Always failing at cuttings? Learn the layering method and you can propagate any flower successfully

Lixia Gardening

Be a happy flower slave

The layering propagation method is mostly used for flowering shrubs and trees. When propagated this way, because the cutting can still receive nutrients from the parent plant during the rooting process, not only is the survival rate very high, but the characteristics of the original variety can also be maintained; the disadvantage is that the propagation speed is relatively slow and it cannot be used for mass propagation. It is generally only used for flowering shrubs and trees that are difficult to root from cuttings.

The most suitable time for layering is March to April, and for some evergreen flowering shrubs and trees it can be extended to the plum rain season (June to July). Layering propagation can be divided into:

1. Mound layering

For flowering shrubs and trees with relatively stiff branches, such as flowering pomegranate, Chaenomeles speciosa, gardenia, rhododendron, and Chaenomeles cathayensis, mound layering can be used. The method is to mound soil around the parent plant in spring so that most of the branches are buried and pressed into the soil.

Before mounding the soil, use a knife to score the bark at the base of the branch, or carry out ring-barking of about 0.5-1 cm. The purpose is to make the organic substances produced by photosynthesis in the leaves accumulate at the wound when they are transported downward, promoting healing and rooting.

After the new shoots grow to 20 cm, you can bank fertile soil at the base. After that, pay attention to watering and fertilizing to promote rooting. The best time for separating and replanting is late autumn or spring. Cut each branch away from the parent plant at the base, and it becomes a new plant for potting or transplanting.

2. Bending layering

The bending layering method is also called the low layering method. For flowering shrubs and trees with soft branches, such as oleander, osmanthus, wintersweet, winter jasmine, and jasmine, bending layering can be used.

The method is: bend a branch at the base of the plant into an arc, bury the curved part in the soil, then firm the soil or place a brick or stone on the buried soil to prevent the branch from springing out of the soil before it roots. The part buried in the soil should also be scored or ring-barked, and after it has rooted sufficiently, cut it away from the parent plant.

For layering potted flowers, there is another method: place another pot filled with soil next to the potted flower, ring-bark or score the branch, then press it into the soil in the adjacent pot, with the tip of the branch extending out of the pot surface, and let it root. This method is safe and reliable, and easy to manage, and is commonly used in homes.

3. Air layering

This method is also called air layering. It is suitable for taller plants whose branches are not easy to bend to the ground, such as Michelia alba, Magnolia grandiflora, and Aglaia odorata. The method is: before bud break, select a strong branch of the flowering shrub or tree, after scoring or ring-barking it, wrap plastic film around the lower part of the wound and tie it tightly to form a bag shape, fill the bag with potting soil or coarse sand, water it, then tie the bag opening tightly and seal it to keep it moist;

You can also fit the wound into a split bamboo tube or flower pot, bind it tightly with rope, fill the tube (box) with potting soil, keep it moist, and fix the tube (pot) with a support, or hang it on a large branch with palm rope. After rooting, cut it away from the parent plant below the bag or tube (pot), appropriately thin out some branches and leaves of the layered seedling, and then pot it for final planting.