Propagating azalea by cuttings: the secrets of successful rooting
Indoor beauties azaleas almost everyone loves, because they delight with their flowering when most of the plants are already resting. It is quite easy to grow a whole blooming windowsill using the cuttings method. Unlike the seed method breeding, it will give results in a shorter time.
You can start cutting azaleas from July to October.
Selection and preparation of cuttings
For reproduction, it is necessary to select already mature shoots with a formed vegetative or flower bud and large dark green leaves on an adult azalea bush. The size of the cuttings is up to 15 cm.
You can check the "readiness" of the escape by breaking it. Mature twigs should produce a characteristic crackle of wood, which breaks.
Preparing the cutting for rooting includes the following manipulations:
- Tear off the lower leaves completely, and cut the upper ones to half of the leaf plate.
- On the side of the cut shoot (from bottom to top), make an oblique incision, removing the bark in a strip about 2 cm long. It is in this place that the twig then forms roots.
- Dip the cutting into a growth stimulant (if it is a powder). When using a liquid solution, the twig should be left in it overnight.
When cutting deciduous azaleas, only young branches that are still at the developmental stage should be used as a cutting. Their upper leaves will be still small and light shades.
Where to root?
According to the recommendations of experienced florists, cuttings are best rooted in peat. It has a loose and light structure, which is what an azalea should.
It is best to take high-grade peat with low acidity.
You can also take a ready-made substrate for azaleas for rooting. Such a mixture usually already contains peat and essential nutrients.
Rooting features
The cuttings prepared in the above way are deepened into a light soil mixture by 2-3 cm and well press the ground around with your fingers. Cover the container with a cap or plastic bag and put it in the warmest and lightest place in the house. The air temperature there should be at the level of 25 degrees Celsius, but not less than 22 degrees.
From time to time, the box must be turned towards the sun to provide the cuttings with uniform illumination, and also to remove the cap to ventilate the greenhouse, otherwise the plants may rot. It will be possible to completely remove the shelter only when the cuttings are rooting. Transplant into separate small pots is carried out when the azaleas grow by 3 cm.
Read also the article:how to propagate an orchid at home?