Cuttings of thuja western. Thuja is easily and simply propagated by cuttings.
Thuja is a coniferous evergreen plant belonging to the cypress family. This bright representative of her can grow as a large tree or small shrub. It depends on the variety and care of the plant. Its homeland is North America. Here it is called Thuja is valued for its decorative qualities. She is able to decorate a garden plot or park with her beauty. Thuja is used to create a living decorative hedge and landscape compositions.
With good care, this plant can live for over a hundred years. As a cultivated plant, thuja has long been known. The first mentions date back to 1893, when a person drew attention to its decorative properties and wanted to grow a tree in his garden.
Description of the species
Thuja has won the love of gardeners and the popularity of exotic lovers for its decorative qualities. may be cone-shaped, pyramidal or spherical. It is easy to form, for which it is enough to cut the tree at your discretion. The needles of different types of thuja have different shades: from dark green to emerald. Young trees are distinguished by soft leaves that look like needles. And in adults, they are scaly and resemble oblong bumps, consisting of paired scales. How to propagate by cuttings and seeds, you will learn further.
Thuja seeds are flat in shape, have two wings each. They ripen in autumn, and in spring they give good germination if placed in a natural cold for stratification. Propagation of thuja by cuttings in autumn strengthens the plant, thanks to which it tolerates frost well and easily copes with gas pollution and air pollution. This tree is a natural air purifier and fragrance.
Reproduction by cuttings
Reproduction of thuja cuttings in the fall takes less time. You can take a lignified cutting 30-40 cm long from a healthy tree at the age of 2-3 years. A semi-lignified shoot 10-20 cm long, cut off at the end of June, is also suitable. The cutting must be cut along with a small piece of wood. It needs to be processed. The stalk is placed in a solution of "Heteroauxin" for 3 hours.
Propagation by cuttings of thuja is a simple matter. While the shoot is being processed, you can prepare the ground. In a one-to-one ratio, mix soddy soil, river sand and the mixture, it is desirable to treat it with a weak solution of manganese.
Thuja is grown from cuttings at a depth of 2-3 cm in prepared soil. Spraying is recommended instead of watering. At the end of November, it is imperative to cover the ground near the roots of the cutting. It can be leaves, spruce branches, sawdust. And the tree itself should be wrapped in a film. So frost will not damage it, and in the spring the thuja will quickly begin to grow.
Reproduction by seeds
Propagation of thuja by cuttings and seeds is not always equally successful. The seed method of reproduction is not welcomed by gardeners. It is more suitable for experimenters who are not sorry to spend several years growing thuja. For sowing, only fresh seeds are used that have undergone stratification, that is, they have wintered under the snow.
With the onset of spring, when the snow melts, the seeds are sown on the beds to a depth of half a centimeter. Sprinkle with sawdust on top. Only after 3-4 years, the seedling is transplanted to a permanent place of growth. Do not forget to protect the sprouts from the sun by covering them with shields. The earth around the roots needs to be loosened and moistened. With good care, the seedling will get stronger faster.
Thuja is propagated by cuttings and seeds. The home method is simple and reliable. To do this, the seeds are removed from the cone, dried and sieved. Then they are wrapped in gauze and determined in a dry place before the onset of winter. With the first frost, they are buried under the snow. In the spring, safely overwintered seeds are sown in the ground. The plant will grow for at least five years. This process is very time consuming and not the best. Propagation of thuja by cuttings in autumn is more preferable.
Landing
Before you plant a thuja on your site, you need to choose a place for it. She prefers the sun, but not direct sunlight. Therefore, the best place for its growth will be partial shade, where there are no drafts and a cold wind does not blow. Thuja is unpretentious to the soil. The main thing is that it passes air well. Dense or clayey soil is drained to a depth of 15-20 cm before planting. If this is not done, the needles will turn yellow and dry. With a swampy upper layer, pipes are laid in trenches to drain water from the site. Propagation of thuja by cuttings in autumn will be better tolerated by a young tree than an adult.
