Thuja breeding - methods, procurement of planting material, rooting

Reproduction of thuja with

seeds The seed variant is very long, laborious, since by the time the bush is planted in the ground it will take at least 5 years. In addition, the thuja can lose its varietal characteristics during development, and the only advantage of this situation will be the adaptation of the plant to the local climate. However, if you are interested in the process itself, then you will need a soil mixture( sand, coniferous, hardwood), high-quality seeds. It is important that the seed material is pre-stratified - overwinter under a layer of snow.

With the arrival of spring, thuja seeds are placed in containers with nutrient soil, poured on top of the ground, mixed with sawdust of coniferous crops. Reproduction of thuja seeds at home entails traditional concerns: protecting seedlings from the scorching rays of the sun, timely watering, getting rid of weeds, feeding. After 5 or even 6 years, young tui can be landed on the site.

Thuja propagation by cuttings

Cherenkovom reproduction is the most convenient, effective way. A big plus of this method is the preservation of the varietal qualities of the tree, as well as the opportunity to get full-fledged small trees in two or three years. Of the minuses worth noting reduced stamina and a small percentage of the survival rate of bushes. For this situation, this is a normal phenomenon, if you do everything according to the rules, then a positive result will not take long.

Consider thuja breeding at home by cuttings. What time of year to choose for this - spring or autumn?

Thuja reproduction by cuttings in spring

Most often novice gardeners are concerned about the issue of reproduction of thuis in spring, how best to do it. In spring rooting, all processes are faster, as the movement of juices in the shoots is activated. Preparation of planting material is practically no different from the above method. For the selection of cuttings, healthy branches are also used from the tops of the thuja, which are no more than 3 years old.

Thuja breeding in the spring is best carried out in April, with the manual separation of the branch, the heel should be kept. If for some reason you missed April, then you can have time to “catch” a repeated period of shoot growth - this is June. It should be borne in mind that the June cuttings “oversleep” the summer, autumn, winter, and take root only in the spring.

The best method for spring reproduction is the substrate method and active hydration. Water or the swaddling method is not suitable here due to insufficient moisture during the activation of the root system. The process itself is very similar to autumn cutting, but sometimes the soil mixture is replaced with clean sand.

Tui - reproduction by cuttings in the spring, stages:

1. We put the selected shoots into the water with Kornevin for 24 hours.
2. We take boxes or other containers with a large number of holes at the bottom, lay a layer of medium-sized rubble.
3. From above we pour clean sand, which can be calcined or doused with boiling water. You can also use the soil mixture mentioned above.
4. We spill sand with a solution of potassium permanganate, it should be pink, but not too dark.
5. When the sand or the substrate has cooled, we submerge the branches of thuja to a depth of 1-1.5 cm, lightly trample down with our hands.
6. Since the spring is still cool, the containers with the cuttings should be placed where the conditions are similar to those in the greenhouse. At the same time, the air temperature should not be lower than + 17ºС, higher than + 23ºС.

This place should be shaded, seedlings should be irrigated daily with a spray bottle. If the spring was hot, then spraying should be carried out twice a day. At the same time, make sure that the moisture does not fall on the green leaf plates - the process of decay may begin. After two months, it will become clear which cuttings have taken root; by this time, the risk of drying out planting material is significantly reduced.

Thuja - reproduction by cuttings in autumn

But there is also an opinion that autumn harvesting of twigs for planting is more expedient, because in autumn the sap flow slows down, respectively, the number of seedlings dying from lack of moisture decreases. It should be borne in mind that the rooting process will take more time. Let us consider sputum reproduction in the spring

To collect the twigs, it is better to choose not the sunny day of October, when the trees already have opal foliage( in Kuban, this may be the beginning of November).It is best to pinch the shoots from the top, to choose the best branches that have already turned 3 or 4 years old.

Select only lignified branches that are no longer than 50 cm in length. The “correct” shoot at the end must have a woody “heel” - part of the bark, thanks to which new roots will develop. The longer this “heel” is, the better the rooting process will be. Remove approximately 3-4 cm of leaf plates from the end of the shoot and proceed to the next step.

