How to Propagate Osmanthus Trees? A Detailed Introduction to Common Methods
Osmanthus propagation by cuttings is simple to do and relatively well suited to home use. The key to cutting propagation is the selection of the cuttings, which directly affects the survival rate of osmanthus trees. You can cut sturdy semi-mature branches as cuttings for softwood cuttings. You can also cut mature branches as cuttings for hardwood cuttings. When selecting cuttings...
Osmanthus propagation by cuttings is simple to do and relatively well suited to home use. The key to cutting propagation is the selection of the cuttings, which directly affects the survival rate of osmanthus trees. You can cut sturdy semi-mature branches as cuttings for softwood cuttings. You can also cut mature branches as cuttings for hardwood cuttings. When selecting cuttings, avoid using water sprouts, slender branches, inner-canopy branches and diseased branches. The cuttings should be 8-12 cm long; trim off the tender tip and keep 2 small leaves at the top. Insert them as soon as they are cut, to a depth of 2/5 of their total length, then firm the soil and water thoroughly once. Osmanthus trees like a cool environment with high air humidity; especially for cuttings that have not yet rooted, the soil must not be too dry, and they must not be exposed to the sun. Within 1 month after cutting, provide shade; it is best to build a double-layer shade frame, with the high frame about 2 m tall and the low frame 60-70 cm tall. On the sun-facing side of the high frame, a curtain should also be hung for shade, and in dry weather spray water with a sprayer 1-2 times a day. When the new roots are 3-4 cm long, they can be transplanted. 1-2 weeks before transplanting, remove the shading reed mats or straw curtains so the young seedlings get hardened off.
Osmanthus propagation by layering is divided into two types: air layering and ground layering. 1. Air layering can be done all year round, but it is better to do it before sprouting in spring. Air layering is relatively well suited to potted home plants. Usually around Qingming, select a 2-3 year old branch from a vigorous mother plant of a good variety and girdle the bark, with the cut about 2 cm wide. Take a bamboo tube, split it open, line it with a layer of sandy moist potting soil, and wrap it fully around the girdled part of the branch. Wrap the outside with plastic film, then tie it with a string. After 1 month the wound heals, and after 3 months new roots grow from the cambium at the cut. By October or the following spring, when the new roots are 3-5 cm long, it can be cut away from the mother plant. 2. Ground layering is also called prostrate layering or ordinary layering. This method is suitable in April-June or August-September (when the temperature is 25°C-30°C). On a branch near the base, cut the bark for a length of 1-2 cm, bend it down to the ground, pile 7-8 cm of soil over the wounded branch, firm it, and water often to keep it moist; it will root in about 3 months. The following spring, cut it from the mother plant and plant the new plant. If it is a potted plant, you can press the branch with the cut into another pot of soil and fix it there, then cut it away and transplant after it has rooted.
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