When planting, you need to observe the distance between the trees. If you plan to create a hedge in one row, 1 meter is enough; in two rows - 2 meters. Moreover, the plants of the first and second rows are placed in a checkerboard pattern. And if the thuja will be used in the alleys in the future, the distance should be greater - 4 meters. After marking, holes are dug 70 cm deep. In order for the tree to take root faster, the holes are filled with half the nutrient mixture, which consists of 2 parts of soddy land, 1 part of sand and peat, half a kilogram of nitroammofoska.
Growing thuja from cuttings involves not deepening the root collar. After planting, the plant is watered abundantly and mulched to retain moisture. As mulch, humus, compost or peat is used. For the winter, the crown of an adult tree is tied with twine, and the young tree is covered with spruce branches, burlap or spatbond.
Watering
Within two months after planting, the thuja should be well watered: every week a bucket of water under each tree. In dry weather - twice a week and two buckets of water. Watering is carried out in the morning or in the evening, so that the needles dry out before the sun appears, and the roots are saturated with moisture. Thuja loves spraying, and not by accident. This procedure strengthens the plant, washes away dust and dirt, and it breathes easier. All this increases the decorative effect in general. Therefore, if there is time, you can spray daily.
top dressing
Propagation of coniferous cuttings increases the frost resistance of thuja. But not only that. Good and timely top dressing strengthens the plant and it is able to endure severe frosts, while maintaining the rich color of the needles. With the onset of spring, the soil around the trunk is dug up along with humus or peat. You can use potash or nitrogen fertilizers. They are bred and watered the soil after digging. Thuja reacts positively to them, but does not like top dressing from phosphate fertilizers.
pruning
At the beginning of summer, after the development of new shoots and buds, thuja pruning begins. It is made to form the crown of a tree to give it a decorative effect. Re-pruning is carried out at the end of summer. The main thing is to do it regularly, and it will not take much time and effort. When the branches grow large and begin to bend under their own weight, then you will have to work hard to give the plant at least some form.
If, for some reason, the crown has already taken on a neglected appearance, and trimming the tips of the branches is not enough, then gaps may form during trimming, which is very undesirable. It ruins the decor. Trim the branches only with a clean and sharp garden tool. With this approach, the tree will suffer less, and the cuts will quickly tighten. Before the formation of the crown begins, it is carefully studied. This is necessary in order to determine where there is already a contour, and where it needs to be re-formed.
Diseases and pests
The most common is fungus. It can be identified by brown shoots, shrunken branches and falling needles. The disease develops gradually. First, the scales begin to turn yellow. After a while, the shoots turn brown and die. A fungal disease can be prevented if the plant is treated with the "Fundozol" preparation twice a month, starting from the first month of summer and until the end of October.
Propagation of coniferous cuttings allows you to grow a tree more healthy, immune to damage by diseases and pests. If, nevertheless, the thuja was attacked by a false scab and aphids, the tree must be urgently treated with karbofos.
Popular coniferous crops in nature are more often propagated by seeds or vegetatively. But in nurseries and in the circle of gardeners, reproduction of thuja by cuttings in spring is more common, allowing:
- save time and effort on germinating the seed and bringing it to the state of a strong, viable seedling;
- to preserve all the varietal characteristics of the parent plant, which would be necessarily lost with the seed method.
If a summer resident is engaged in self-cultivation of seedlings for the first time, it is important for him to know how thuja reproduces.
Preparation of thuja cuttings for propagation in spring
The preparation of cuttings from conifers, their adaptation and planting have significant differences from the well-known technology for working with deciduous species.
The optimal time for harvesting planting material is the end of March and the whole of April. Shrubs awakened from winter dormancy begin to grow, so pieces of shoots cut from them receive a natural stimulus to growth and root formation.
In the spring, for propagation of thuja by cuttings from strong, well-developed shrubs, the tops are cut off at least 10–12 cm long. The diameter of the future seedling should not be less than 5–8 mm. Taken as cuttings, one-year-old shoots of lateral branches form roots much faster and more readily than those cut from the top.
How to proceed? How to propagate thuja cuttings at home? In such a case, it is enough to immerse the planting material of many deciduous crops in a container of water. After some time, roots form at the cutting, with which it will go into the ground for further growth. In coniferous plants, the process of root formation is somewhat difficult, so the cutting needs a little help:
- Fresh cuttings at the base are cut obliquely.
