How to Propagate Hydrangeas: A Detailed Guide to Common Propagation Methods
Hydrangea, also known as eight-immortal flower, comes in various colors such as red, pink, blue and white. The eight-immortal flower is a beautiful indoor ornamental plant, a small shrub of the Saxifragaceae family and the Hydrangea genus, with a plant height of 30 cm to 120 cm. The leaves are opposite, ovate, with serrated leaf margins. The corymb is terminal and spherical in shape, and the flowers are greenish-white, pink, peach-red and pale blue. The flowering period is from May to July. Hydrangea cultivation is often based on asexual propagation such as division, layering and cutting, especially for varieties or cultivars with special ornamental characteristics; asexual propagation is an important means of keeping the offspring consistent with the characteristics of the mother plant.
Hydrangea Cutting Propagation Method
Between April and May, use a flower pot or wooden box, put in fine sand as a cutting bed, use the tender top shoots of the eight-immortal flower as cuttings, cut them into lengths of 8 cm to 12 cm, keep 3 nodes on each cutting and leave 1 to 2 leaves, insert them directly into the sand bed, cover with plastic film, and water immediately after inserting.
At a temperature of 25°C, roots form in 25 days to 30 days, and when the white roots turn yellow-brown, start transplanting the seedlings. After the cuttings are potted, they must be placed in a shaded spot for 5 to 7 days to recover, then moved to a sunny spot for cultivation.
Hydrangea Layering Propagation Method
For home use, the "air layering method" is best. Choose a robust 2-year-old branch, carry out ring-barking 4 cm to 5 cm below a node, that is, clamp the stem with scissors and turn them once around it, then 2 cm below the cut clamp with scissors and turn once more, and peel off the bark between the two cuts to expose the xylem. Then tie plastic film 5 cm to 6 cm below the cut so that it forms a bag shape, put moss or peat soil into the bag, tie the bag opening tightly, fix the bagged branch with a support stake, and pour water in from the bag opening.
Generally, pour clean water into the bag once every 4 to 5 days. In 25 days to 30 days, callus tissue will form at the ring-barked area, and roots will grow in about 50 days to 60 days; when the young roots change from white to yellow-brown, they can be cut away from the mother plant and potted separately.
Hydrangea Division Propagation Method
Division propagation should be carried out in early spring before budding. Separate the rooted branches from the mother plant and pot them directly; do not water too much, and care for them in semi-shade; after new buds sprout, switch to normal care. Layering propagation can be carried out when the buds begin to swell, growth occurs after 30 days, and in the following spring cut it off from the mother plant and transplant it with soil; it can bloom in the same year.