How to Propagate Gardenia? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Propagation Methods
Gardenia can be propagated by many methods, both sexual and asexual reproduction. Generally, cuttings and layering are most often used; division and seed sowing can also be used but are rarely adopted. Potted plants in the north generally do not easily set seed. Let's take a look below at the propagation methods for gardenia!
Gardenia Propagation by Cuttings
Cuttings can be divided into spring cuttings and autumn cuttings. Spring cuttings are done in mid-to-late February, and autumn cuttings from late September to late October. There are slight differences between the north and the south, but the survival rate is highest between summer and autumn. Select healthy 2- to 3-year-old branches as cuttings, cut them to 10-12 cm, remove the lower leaves, keep the top two leaves and cut each in half, first dip them in vitamin B12 injection, then insert them obliquely into the cutting bed, leaving only one node above the surface, and be careful to shade them and maintain a certain humidity.
Rooting generally occurs in about 1 month; under 80% relative humidity and a temperature of 20-24°C, it takes about 15 days. Soaking in 20×10(-6th power) to 50×10(-6th power) indolebutyric acid for 24 hours gives even better results. When the rooted seedlings begin to grow, transplant them or pot them individually; they can bloom after 2 years. In the south, water propagation is also used, that is, inserting the cuttings into a round disc woven from reed stalks and letting it float on the water surface so that the lower part roots in the water, then transplanting for cultivation.
Gardenia Propagation by Layering
This is generally done around Qingming in April or during the plum rain season. In April, select 1-year-old vigorous branches 25-30 cm long from a 3-year-old mother plant for layering, pull them to the ground, and notch the part of the branch that goes into the soil. If the notched part is dipped in 200 ppm powdered naphthalene acetic acid and then covered with soil and pressed firm, rooting is even easier. If there is a three-forked branch, three seedlings can be obtained at once from the fork. Rooting generally occurs after 20-30 days; after rooting in June, they can be separated from the mother plant, and by the following spring they can be transplanted with soil or potted individually.
Transplanting seedlings or potting is best done in spring, during the plum rain season, and a soil ball is required. Keep the soil moist during the growing period, and water more during the flowering period and midsummer. Fertilize once a month, and apply an additional phosphorus-potassium fertilizer once before flowering. Prune and shape in early spring of the following year, and promptly cut off dead branches and leggy branches.
Gardenia Propagation by Seed
Generally, select plump, dark red ripe fruits, dry them in the sun or in the shade with the husk still on as seed. Before sowing, cut open the seed husk with scissors, dig out the seeds, rub them apart in hot water, remove floating seeds or impurities, then scoop out the sunken plump seeds, spread them on a bamboo mat, and place them in a ventilated spot to dry off excess moisture. Generally, choose a sunny hillside or earthen plot with deep, loose, fertile sandy loam for sowing; land at field edges and corners can be used, or intercropping with legumes can be done. Before planting, plow the land 1-1.5 chi deep, remove stumps of miscellaneous trees, and make beds with a bed width of 4-5 chi (the spacing can be larger if the soil is good, otherwise smaller), with a bed height of 6 cun. Apply farmyard manure, green manure, or human and livestock manure water as base fertilizer, for example 20-30 loads of human excrement and urine per mu. After the soil dries, lightly rake the clods and level the bed surface. Open sowing furrows on the bed surface at a row spacing of 6-7 cun, with a furrow depth of about 1 cun, ready for sowing.
Gardenia can be sown in spring or autumn, generally mostly in spring. Spring sowing is done around Yushui, and autumn sowing around Qiufen. When sowing, mix the seeds with plant ash and sow them evenly in the sowing furrows, then cover and level the furrows with fine soil or burnt soil, cover with grass and sprinkle water, and keep the soil moist often to favor seedling emergence; use 4-6 jin of seed per mu. After emergence, be careful to remove the covering grass in time. During the seedling stage, weed often, being careful not to damage the seedling roots. After weeding, topdress with diluted human excrement and urine water each time. After one year of raising seedlings, they can be transplanted. If transport is relatively far, it is best to coat the roots with yellow mud slurry, cover with grass to retain moisture, plant one plant per hole, then cover with soil, press firm, and sprinkle water. After planting, cultivate and weed once each in spring and summer every year and topdress; applying human and livestock manure, barnyard manure, compost, or cake fertilizer is all fine. Before flowering in summer, it is better to apply fertilizer with a higher phosphorus and potassium content. Fertilization is generally carried out after weeding and loosening the soil.
Gardenia Water Propagation for Rooting
Take 10-12 cm long 1-year-old branches and keep 2-4 leaves. Cut the tip of the branch into a horse-ear shape and soak it in 0.1% potassium permanganate solution for 4-6 hours, then take it out and insert it into clean water, with the submerged length being 1/3 of the total cutting length. Use a brown bottle as the container and change the water once every 1-2 days; alternatively, drill small holes in a wooden board or foam board, insert the cuttings into the holes, and then float it on the water surface. In that case, 2/3 of the cutting length needs to remain above the floating body, and 1/3 is inserted into the water.
After the gardenia grows new roots, move it from a darker place to a bright place. When the roots grow to 1.5-2 cm and a single plant has 6-7 roots, it can be transplanted into a pot or planted in the ground.