- Close to the cut, gently pry off and remove the bark.
- Above the shoot, several thin longitudinal incisions are made.
- The needles are removed, leaving only at the ends of the shoots.
These operations must be performed fairly quickly so that the cuttings do not fade.
Thanks to the incisions made, it will be easier for future roots to overcome the bark, and removing the needles will help to avoid decay after planting.
In this form, pieces of shoots are placed in a solution of a root formation stimulator. In a jar of water, thuja propagation cuttings should stay from 12 to 24 hours. During this time, the roots are awakened, which increases the likelihood and accelerates rooting.
Rooting and planting thuja cuttings for propagation
While the planting material is waiting for its turn, containers and soil are prepared for planting. Containers should have drainage holes to drain excess moisture. As a substrate for propagation of thuja by cuttings, it is convenient to take washed and disinfected sand mixed with peat. You can neutralize harmful microflora and insect larvae using:
- abundant watering with a solution of potassium permanganate or phytosporin;
- boiling water poured abundantly on a layer of soil;
- calcination in the oven.
Cuttings are planted at a distance of at least three centimeters from each other. With multi-row planting, 8–10 cm are left between rows. The same distance should be to the edge of the container or pot.
Crowding is dangerous for seedlings, whose roots are at risk of intertwining and breaking off during transplantation into open ground.
Shallow, up to 15 mm holes are made at an inclination of 45 degrees. When all the thuja cuttings for its propagation in the spring have found their place, the soil around them is slightly compacted, and then the plantings are watered.
Care for thuja seedlings during vegetative propagation
Until strong roots form on the thuja cuttings, they need protection from the weather:
- direct sunlight;
- wind;
- rain;
- probable spring frosts.
The best shelter for the first two months would be a small greenhouse or. At this time, the seedlings are provided with daily watering, which is essential in dry, sunny, warm weather.
On particularly hot days, it is useful to spray rooted cuttings for thuja propagation with warm water, using the finest sprinkling. The film on the greenhouse is changed to a thin fabric or non-woven material.
Over the summer, properly planted and well-cared for plants develop their own roots. Therefore, young arborvitae can be safely transferred to a place where shrubs are fully formed in 2-3 years, or into separate pots for growing in a container.
The roots of decorative conifers are quite fragile. You need to work with them carefully, trying not to damage them. It is more convenient if, during transplantation, the seedling retains a small earthen ball, which will protect the rhizomes and accelerate acclimatization.
A video about propagating thuja with cuttings at home will help beginners understand the intricacies of the process and avoid mistakes that will delay the appearance of new evergreen shrubs on the site for a year. After transplanting into the ground, thujas receive the same care as their adult counterparts. But you need to be especially careful to monitor the cleanliness of the soil under the plants, otherwise the weeds can “suffocate” small shrubs.
Wick rooting of thuja cuttings - video
A beautiful tree or shrub will become a decoration of the local area or garden plot. An excellent choice for such a case can be thuja. This evergreen ornamental plant is native to East Asia, it is distinguished by a dense crown and unpretentious care. Due to the ease of cutting branches from thuja, you can create graceful natural forms. Therefore, people who breed plants on their own will be interested to know what thuja reproduction is at home.
Reproduction of thuja at home by seeds
Seed-produced offspring are more hardy than plants propagated by cuttings. However, the process of growing a seedling is quite long - from two to six years. For planting, only fresh seeds are required, which ripen in cones. After collection, they are placed in a warm, dark place, and after two or three days they open. A prerequisite will be their placement in wet sand. After a couple of days, plant the seeds in large pots or boxes with a specially prepared mixture: for this, they take part of peat and sifted sand, three parts of soddy land. Then the containers are transferred to the basement and left for three months. After that, the boxes (pots) are taken out and left in a warm place, without excess sunlight. After the shoots appear, you should gradually accustom the plant to fresh air and sunlight, as shown in this photo.
