place for the next season.
- The division of the bush is carried out in the second half of spring, when the frosts have already receded and the soil has warmed up sufficiently. The fallback option is late summer or early autumn.
- Propagation by seeds involves sowing the material in the middle or end of February. Seedlings take a long time to develop, so you should not be late with the procedure.
When to propagate chrysanthemum at home
At home, the crop is often propagated by cuttings. You can grow a new flower either from a garden shoot or from a branch left after a bouquet.
If you are growing from bouquet flowers, it is better to take several branches at once. It is better to propagate chrysanthemums in the fall (closer to the end of October): the specific period does not matter, since the seedling will grow at home.
Algorithm of actions:
- Cut a cutting of any size (15–20 cm). These should be basal, not apical shoots. First, the cutting must be carefully examined. If necessary, rotten areas are cut off.
- Remove all shoots and leaves.Make a straight upper cut and a lower oblique cut (at an angle of 45 degrees).
- To effectively propagate chrysanthemums, the lower part of the cutting is immersed in a solution of a growth stimulator. This can be aloe juice with water (1:1) or a special preparation: “Kornevin”, “Epin”, “Heteroauxin” and others.
- The cutting will stand in water (on the windowsill) until the first roots form, which will take up to one month. During this time, the chrysanthemum shoot may rot. In this case, you need to take it out, cut off all the damaged parts and change the water, adding 1-2 tablets of crushed activated carbon to it.
- Then you need to prepare the ground. This can be a universal soil or a mixture of turf (surface) soil with sand, humus and perlite (2:1:1:1). First, water the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or keep it in the freezer for several days.
- After this, the cuttings are transplanted. Water with settled water. Fertilizer should not be added. To propagate chrysanthemums in the fall, no fertilizing is needed.
Cuttings obtained from a chrysanthemum garden bush take root in 90–95% of cases
When to propagate outdoor chrysanthemums
Outdoor chrysanthemums are successfully propagated by vegetative methods, the main of which is cuttings. You should not choose apical (green) shoots, but, on the contrary, basal (woody) shoots. The sequence of actions is as follows:
- At the beginning of October, the chrysanthemum bush is completely cut off, leaving stumps 3–5 cm high.
- Then it is carefully dug up and transplanted into a large pot (in the same soil), the roots are sprinkled with sand or earth.
- Place the container in a cool cellar or other dark room with a temperature within +5–7 °C.
- Periodically moisten the soil, but not too much (it should remain slightly damp).
- In mid-February, the mother chrysanthemum bush is transferred to a warm room for further propagation by cuttings.
- It is watered abundantly and left in the light. After 7–10 days, the first shoots will appear.
- As soon as they reach a height of 10 cm, they must be cut so that 4 leaves remain on the stump. The mother bush will grow shoots again, which can also be used for propagation.
- A cut is made on the cuttings, they are immersed in a growth stimulator and wait for the roots to appear.
- After this, they are transplanted into fertile soil and covered with film.
- Ventilate and water periodically. Remove the film after new shoots appear.
- In April, complex mineral fertilizer or urea is given.
- In early May they are transferred to open ground.
This is a simpler option: just break a branch 10–15 cm long, make an oblique cut and root it in fertile, moist soil, covering it with film. New shoots will appear in a month.
Cuttings are grown in small containers
How to propagate a chrysanthemum
There are other effective ways to propagate chrysanthemums. This is getting layering and dividing the bush. Some gardeners find them even easier than cuttings and growing seedlings from seeds.
How to plant a chrysanthemum by dividing a bush
Reproduction by dividing the rhizome is allowed only for adult bushes aged 3–4 years and older. You need to start the procedure at the end of April or early May. You should proceed like this:
- First, old, woody and damaged branches are removed.
- Then the bush is carefully dug up and the soil is shaken off from the roots.
- Take a sharp knife or pruning shears. Cut 5-6 plots with healthy roots and shoots (1-2 branches on each).
- Plant in fertile soil and water abundantly.
- After 2-3 weeks, give urea or other nitrogen fertilizer.
How to properly propagate chrysanthemums by layering
Reproduction by layering is suitable for winter-hardy varieties. The procedure begins in the fall (October). Proceed as follows:
- Several lower shoots are outlined that will become layering.
- Dig the appropriate number of trenches around the bush with a depth of 7–10 cm.
- The stems are tilted and secured with staples.
- Sprinkle with fertile soil and water.
- A mound of earth 15–20 cm high is made on top.
- Additionally, you can add leaves.
- At the end of April, when the threat of frost has passed, the cuttings are dug up and divided according to the number of roots.
- The children are planted in a new place (fertile, light soil). Water and feed with nitrogen fertilizer.
Rules for planting chrysanthemums in open ground
Chrysanthemums are best planted in light, fertile soil. The placement location should be:
- elevated (not lowland);
- protected from strong winds;
- well lit, although weak partial shade is allowed for some varieties.
It is advisable to plant seedlings (cuttings, grown cuttings or divisions) in open ground in the spring, when the soil temperature is not lower than +8–10 °C. When planting, fertile soil mixed with humus and peat (2:1:1) is poured into the hole, and the root collar is buried just below the surface (2–3 cm).
Chrysanthemum seedlings are transferred to open ground in mid-May
Rules for caring for chrysanthemums after propagation
After planting a flower in the ground or in a pot, it needs special care:
- Weekly watering with warm, settled water. If the heat sets in, then 2 times more often.
- Fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizer up to five times per season.
- Removing weeds.
- Loosening the soil (do not allow lumps to form).
- Mulching with peat, hay, sawdust (especially during hot periods). This helps retain moisture in the soil.
Advice from experienced gardeners
Not only an experienced, but also a novice gardener can cope with the propagation of chrysanthemums. In order for the seedlings to take root, you need to pay attention to several practical tips:
- When growing cuttings at home, they initially need to be planted in a small flowerpot. Only next year, when the flower has grown, is transplantation into a larger container allowed.
- In the first stages after planting a seedling in May, it needs to be fed with complex mineral fertilizers 2 times a month.
- You need to harvest at least five seedlings. Some of them do not take root or die during the growth process after transplantation.
- When preparing cuttings or obtaining layerings, you need to choose only healthy shoots. If the bush was sick this season, it is better to leave it alone.
- Chrysanthemums can only be replanted in warm soil. If in doubt, it is better to measure the temperature: dig a hole 15 cm deep and put a thermometer there, sprinkled with earth for 10–15 minutes.
Conclusion
Propagation of chrysanthemums is available both in the garden and at home. It is not difficult to obtain seedlings. It is necessary to transplant them into the ground in time and provide normal care.Plants develop quickly and usually bloom in the same season.
Did you send rooted cuttings 10 cm long, should I keep them at home until spring or should I plant them in the ground before winter?