How to propagate thuja from cuttings in the fall at home

At home, it's best to propagate thuja from cuttings in the fall. Experienced gardeners recommend this. There are several rooting methods. They don't require any special skills or tools. In just 2-3 years, you can grow thuja seedlings for your garden.

How to propagate thuja

Purchasing a ready-made thuja seedling is the easiest, fastest, and most reliable way to propagate this evergreen shrub (tree). Evergreens are quite expensive, so gardeners prefer to grow seedlings for hedges and garden arrangements themselves, propagating them:

• seeds;
• cuttings.

The first method is time-consuming. A fully grown thuja seedling can only be obtained after 5-6 years when propagated by seed. Although this plant is virtually disease-free and adapts quickly when transplanted into the garden, gardeners prefer to propagate by cuttings.

What are the advantages of cuttings?

The main advantage of this technology - Obtaining a fully formed plant in 3 years. If you plant cuttings in the fall, you can decorate your garden with conifers almost twice as fast as when propagating by seed. Preserving varietal characteristics is another important advantage of this method.

Having mastered the method of propagation by cuttings, the gardener receives two advantages:

• retains the decorative shape of the parent plant;
• receives a thuja seedling in a short time.

Disadvantages of cuttings

Cuttings take a long time to take root. This is the main drawback of this method. According to statistics, only 70% of seedlings planted with the method strictly followed survive. There are other complications, too. Thuja grown from cuttings is more sensitive to sudden weather changes and requires more careful care.

How to choose branches for cuttings?

It's important to select healthy trees to propagate thujas from cuttings. Inspect the branches and trunk. External signs of fungal diseases can indicate:

• browned shoots;
• brown, dark, gray needles on shoots;
• falling needles;
• growths on the trunk.

In a healthy tree (bush) with a pyramidal shape, lateral branches are suitable for propagation; in other varieties of conifers, apical shoots are suitable for cuttings.

When to propagate thuja by cuttings: optimal timing

Experienced gardeners prefer to propagate thuja cuttings in the fall. At this time, sap flow slows, and the survival rate of the planting material is high. In temperate climates, cuttings are harvested in October; in southern regions, November is more suitable.

Harvesting can be done in the spring. The harvesting period is limited. Cuttings taken from late March to late April are viable. If high-quality material is selected, the timing of cutting (fall or spring) has little impact on the result. The cutting should be woody, with the shoot ideally being two years old; in extreme cases, three-year-old branches can be used.

How to properly cut thuja cuttings

A 30-50 cm long shoot is cut from the tree. 10 or 15 cm long branches growing on the tree are suitable for cuttings. Several branches can be obtained from a single 2-3 year old branch. This is done by hand. Pruning shears are used to trim the shoots.

The heel is a piece of last year's wood. It forms when a branch is torn (top to bottom) from the main shoot. The wood at the bottom of the cutting is essential. It contains nutrients that the plant will use to form roots.

How to prepare thuja cuttings for rooting

Before planting cuttings for rooting, the following manipulations are carried out on them:

• cut off the lower branches;
• shorten the remaining needles;
• the heel is densely powdered with root powder.

If you want to plant the next day, then instead of dusting, the workpieces are kept for 12 hours in a stimulant solution (Kornevin, Epin).

Soil preparation

Fill a shallow rectangular container with a light potting mix. To prepare it, use:

• fertile garden soil (1 part);
• peat (1 part);
• river sand (1 part).

Before use, boil the sand for at least 5 minutes. The prepared soil mixture is watered with a 3% potassium permanganate solution.

The direct process of rooting

https://youtu.be/EJdyAN1b_Jc

The soil mixture in the container is leveled. Holes 3-4 cm deep are made at 5 cm intervals. They should not be vertical, but rather at a 45° angle. The prepared cutting is inserted into the soil and pressed firmly.

The soil is watered in two stages. After the first, it settles; after the second, it becomes thoroughly moist. A mini-greenhouse made of film is created over the container to create a suitable microclimate. The container is placed in a north-facing window. Light is necessary for the cuttings, but direct sunlight can be harmful.

An unconventional method: rooting cuttings in potatoes

Potato tubers are rich in nutrients. These will be useful for the cutting during the initial stages of root development. Healthy potatoes with firm, fresh flesh are suitable for rooting. The rooting process is as follows:

• the tubers are washed;
• all eyes are carefully cut out;
• using a long, thick nail, make indentations about 4 cm long;
• Thuja cuttings are inserted into the resulting holes.