The plant should be transplanted at the beginning of summer, after fertilizing the planting site with a small amount of ash, peat and sand. In some cases, the collected seeds are left in the ground for the winter, so that they lie under the snow (natural stratification). And then they are sown to a depth of 0.5 cm, sprinkled with coniferous sawdust. It is necessary to provide the plant with protection from sunlight, and cover the shoots with special shields. It is possible to carry out bait with a weak solution of slurry (one part of manure to 20 parts of water). In about a year and a half, it will be possible to determine the type of growing plant - columnar or spherical.
How to propagate thuja at home by cuttings
A better known method of propagating thuja at home is by separating a cutting (cutting). You will need a lignified shoot with a length of 20 cm or more, it is better to cut it in late April, early May, in extreme cases - the second half of June. The stalk is separated by cutting (it will be good if part of the wood of the donor plant remains on it), after which the bottom of the process is cleaned of needles and immersed in water for 2 hours. The soil mixture must be made from equal parts of peat, soddy soil and river sand. In order to disinfect the substrate, it must be treated with potassium permanganate. The harvested shoot is planted to a depth of 3-4 cm.
You should also provide appropriate external conditions for the germination of the cuttings. The greenhouse should have sufficient humidity (70%), be sunny - so use a transparent greenhouse cap. Don't forget to ventilate the area. To maintain the required level of humidity, use spraying.
In more detail with the described methods of breeding thuja, you can find in the following video:
Now you know how thuja reproduces at home, and this will not cause any particular difficulties. By following these tips, you can grow a wonderful ornamental plant, implement your innovative ideas for decorating a garden and a house adjoining area. And then the thuja will delight you with its evergreen crown for many years.
Thuja is propagated in various ways - by seed, root division, horizontal layering and cuttings. Each method has its own characteristics and advantages, but vegetative propagation is still more popular among flower growers.
Propagation of thuja seeds
Since the seeds lose their germination after 10-12 months, it is necessary to use only freshly harvested seed material for sowing. Sowing seeds begins in December. Planting boxes or flower containers must be filled with a prepared soil mixture of rotted earth (three parts), fine sand and peat (one part each) and sow the seeds. Immediately after that, all containers are transferred to a cool cellar or placed in a refrigerator with an average temperature of about 5 degrees Celsius and left for 2-3 months. After this time, the boxes are placed in a warm and bright room with a temperature of 18 to 23 degrees Celsius for growing seedlings. Care of young plants consists in moderate watering, protection from direct sunlight and timely diving of seedlings.
Thuja is an unpretentious plant and its seedlings are developing rapidly. It is recommended that growing crops be gradually accustomed to bright sunlight and open air. Planting seedlings should be carried out in early June. It is very important that at this moment the root system is fully formed and ready for transplanting into open ground. A strong, healthy and strong seedling will become only with good care in about 3-4 years.
This propagation method is recommended for young plants, since their root part is much easier to separate. In order for the root system to acquire the necessary scale, the plant in the summer season must be planted to a depth of about 15 cm or hilled. By the beginning of autumn, the roots will grow to the desired size and, having dug up a young bush, you can divide them into separate seedlings and plant them for further independent development.
Reproduction by horizontal layering
When using this method, it must be taken into account that this method is not a guarantee of repeating the typical crown shape. This is one of the main disadvantages of this method. Rooted lower branches can give several seedlings at once, but their external characteristics will not be at a high level. The resulting crooked seedlings will require good care for several years to get into good shape.
One of the lower branches of an adult plant must be bent to the surface of the earth, pinned with a wire and sprinkled with soil. Full roots will appear in about a year.
Cuttings are used to propagate thuja with needle needles, as well as with a spherical crown. This method is especially effective for young specimens of thuja. In early spring (before the buds awaken), it is necessary to cut cuttings from two or three-year-old lateral lignified shoots 30-40 cm long, treat the cut sites with heteroauxin and root them in a special substrate to a depth of about 2-3 cm. Its composition: perlite, pure fine river sand , vermiculite and peat with high acidity. The substrate should be light and loose, with good air permeability.
