air extracts Croton seed reproduction at homeand healthy variegated foliage. And if you wish, you can also get a new Croton, the reproduction of which at home is done in three main ways:
- using grafting;
- sowing of seeds obtained independently or acquired;
- by air layering.
How to propagate croton at home? What are the pitfalls that a florist can meet, and which method is the most affordable?
Croton propagation by cuttings
Grafting is the simplest and most effective method. Not only can planting material be obtained throughout the year, not only the tips of the shoots with an active point of growth can be rooted, but also stem cuttings with a single leaf sleeping in the axillary bud and a small fragment of the stem. This method is often called croton breeding leaves.
If you take only a leaf for breeding, it will give powerful roots, but you can not wait for further development. Without a bud, from which the sprout would start growing, it will not be possible to get a young copy of an ornamental plant.
The best time to cut the cuttings is early spring, when the shoots did not actively grow:
- When cutting the apical cutting, its length should be within 6–10 cm. In this case, the future plant will form a good root system and form a small, strong stem.
- Stem cuttings are obtained using a direct cut so as to get one interstitial with an adult leaf and a kidney.
In order to ensure that the cuttings are rooted and subsequently grow, it is better to cut them from the woody healthy shoots.
Both experienced and novice flower growers often have questions about croton breeding, photos and step-by-step descriptions of all stages will help prevent mistakes and soon enjoy new green pets:
- Milky sap is always highlighted at cut points. It should be easily dried with a napkin or rinse.
- Large leaves on the apical parts of the shoots, which can weaken the cutting, taking away nutrients from it, are cut by half.
- Lower leaves that interfere with rooting are removed.
- Then, the cuttings used for breeding Croton are kept in air for a couple of hours.
- And only after such preparation, planting material is immersed a few centimeters in warm water.
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But proper preparation of seedlings is not enough. When croton propagates by cuttings, it is important that the water temperature for rooting is in the range of 24–30 ° C.It is useful to use the available stimulants of rooting:
- if the liquid cools for a long time, the rooting first slows down, then stops, and the seedling rots and dies;
- in warmer water roots also grow reluctantly, and there is a high risk of developing bacterial flora.
All the time, from falling into the water before planting in the ground, seedlings should be in the bright, but scattered sun, in conditions of long daylight hours.
When roots appear on the handle with which croton breeding is carried out, it is not worth waiting for their significant lengthening. It is much easier to transfer saplings with a root system of about 2–3 cm long into the ground. The roots do not get damaged when planted, and the crotons themselves start moving faster.
Read also: Photo and Description of Croton Varieties
With properly selected soil composition and high humidity, Croton successfully acclimatizes and takes root at a couple of weeks at normal room temperature.
Reproduction of croton by air layouts
If an adult Croton grows in an apartment with a woody, leafless trunk, then on such a plant you can get air layouts. How does croton breed in this interesting but rather painstaking way?
For getting planting material choose a sturdy escape. You can use the top of an adult plant. At a distance of 10–15 cm from the end of the stem, the bark is cut in a circle so as to strip about a centimeter of wood. Here croton, when propagated by air, must form roots.
Cutting point:
- is carefully treated with a means of activating growth;
- is wrapped with a sphagnum moss layer;
- cover the package, which is securely fastened under the bare area and above it.
Moss is pre-moistened, and provide for the possibility of watering in the future, until croton does not form aerial roots. Wait for the root system to emerge from the surrounding moss in 4–6 weeks.
When this happens, the stem under the place of root regrowth is cut, and the resulting seedling, as in croton reproduction, is transplanted into the ground. Caring for a plant is also no different from the method already described above.
Croton seed propagation at home.
Croton seed reproduction is the most time-consuming and long-lasting way to produce a new plant. If the gardener decides to conduct such a bold experiment, for example, wanting to grow a hybrid or rare specimen, he should remember that the seeds of indoor crotons:
- do not transfer parental properties;
- in a short time after aging lose their germination;
- before sowing require decontamination and special preparation, accelerating germination.
Even after waiting for shoots, you will have to pay a lot of attention to them, because the seedlings are often weak and develop very slowly. Recommend this method of breeding Croton at home can only be experienced lovers of indoor cultures.
For disinfection, croton seeds are first immersed in hot water for half an hour, and then soaked for about 24 hours in room temperature water. In the liquid, you can add a growth promoter.
Read also: Croton reproduction: an overview of two different waysAt high air humidity and temperatures from 22 to 25 ° C, the seeds will germinate in about a month. When seedlings appear, they continue to be watered gently and gradually accustomed to room air, and more and more often they open up the greenhouse. Crotons with three open leaves can be transplanted into separate pots. Video about croton and its breeding methods
