How to propagate osmanthus? A detailed guide to osmanthus propagation methods
When autumn arrives in full force, osmanthus fragrance carries for miles. It is now the osmanthus blooming season. We all know osmanthus: when it blooms, the fragrance is rich and carries far, and it is also one of the common plants in our daily lives. So do you know how osmanthus is propagated? Let's take a look below.
1. Propagation by seed
Osmanthus seeds can be sown in either spring or autumn. Before sowing, first prepare the ground well and apply base fertilizer. When sowing, place the seed hilum facing sideways, so that the radicle and young stem of the seed do not bend, which would affect the growth of the seedlings later. After sowing, cover with some fine sandy soil, then cover with grass mats, taking care to shade and keep moist, and often maintain soil moisture. Seedlings can emerge the same year. The small seedlings that grow from seeds are called seedling plants, but to see seedling plants bloom, at least more than ten years are needed, so osmanthus seed propagation is generally used to cultivate seedling plants.
2. Propagation by cuttings
Seed propagation takes too long, so cutting propagation can be used instead, and it only takes four years to bloom, much shorter than the time required for seed propagation. Before sprouting in spring, cut off one-year-old, healthy, vigorous branches, about 5-10 cm in length is enough, remove the lower leaves, and keep 2-3 leaves at the top. Then insert them into the growing medium. After cuttings are inserted, do it promptly, and at the same time provide shading, keep the temperature at 20-25 degrees, and after two months they can root and be transplanted.
3. Propagation by layering
In addition to cuttings, layering can also be chosen. In spring or early summer, select a thick, low-trunk mother plant, choose from its lower 1-2 year old branches a part that bends easily, use a sharp blade to make a girdling cut reaching the woody part of the branch, then press it into 3-5 cm of soil, fix the branch in place, leaving only the branch tip and leaves outside, taking care to keep the soil moist. Wait until the branch roots in autumn, then it can be cut off and transplanted.
4. Propagation by grafting
For the grafting rootstock, privet or ash can be chosen. Before sprouting in spring, select cuttings about 10-12 cm from plants 1-2 years old, clean and disinfect them, then graft. Cut off the lower leaves of the cutting, leaving only 3 to 5 at the upper part. Slant-cut chips have a high survival rate. Remember to make the slant cut at one third of the rootstock.
The above is an introduction to osmanthus propagation methods. We hope it helps you. To learn more related knowledge, please follow us.