Lavender: propagation by cuttings, layering, dividing the bush and seeds

Lavender is an ornamental evergreen plant with beautiful blooms and amazing fragrance. Lavender belongs to the Yasnotkovy family. This genus includes about 30 species. In order to propagate lavender in your area, you will not need much effort. You just need to know the correct algorithm of actions.

Required tools

You don't need any special tools to propagate lavender. All that is needed is a shovel so that you can dig up a bush and divide it when propagating by division, and a sharp knife with which to cut the cuttings and cut the leaves.Scissors are not used, as they pinch the ducts of the stems, and after that the lavender does not take root well.

Methods of propagation of lavender

Lavender can be propagated in several ways.

Cutting

Gardeners consider this method the best, because with such reproduction, all the parental qualities of the plant are preserved. For such reproduction, both green and stiff cuttings are suitable. To prepare green cuttings, you need to cut the shoots closer to the top of the stems. Their length must be at least 13 cm. Prepared cuttings must have at least 2 growth nodes.

When grafting woody twigs, a cut is made at the base of the plant. A length of 5-6 cm will be enough. When using such cuttings, you need to soak them before planting in a solution that stimulates growth, without it the cuttings will not germinate.

All leaves are cut from the cuttings, except for the top. The upper leaves are needed to feed it, but if too many leaves are left, the plant will spend all its energy on foliage instead of growing roots.

Then the cuttings are planted in a container with a substrate, completely immersing the first node in the ground. From above, the containers are covered with polyethylene and sent to a warm place, for example, to a greenhouse or winter garden.

Good to know! Clay pots are best suited as containers for planting cuttings, because, unlike plastic, clay allows air to pass through, which is necessary for the normal development of the plant's root system.

Watering is done immediately after planting and then as the soil dries. After 1.5 months, the plants will form a strong root and can be planted in separate pots. When the lavender grows a little more, it is planted in open ground in a permanent place.

Breeding by layering

Such reproduction is carried out in the spring. As layering, use the extreme branches of the bush. They should bend well so that they can be easily tilted to the ground.

Dig a hole 10-15 cm deep near the mother bush. It is positioned so that it is easy to place the middle part of the branch into it. It is pinned with staples or pressed down with a stone so that the branch takes root and does not slip out of the ground. Fill the hole with soil. The top of the leafy branch should remain above the ground.

It is necessary to control the areas with cuttings so that they do not dry out. Also, the soil around the cuttings is spudded. Transplantation is carried out only after a year. In autumn, the area around the layers is mulched. This helps retain moisture and protect the root from frost.

When moving an already formed bush to a new place, you need to dig it out with a clod of earth so as not to accidentally damage the roots. Plant the plant in the ground along with this soil.

Dividing the bush

Reproduction of lavender through the division of the bush is possible, but undesirable. Since lavender bushes react poorly to such manipulations and may even die.

To carry out propagation by division, it is necessary to prepare a bush in advance. A well-grown bush is chosen and cut off in the autumn after flowering, leaving a length of 8-10 cm. The cut lavender is well spudded so that the soil fills all the gaps between the stems.

With the onset of spring, the hilling process is repeated. During the summer, the bush will give a lot of green shoots. In autumn, they dig it up, divide it into 2-3 parts with a shovel. Slices must be treated with garden pitch or crushed coal. Prepared bushes are planted in new places.

Seeds

When self-collecting seeds, there is no guarantee that they will grow the same plants as the mother. Therefore, deciding to propagate plants through seeds, it is best to purchase them in specialized stores.

Before you sow lavender seeds in the soil, you need to stratify them. To do this, the seeds are mixed with water-retaining material. It can be sand, peat or sawdust. Pour the seeds and selected material into a small container and sprinkle with water from a spray bottle. Loosely cover with a lid and send to the cellar or refrigerator for 1.5-2 months.

During this period, do not forget about the seeds. They need to be checked for moisture periodically. They shouldn't dry out, but too much moisture won't help either.

After stratification, the seeds are ready for sowing. To do this, prepare containers with drainage holes. They are filled with soil made of sand and humus. Seeds are spread on the surface of the substrate and covered with sand. The layer thickness should be about 3 mm.

Sown seeds are carefully watered, preferably from a spray bottle, and covered with polyethylene. Then put the containers in a sunny place.

After the lavender sprouts and 2 leaves are formed in it, it is planted in different containers, 6 pieces in one. When the seedlings grow up a little more, they are planted in the garden. When propagating lavender with seeds, you need to be prepared for the fact that it will bloom no earlier than in a year.

Possible problems

White or pink bloom may appear on the root neck of cuttings and adult plants. With its appearance, the plant begins to fade. This disease is called Fusarium wilt. For prevention, the soil is treated with special chemicals.

Young shoots may develop yellow spots that turn gray over time. Branches wither, dry and curl. This is a defeat by phomosis of the stems. All damaged branches must be removed and the bushes treated with Bordeaux liquid.

To grow lavender bushes in your country house or in your yard using cuttings or any other method, you need to be patient and knowledgeable. Then this amazing plant will delight its owners with abundant flowering and an unforgettable aroma.

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