When cuttings in the spring, the favorable air temperature is 15-18 degrees Celsius, and in the summer - from 20 to 23 degrees. Soil moisture during rooting cuttings should be moderate. Watering is not recommended, it is better to replace them with regular spraying. To improve root formation, you can use special stimulating solutions. After spring cuttings, the seedlings will be ready for the winter cold and they will not need any additional cover. But the "summer" cuttings will not yet have time to get stronger before winter, so it is worth transferring them to storage (for all the winter months) in a bright room with a temperature of 10 to 15 degrees.
How to propagate and grow thuja (video)
Propagation of thuja by cuttings in autumn or spring is considered the most convenient and effective way. The main advantage of this method is the ability to preserve the varietal qualities of the plant and get small full-fledged trees in just 2 or 3 years. Of course, growing thuja from cuttings has its drawbacks. This plant cannot be called hardy, therefore the survival rate of seedlings is not too high. But other ways of breeding thuja have their drawbacks.
How to choose branches for cuttings?
To grow thuja from a twig, you need to select the right material. It should be remembered that it is best to use cuttings from actively growing young thujas at the age of 4-9 years, since over the years the ability to form a root system decreases in cut branches. Interestingly, at home, twigs from cultivated specimens take root better.
You can cut the plant at different times of the year. If this is done in the spring, then you need to start immediately after the snow melts, but even before the awakening of the kidneys, that is, if we take the climatic conditions of the Middle Strip, then this is approximately the end of March-mid-April. Summer cuttings are also possible, but this is rarely done in June, usually experts recommend postponing the procedure until August, when it is already possible to germinate stiffened shoots. When cuttings in the spring, the roots form quite quickly, within three months. But during autumn work, only characteristic growths may appear before the end of the year, and rooting will occur only the next year.
It is believed that it is better to collect thuja branches in the fall, since at this time of the year the movement of juices slows down and therefore the number of seedlings dying from moisture deficiency will be less. But rooting will also be slower.
October is usually chosen for collecting twigs. This is best done when leaves have already fallen from deciduous trees. In addition, experts say that it is advisable to harvest branches not on a sunny, but on a cloudy day. It is recommended to carefully pinch off the shoots from the top. It is best to take those branches that are already 3-4 years old, but a non-specialist in appearance is unlikely to distinguish them. So in this case, it is better to select those that seem strong and healthy enough.
Experts believe that even for indoor thuja, the weather for selecting cuttings is of fundamental importance. It is best to cut branches on cloudy days. In this case, side shoots are usually chosen if we are talking about a pyramidal thuja, but if the tree is spherical, then this does not matter.
For breeding in the future, only lignified branches should be used, their length should be no more than 50 cm. But you should not take too small branches either, since their rooting will take quite a long time. When choosing, you need to pay attention to the top of the future cutting. It should be green, there may be yellowish areas under it.
You need to carefully examine such an escape. At its end, the so-called “woody heel” should be preserved - this is a piece of bark, which becomes the basis for the development of new roots. The bigger and longer it looks, the better for rooted plants. Before proceeding to the next step, you need to remove the leaf plates at a height of about 3-4 cm from the end of the shoot.
Can cuttings be grown in water?
Some gardeners believe that the easiest answer to the question of how to propagate thuja is to grow them in a jar of water. They claim that this is the fastest way to activate the roots of the plant.
Before you grow thuja by cuttings, you need to prepare planting material. To do this, you need to cut with a sharp knife a long tail of a woody "heel", on which the bark is still preserved. Only the relatively small lower parts of the shoot are cleaned with secateurs - up to 3.5-5 cm, so that there are no random needles left on it, then the end of the branch is lowered into the water and into the powder of the root former.
Growing thuja cuttings in water and using a wick design
To do this, you need to take a small container, fill it with water, then set the shoots so that the water covers their ends by about 2 cm. There should not be more than 3-5 cuttings in a jar or other container so that they are not too crowded.
With such cultivation, in no case should the rooted cuttings begin to rot. Therefore, it is necessary to control that their green parts do not come into contact with water. This is what causes the planting material to rot. In order for the plant to feel comfortable, the container must be rearranged in a bright place where it will be cool, but not cold.