Reproduction of thuja by cuttings in a can of water

Water is the easiest, most affordable way to activate the roots of thuja. To do this, take a small container, fill it with water, set the branches so that the water covers the ends of about 2 cm. Do not put more than 3 or 5 cuttings. Make sure that the green parts of the shoots are not in contact with water - this contributes to the further decay of the planting material. After that, choose a bright, slightly cool place for the tank.

Care of seedlings is a timely replacement of water( when it becomes cloudy).At this time, the cuttings are removed from the jar, the roots are wrapped with a clean, damp cloth. New water should be disinfected with a pair of potassium permanganate crystals.

Rooting of thuja cuttings in the substrate, sphagnum

Reproduction of thuja cuttings in the autumn is possible in different ways, for example, using a substrate. This method is more advantageous than the version with water, which does not contain any nutrients, but with the substrate the rooting process will be much more productive.

To make the seedlings more healthy and resilient, prepare:

1. Drawers or other forms with holes( for soil aeration).Lay on the bottom of fine gravel( drainage), mix equal shares of hardwood humus, sand, peat.
2. Calcify the resulting soil mixture in the oven. If you have potassium permanganate at home, make a dark solution and additionally spill the soil for reliability.
3. Place the cuttings for 10-12 hours in water with pre-diluted biostimulating drug "Kornevin".
4. Fill containers with substrate, make indentations for cuttings. Deepen the seedlings themselves by 1.5-2 cm, sprinkle with sand on top( which can also be pre-ignited), tamp lightly.
5. Next, the box should be covered with plastic wrap, set to a bright place, and the air temperature should be + 18..22ºС.When condensation appears on the walls of the mini-greenhouse, slightly open the film on one side( for ventilation).

When substrate rooting, it is important not to overdo it with watering and to prevent the soil from drying out. Moisturizing is best done by spraying with an atomizer, as the weight of the water can soil the soil and strip the heel.

There is another interesting way in which autumn thuja breeding is carried out with the help of sphagnum( peat moss).This method involves swaddling shoots as a kind of cocoon, this method is called rooting of thuja in diapers.

In addition to sphagnum, you will need a plastic film, a clean cloth, as well as the drug "Kornevin".

Process:

1. As described above, we place the shoots of thuja in water with a root formation stimulator( for 10-12 hours).
2. Sphagnum is filled with boiled water for about 3 hours so that it is swollen and saturated with moisture.
3. We spread a wide strip of fabric on the table, visually divide its width in half, and spread the moist sphagnum evenly over the entire length of the upper band. The lower free part of the width of the diaper is needed in order to cover the cuttings and moss, and then gently fold this strip with a roll.
4. At a short distance from each other we lay the branches of the thuja, surrounding the "heels" with sphagnum.
5. We cover the cuttings with the lower part of the strip, so that the green tops are free, we roll up the roll.
6. The resulting sack is placed inside a plastic bag, suspended in a well-lit place( but not on the direct rays of the sun).

Such thuja breeding by cuttings is considered the easiest, thanks to moss, the required moisture level is maintained for a long time. Lack of moisture can be determined by the absence of condensation on the inner walls of the package - if it is dry, you should moisten the diaper with a spray.

Growing of thuja

Cuttings of spring or autumn harvesting require rearing. For this, special beds are formed, which are called shkolka. There they will stay for 2 or 3 years, after which they will be transplanted to a permanent place of residence. Autumn cuttings are planted in shkolka next year, and spring as early as September of this year.

Place for young tui should be green, soil - peat( you can add 1 bucket per 1 m²), cuttings are planted at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other, watered. At this stage, the seedlings are already gaining strength, you will only have to care for them properly - to water and destroy the weeds in a timely manner.

Thuja breeding is an interesting and productive process, as you can get dozens of “kids” from one tree. After 2-3 years, these will be full-fledged small trees, with the help of which you will be able to plant trees on your land and give it individuality.