The potatoes are placed in a container and covered with a layer of fertile soil. Each cutting is covered with a clear plastic bottle. The bottom is cut off, and the lid is screwed on.

You may be interested in:

Propagating roses by cuttings at home
Why exactly the rose was chosen as the titled person among many equally beautiful flowers, no one will probably say...Read more…

Is it possible to grow cuttings in water?

Gardeners don't recommend growing branches in jars of water. The method is simple, but the resulting seedlings are weak. This is because the water contains few nutrients. Here are some guidelines to follow when growing thuja cuttings in water:

• Place 1, maximum 3 branches in one container;
• pour water so that it just covers the “heels”;
• Add water, but do not change it.

The needles must be dry; if moisture gets on them, they may rot and the cutting will die.

Growing cuttings in a substrate

The substrate must be fertile and loose to ensure sufficient nutrients and oxygen for root development. A shallow container is required, with holes drilled in the bottom to allow excess water to drain.

The first layer is drainage. Small pebbles, crushed rock, or expanded clay are suitable for this purpose. The second layer is a fertile mixture. It is prepared a week before planting from one part garden soil and one part peat. The soil must be disinfected with a potassium permanganate solution.

The ends of the cuttings (heels) are dipped in a Kornevin solution for 12 hours. They are inserted into the soil to a depth of 3-4 cm at a 45° angle. The soil is watered. The entire surface is sprinkled with a thin layer of sand, which is moistened with a sprayer.

Cover the container with plastic wrap and place it in a room where the temperature is maintained at 18-22°C. Provide consistent, but not bright, lighting. Thuja can be propagated from cuttings in the substrate even in winter.

You may be interested in:

Is it necessary to cover thuja for the winter and how?
A striking representative of the cypress family is the beautiful thuja. It is considered low-maintenance,…Read more…

Growing cuttings in sphagnum

Sphagnum is a type of peat moss. It is highly hygroscopic, making it ideal for rooting thuja cuttings. It retains moisture and contains nutrients. It also has antibacterial properties, preventing the development of fungal infections.

Soak the sphagnum moss in water for about 3 hours, then lay it out on a cloth. Choose a fairly wide cloth, and lay the moss in a strip along its entire length. It should cover half of the width. Lay out the prepared cuttings, and bury the heels in the moss.

Place the other half of the fabric on top of the sphagnum moss. The top of the cuttings, with the needles attached, should be facing upward. Roll the fabric into a loose roll. Place it in a clear plastic bag. Hang it in a bright, moderately warm room until roots appear.

Caring for planted thuja cuttings before planting in a permanent location

To continue growing rooted cuttings, prepare a bed. Choose a suitable location. At midday, it should be in partial shade and be protected from the wind. Add peat and sand to the soil. The approximate ratio of the soil mixture is:

• garden soil – 2 parts;
• river sand – 1 part;
• peat – 1 part.

Cuttings planted in the fall have good roots by spring. In the spring, after the last frost, they are planted in a nursery bed. In the summer, the soil is watered regularly, weeds are removed, and a shallow tillage is applied. With the onset of cold weather, the bed is covered with spruce branches and several layers of covering material. The covering is removed in the spring. The arborvitaes are transplanted into the garden after 2-3 years.

You may be interested in:

Phalaenopsis Orchid: Propagation at Home
Some people believe that propagating phalaenopsis at home is a rather difficult process. However,…Read more…

In landscape design, thuja is used to create hedges and line garden paths. The phytoncides released by this coniferous plant improve the microclimate in the garden. The unique crown shape (sphere, cube, prism), shaped by the gardener, adds a touch of elegance to the landscape.

Reviews

Alena, 34 years old, Moscow region

I take thuja cuttings from branches in the spring. I choose larger cuttings (up to 20 cm) and always include a heel. I plant them in a container under plastic. By fall, they'll have developed good roots, and I transplant them into the garden. I don't use rooting stimulants, so rooting is easy.

Ekaterina, 47 years old, Moscow

Propagating thujas from cuttings is easy. I first dip them in ash and then plant them. I use only good soil and add a 3 cm layer of sand on top. I cover them with jars. Once the cuttings have rooted, I water and feed them regularly.

Svetlana, 43 years old, Moscow

I've had arborvitaes growing in pots for several years now. I don't know the variety. I broke off some branches by accident. I stuck them in pots and covered them with plastic bags. They all took root. They're still growing in the same pots. I never have time to transplant them into the garden.