The most important thing in caring for such seedlings is to change their water in a timely manner, without waiting until it becomes cloudy. At this time, the cuttings must be removed from the container, and the roots should be wrapped with a clean, damp cloth. The water is pre-disinfected, for this you need only a couple of crystals of potassium permanganate.
At the same time, you need to make a vertical hole in the ground with a peg. Its depth should be about 30-40 mm. Holes are made as many as there are cuttings. The distance between them should be at least 60-80 mm. As soon as the cuttings have roots, they can be transplanted into a prepared container.
Growing cuttings in the substrate
You can grow thuja cuttings in different ways. One of the easiest options is the use of substrates. The fact is that the above method using water has one significant drawback - in its pure form, the liquid does not contain any nutrients, unlike the substrate.
Before rooting the thuja, you need to prepare boxes for seedlings and make sure that holes are made in them to aerate the soil. At the bottom there must be a drainage hole and a layer of fine gravel. As a soil, either ready-made store-bought formulations are used, or a mixture of leafy humus and peat prepared at home, and all components are taken in equal proportions. The resulting soil must be disinfected, and for this it is necessary to ignite it in the oven. If there is potassium permanganate in the house, you can make a fairly strong dark solution (the color indicates a high content of the active substance in the water).
Previously, the cuttings must be placed in water for 10-12 hours. Before this, the biostimulating drug "Kornevin" is added to the liquid. If a person is interested in how to grow thuja in this way, he must prepare everything necessary in advance, including sufficiently spacious, but not too large containers that are filled with a substrate. Recesses for cuttings are made according to the above scheme. The seedlings are deepened by 1.5-2 cm and sprinkled with sand on top. It also needs to be preheated.
Then the containers with seedlings are covered with plastic wrap and left where they will have enough light, but without direct sunlight. The air temperature should be within + 18 ... + 22ºС. When condensation appears on the film, it can be opened for ventilation. It is very important not to overdo it with watering, but the soil should not be allowed to dry out. Humidification is carried out exclusively from a spray gun, since a more powerful jet of water can press down the soil and expose the "heel" necessary for the development of a full-fledged seedling.
Growing cuttings in sphagnum
Cuttings can also be grown in a medium of sphagnum, that is, peat moss. In this case, the procedure involves the formation of a kind of cocoon from clean cloth and wet moss, therefore this method is sometimes called breeding in diapers.
At the initial stage, growing by cuttings in sphagnum resembles breeding in ordinary soil. In the same way, the branches must be properly prepared and kept in water with a rooting stimulator for about 10-12 hours. But sphagnum needs additional processing. It should be poured with boiled water for about 3 hours so that it is properly saturated with moisture. A fairly wide piece of fabric is laid out on the table, mentally dividing this width in half, wet moss is placed along the entire length on one of the halves. The second strip remains free, so that later it can be covered with moss and cuttings.
Thuja branches are laid out on sphagnum at a certain distance from each other so that their “heels” are surrounded by moss. Then the cuttings are covered with the bottom of the strip so that the green tops are free. After that, the fabric is rolled up. It turns out a bundle that needs to be placed inside a plastic bag. Then it is hung in a well-lit place, but so that direct sunlight does not fall on it.
Growing thuja cuttings in sphagnum is even easier than in the ground, since moss allows you to maintain the desired level of humidity for a long time. If, nevertheless, there is not enough moisture, this can be easily determined by the fact that condensate will not collect on the inner walls of the bag and they will become dry. In this case, humidification from a spray bottle is necessary.
Advantages of the vegetative method
Although propagating from seed produces hardier specimens, growing from cuttings has many advantages. Firstly, this is the only way to preserve the specific appearance of the plant. When propagated by seeds, this is not always possible.
Secondly, thuja seeds, like the seeds of other coniferous plants, need stratification, that is, a procedure in which natural conditions are imitated for them in order to ensure germination. In this case, it is a procedure in which cold and humidity are created at the same time. As a result, you can get quite hardy trees. But this process takes a very long time. To get seedlings suitable for planting, you will need to wait an average of 6 years. Propagation by cuttings can significantly reduce this time. With this method of cultivation, it is possible to obtain a plant suitable for planting in open ground in literally 2-3 years.