When to propagate osmanthus
Today's experience sharing: When to propagate osmanthus and the topics of osmanthus propagation time and methods, let's introduce them to you by our site editor.
The osmanthus tree has green and fresh leaves, a graceful shape, and fragrant flowers. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, the fragrance spreads for miles, filling the air with a faint scent of osmanthus, hence the name "moonflower." Not only does the osmanthus tree have a beautiful shape and fragrant flowers, but it can also be used to make osmanthus cakes and osmanthus tea, making it highly favored by flower enthusiasts.
Many flower enthusiasts, because they love osmanthus, want to propagate and grow it at home. When is the best time to propagate osmanthus? How to propagate it better? Are there other propagation methods for osmanthus? How to do them? How to care for the osmanthus after it has survived propagation? Let's read Rongjie's article to gain some understanding of the matters related to osmanthus.
When is the best time to propagate osmanthus?
The suitable time for osmanthus propagation is from May to June in spring or from September to October in autumn. These seasons have suitable temperatures and more nutrients in the branches, offering a greater chance of survival. For spring propagation, you can use last year's strong branches as cuttings. For autumn propagation, you need to use branches that have grown this year.
However, when is the best time to propagate? Rongjie still thinks spring is the best, as everything revives in spring, which is a good time for the osmanthus tree to germinate. After the branches have accumulated a lot of energy over winter, spring propagation allows the osmanthus to experience a long period of growth, which is very beneficial for the propagated osmanthus. For osmanthus propagated in autumn, it just starts growing and then faces the cold winter, which is not very conducive to the growth of newly propagated osmanthus. Therefore, spring is relatively better. However, if the winter is not too cold, you can decide based on your own time.
How to propagate osmanthus better?
Selecting suitable soil: When propagating osmanthus, it is first necessary to choose soil suitable for osmanthus growth. Generally, you can choose deep soil layers that are fertile, well-drained, and rich in humus, with neutral or slightly acidic pH. Too acidic or alkaline soil is not conducive to survival after propagation.
Selecting suitable cuttings: When propagating osmanthus, we need to choose strong branches as cuttings. Generally, you can select one-year-old, robust osmanthus branches, cut them from the tree, and divide them into 10 cm segments. The bottom of the cutting should be cut diagonally to increase the contact area with the soil, making it easier to root. The prepared osmanthus cuttings should be soaked in rooting hormone for 2 hours before propagation. When planting osmanthus, put the prepared soil into the pot, make a hole in the soil with a chopstick, insert the osmanthus cutting, cover it with soil, and then water thoroughly with a low concentration of carbendazim.
Are there other propagation methods for osmanthus besides cutting, and what are they?
In addition to cutting, osmanthus can also be propagated through grafting, seeding, and layering.
Grafting can use rootstock grafting. Even without grafting, osmanthus can bloom, but it will take longer. Grafting is used to create new osmanthus varieties, which bloom earlier and more abundantly.
Seeding osmanthus grows slowly and takes several years to bloom. This makes cutting the fastest and most convenient method.
When to propagate osmanthus
How to care for osmanthus after it has survived propagation?
Transplanting: Place a layer of river sand or vermiculite at the bottom of the pot to ensure good drainage. Then put a layer of fine sand one-third of the way up the pot, place the propagated osmanthus with soil ball in the center of the pot, cover it with soil suitable for osmanthus growth, water thoroughly, and place it in a shaded area to recover. Generally, it can be normally maintained after 20 days.
Light: Although osmanthus loves plenty of sunlight, young osmanthus seedlings need to be placed in a semi-shaded environment. If kept indoors, they can be placed in a location with scattered light and sufficient brightness.
Watering: Osmanthus cannot tolerate drought but also cannot grow in积水. Therefore, watering needs special attention. For newly planted osmanthus, water only when the soil is dry, and water thoroughly. During the vigorous growth period, more water can be provided. In the rainy season, watering should be controlled. Newly planted osmanthus needs to be frequently sprayed with water to increase humidity.
Fertilizing: Osmanthus has the characteristic of sprouting and blooming twice. Therefore, it requires a lot of fertilizer. It is not recommended to fertilize newly planted osmanthus. Fertilization is best done when the osmanthus is growing vigorously, using a dilute nitrogen fertilizer to promote faster growth and earlier blooming.
Disease and pest control: The main diseases and pests of osmanthus are anthracnose and red spider mites.
Anthracnose: When osmanthus has anthracnose, its leaves become dry, yellow, and then brown. At this time, you can remove and burn the diseased leaves to cut off the source of infection. Then spray the osmanthus with carbendazim to kill the virus and apply potassium fertilizer and decomposed manure to increase the resistance of the osmanthus.
Red spider mites: The appearance of red spider mites is mainly due to dry soil and high temperatures. After the osmanthus is affected by red spider mites, the leaves will become wrinkled and dry, and then fall off. To treat red spider mites, you can use acaricide according to the instructions on the product label.
Pruning: Pruning osmanthus can be done in winter. During pruning, you can cut off the dead branches, diseased branches, and intersecting branches, which can reduce the load and promote ventilation and light penetration. Pruning is done every winter. If the canopy is too wide, you can remove the strong branches on top and leave the weaker ones. If the branches are too dense, they need to be thinned.
Temperature: Osmanthus prefers warm temperatures and has some cold resistance but cannot withstand very cold weather. The suitable temperature for osmanthus growth is between 15 and 28 degrees. In winter, it needs to be moved indoors for care. In a temperature range of 0 to 5 degrees, osmanthus can safely overwinter.
Summary
In summary, the most suitable time for osmanthus propagation is spring because the osmanthus germinates faster, has a longer growth period, and can adapt to climate changes better. Osmanthus propagated in autumn may be frozen after experiencing the cold winter. In addition to cutting, osmanthus can also be propagated by seeding and grafting. Post-propagation care can be done through potting, appropriate lighting, watering, fertilizing, pest and disease control, pruning, and winter warming.
The above (Green Plant Enthusiast Network) introduces when to propagate osmanthus and the specific introduction of osmanthus propagation time and methods for your reference.