Methods and Tips for Propagating Evening Primrose by Cuttings

  1. Cutting the cuttings

  When carrying out routine care and management of mature potted evening primrose plants, in order to make the plant sprout more side branches and bloom more, we need to pinch the plant in time, and the healthy branches removed by pinching can be used as cuttings to cultivate more young plants.

  2. Treating the cuttings

  The optimum temperature for cuttings to sprout roots is between 18°C and 25°C. When the temperature is below 18°C, rooting is very difficult or very slow; when the temperature is above 25°C, the cut surface of the cutting is prone to infection by pathogens, which causes rot, and the higher the temperature, the greater the degree of rot. Therefore, before taking cuttings, in addition to regulating the temperature well, the cut surface also needs to be disinfected and sterilized.

  3. The cutting process

  Once the branches have been cut and treated and the temperature is suitable, you can take the cuttings. Propagating evening primrose by cuttings is very simple: just insert the branches directly into moist sandy soil, and afterward you only need to make sure the potting soil stays moist. As with sowing, when replenishing water you need to avoid water accumulating in the pot.

  4. Care and management

  After the cuttings are taken, the first thing is to regulate the temperature suitably for the growth of the cuttings. When the temperature is too low, you can wrap the flower pot in plastic film to keep it warm and moist; when the temperature is too high, you need to take shade and cooling measures, and you can replenish water and lower the temperature by misting, while also raising the air humidity. You can mist 3-5 times a day, depending on whether the weather is sunny or rainy.

  During the later care and management, in addition to normal watering, you also need to raise the air humidity by misting more, preferably 1-3 times a day, keeping the air humidity between 75-85%. But you should not mist too much, because if you mist too many times, the cuttings are easily attacked by pathogens and thus rot, and pathogens are often present in water.

  In addition, you also need to appropriately increase light. But as the light gradually intensifies, the temperature inside the cuttings will also rise, and water transpiration will speed up, which is not conducive to the cuttings surviving quickly. So after taking the cuttings, let the plant receive less direct light and take shade measures in time; after the cuttings have sprouted roots and survived stably, then gradually increase the light for them.