How to propagate the desert rose
The editor answers how to propagate the desert rose and provides detailed steps and knowledge about plants. Next, the site editor introduces to the netizens.
The desert rose is a relatively beautiful flowering plant, and many gardening enthusiasts cultivate it. Autumn is its blooming season, but due to regional differences, some gardeners' desert roses have already finished blooming, leaving only a full tree of leaves. A bit later, there may be no leaves left, and they will shed and enter a dormant period. The other day, a gardening enthusiast asked, "Can the desert rose be propagated now?" Yes, as long as you pay attention to the methods, it is also possible to propagate now, turning one pot into multiple pots. However, now is not the best time to propagate desert roses. When propagating, pay attention to three details to help increase the survival rate.
Desert rose
Best propagation time for the desert rose
There are two best times for propagating the desert rose, one is from May to June, which is early summer, and the other is from August to September, which is early autumn. In terms of temperature, it is most suitable to propagate desert roses when the temperature is between 20 to 35 degrees Celsius, with a high survival rate and quick root growth. Because during this period or temperature range, the desert rose grows vigorously, metabolism is fast, and propagation is easy to take root and grow. Especially in early summer, propagation is best, and by the time it gets cold in winter, the young plants have already grown up and can easily survive the winter.
Desert rose seedlings
Can the desert rose be propagated now?
Now that autumn is more than half over, it is not the best time to propagate desert roses, but if you want to propagate, you can still do it. Because the survival rate of desert rose propagation is mainly related to temperature and humidity, if we do a good job of keeping warm and moisturizing during propagation outside of the best time, the survival is not a big issue. Especially in the southern regions, the weather is still relatively hot now, similar to the temperature in early summer, which is very suitable for propagating desert roses.
Desert rose seedlings
Steps and precautions for propagating desert roses now
Step 1: Pruning
Choose a sunny morning to prune the desert rose. The branches cut off can be used as cuttings for propagation. When pruning the desert rose, two things need to be done: first, determine where to cut. Secondly, do not use scissors, but use a thin blade to make a horizontal cut. Doing these two things is beneficial to the survival rate of desert rose propagation. It is not about cutting the branches with a large pair of scissors directly, as this does not guarantee the survival rate.
How to propagate the desert rose
Cut from where the red line is
Precautions
A, when pruning the desert rose, it is best to cut from the woody or semi-woody parts of the stem. On one hand, this allows the plant to be矮化 (dwarfed) as much as possible and grow enough strong new buds, which helps with the next flowering. On the other hand, the cut branches used as cuttings for propagation are more likely to survive if they are not too tender, as tender cuttings cannot survive propagation.
B, why use a thin blade to cut the cuttings of the desert rose? One reason is to ensure a neat wound, which is conducive to healing and propagation. Another reason is that the surrounding tissue damage is minimal, leading to a higher survival rate. Otherwise, using scissors to pinch can damage the surrounding tissue, making it difficult to root after propagation and prone to rot.
The more severe the wound damage, the more it will shrink back
Step 2: Cutting Treatment
Do not plant the cuttings from the desert rose directly. First, sterilize and air-dry the wound of the cuttings before planting. If planted directly, the wound will almost certainly rot, and the survival rate will be even lower. The desert rose is a succulent plant, and the wound treatment of the cuttings is different from that of ordinary flowers, as there will be a lot of sap flowing out when cut, which needs to be stopped before sterilizing and planting.
Desert rose cuttings
Precautions
A, the more sap that flows from the desert rose wound, the less conducive it is to propagation. Because this sap is like human blood, providing nutrients for growth. Therefore, after pruning, stop the sap flow as soon as possible, which can be done by applying a plant wound healing agent, or by dipping in carbendazim, or dipping in wood ash. Some gardeners also place the wound on a cigarette tip to burn it, which is also acceptable if done with caution.