Peacock Tree Cutting Propagation Methods and Precautions
The peacock tree is not difficult to cultivate, but unlike many indoor foliage plants, it needs bright light during normal care so it can grow better. Artificial propagation of the peacock tree can be done by cuttings. Let me introduce the propagation methods and precautions for the peacock tree.
Peacock Tree
The peacock tree is commonly propagated by cuttings. From May to June, select well-grown branches, cut 8-10 cm long cuttings, and remove the lower leaves to reduce transpiration. Dip the bottom cut end in a little rooting hormone, then insert it into a sand bed. Maintain a temperature of around 20°C and a certain humidity, and roots will form in about one month.
The peacock tree has a beautiful tree shape and leaf shape, with palmate leaves and pinnately lobed leaflets. It is very elegant and is a precious foliage plant, mostly used for potted display. Large plants are used for placement in halls, while small plants are mostly potted for display on desks, coffee tables and in front of windows in living rooms.
How to Propagate the Peacock Tree
Growing Habits of the Peacock Tree
The peacock tree is native to the Pacific Islands and Australia. It likes a warm, humid environment with plenty of sunlight and fertile soil. It cannot tolerate direct strong light and is not cold-hardy.
Propagation Methods of the Peacock Tree
Seed Propagation
For seedling propagation by sowing, sow the seeds after harvesting. Wash the seeds clean, store them in moist sand, and sow once they split open and show white. The suitable temperature for spring sowing is 20-25°C, and seedlings will emerge in about 25-30 days. Make sure to maintain the proper temperature, otherwise low temperatures will seriously affect the seed germination rate.
Cutting Propagation
Vermiculite, perlite, peat soil, etc. can be used as the cutting medium. Under warm conditions, treat the bottom cut end of the cuttings with 500 mg/l indolebutyric acid or No. 1 ABT rooting powder for five to ten seconds, which will produce ideal rooting results. The cuttings should be about 5-10 cm long. Use scissors to remove one or two leaves at the base, insert to a depth of about one-half the cutting length, then spray with water. After spraying, cover with film, provide appropriate shade, and maintain the temperature within the range of 20-25°C. Roots will form in about twenty days.
Layering Propagation
For ground-planted clumping plants, perform low layering in April; for taller potted plants, perform air layering. When air layering, first insert a bamboo pole as a support, then tie the soil ball at the layering site to the bamboo pole.
The peacock tree is so unique and lovely, and its propagation methods are also very simple. Gardeners, what are you waiting for? Get started!
Peacock Tree Propagation Methods_What Are the Main Varieties?
The leaves of the peacock tree not only resemble a peacock's tail display, but also look like long, slender fingers, arranged in a radial pattern and alternating, with coarsely serrated leaf margins, so people also call it the hand tree. It is native to Australia and the Polynesian Islands in the Pacific. It was introduced and cultivated relatively early in South China, and today it has been introduced as a cultivated plant in many regions. It is also distributed in India and from Sri Lanka to the Indochinese Peninsula.
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Introduction to the Peacock Tree
The peacock tree is an evergreen foliage small tree or shrub, generally kept below 2 m when potted. The trunk and leaf stalks both have small milky-white spots. The leaves are alternate, palmately compound, with linear-lanceolate leaflets and serrated or pinnately lobed margins. The young leaves are purplish-red, later becoming dark green. The veins are brown, and the common leaf stalk is slender. The compound umbel inflorescence grows at the leaf axils at the top of the stem, with small yellow-green flowers, but they are not very noticeable.
The peacock tree likes a warm, humid environment. It is a light-loving plant that is not cold-hardy and also dislikes direct strong light. Fertile, loose loam soil is best. In summer it should be appropriately shaded, and in autumn and winter it should get more sun. The optimal temperature during the growing period is 20-29°C. In winter the temperature should not drop below 5°C. Take special care that the temperature does not fluctuate suddenly, otherwise the peacock tree is prone to cold damage.
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Varieties of the Peacock Tree
There are about 15 species in the same genus as the peacock tree. Commonly cultivated varieties include: broad-leaf peacock tree and narrow-leaf peacock tree. Broad-leaf peacock tree: palmately compound leaves, broader leaves. Spotted-leaf peacock tree: palmately compound leaves, with yellow-white markings on the dark green leaflets. Narrow-leaf peacock tree: also called Veitch's false aralia, hand tree, palmately compound leaves shaped like a hand, with narrow, long, gray-green leaflets, dark red margins on the leaflets, and pink midribs.
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Propagation Methods of the Peacock Tree
The peacock tree is mainly propagated by sowing, cuttings and layering. Sowing: In some parts of South China, seedling propagation by sowing can be done. After the seeds are harvested, they need to be sown promptly, otherwise poor storage will leave the seeds unable to germinate. Store the washed seeds in moist sand, and after they split open and show white, sow them in spring. The suitable germination temperature is 20-25°C, and seedlings will emerge about 25-30 days after sowing. Low temperatures will seriously affect its germination rate. In addition, spotted-leaf varieties are not suitable for seedling propagation by sowing.
Cuttings: In a greenhouse, cutting propagation can be done in both spring and autumn, but for production cultivation, May to June is best. The cutting medium can be a mixed medium made from vermiculite, perlite, peat soil, etc. The cuttings should be 10-15 cm long. Cut off 1-2 leaves at the base. After inserting the cuttings, spray them thoroughly with water, set up bamboo arches, cover with film to retain moisture, provide appropriate shade, and maintain the temperature at 20-25°C. Roots will form in about 20 days.
Layering: For ground-planted clumping plants, low layering can be done in April, and for taller potted plants, air layering can be done. Because the peacock tree's stems are relatively thin, when air layering, first insert a bamboo pole as a support, and tie the soil ball at the layering site against the bamboo pole.
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Editor's Summary
The peacock tree's tree shape and leaf shape are both very beautiful, with palmately compound leaves, purplish-red, possessing an extraordinary elegance, and it is a precious foliage plant. It is suitable for potted display and is often used for decorating living rooms, halls and meeting venues. It can also be used as medicine, mainly for dispelling wind and dampness and relieving coughs. It is often used for rheumatic joint pain and wind-cold cough. So the peacock tree can truly be called a plant that "serves both medicinal and ornamental purposes"!