Reproduction of boxwood

Boxwood, or buxus, as this evergreen shrub is called in Greece, has become popular everywhere. A slow growing plant ideal for hedges and garden arrangements. Propagating boxwood at home is not difficult at all.

How boxwood reproduces

The shrub is propagated by cuttings, layering and seeds. You can do this in spring and autumn. Gardeners believe that autumn seedlings tolerate transplanting more easily and grow faster than spring ones.

1. For the preparation of planting material, healthy strong bushes are chosen at least 2 years old.
2. The soil for germination needs loose and fertile.
3. To speed up rooting, use mini-greenhouses.
4. Boxwood seedlings need shelter in the winter.

If the planting material is harvested too late, then plant propagation can be carried out at room conditions during the cold period. In the spring, grown healthy seedlings should be planted in a permanent place in the garden.

Breeding boxwood with seeds is a more complicated way. Low germination and a long germination period often lead to failures in all attempts to propagate shrubs from seeds, even among gardeners with experience.

How to propagate boxwood at home with cuttings

It is possible to harvest planting material for propagating boxwood at home with cuttings while pruning a shrub. It is necessary to choose short, up to 15 – 20 cm, parts with intact bark. 2-3 live buds must be present on the handle. The cut is best done at an angle of 45 degrees with a sharp knife.

For the cutting to take root:

1. Remove bottom leaves.
2. Soak in a root-forming solution according to the instructions for the preparation.
3. Prepare fertile nutrient soil with a drainage layer.
4. Cut the cuttings vertically at a distance of 10 – 15 cm from each other.
5. Pour warm water and mulch the soil.
6. Cover with foil or covering material.

It takes about a month for the cuttings to root. This should be taken into account when harvesting seedlings for propagation. In the southern regions, planting of rooted boxwood cuttings in a permanent place is carried out in late September – early October. In areas with a colder climate, it is better to plant boxwood seedlings a month earlier so that young plants have time to gain strength and not die in winter.

The entire period of boxwood cuttings for reproduction should be regularly watered and ventilated. It is better to do this in the evening after the decrease in solar activity.

Young plants should be planted in the chosen place along with a clod of earth, so as not to damage the fragile root system.

How to propagate a boxwood bush by layering

For beginner gardeners, a method of propagating evergreen boxwood by layering is suitable. You can carry out the procedure at any time from spring to autumn.

In a strong, healthy boxwood bush, two years old or older, you need to choose an external branch located close to the soil surface. After preparing a small trench up to 15 cm deep with loose fertile soil. The groove should be located along the direction of the selected parent branch.

To propagate a boxwood shrub with layering, studs will be required to secure the branch to the ground. You can use wooden pegs with a split end or bent metal wire. For the development of the root system, the branch should be cleared of leaves and slightly incised in the bark.

Tilt the branch, fasten with studs and sprinkle with loose soil mixture of peat, humus and soddy soil.

Caring for layering during reproduction consists in regular watering. The soil must not dry out. With the advent of the first sprouts, it is necessary to protect young shoots from direct sunlight.

Transplanting cuttings

If the sprouts from the buried branch have developed sufficiently only by autumn, then it is better to leave the reproduction of the shrub until spring. Before the onset of cold weather, they will have time to get stronger enough. For the winter, young shoots can be covered along with the mother bush. And if the layers have grown at some distance from an adult plant, then the shelter is made from spruce or pine spruce branches.

To separate planting material:

1. Cut off the mother branch from the bush with secateurs.
2. Carefully dig the soil so that all the sprouts rise at the same time without damaging the root system.
3. Divide the seedlings with secateurs so that a small part of the mother branch remains on each. This will allow the development of additional roots.

The breeding site for boxwood should be prepared in advance. It will take a lot of skill and speed to keep the roots from drying out. If possible, you need to save a clod of earth around the root system so as not to stress the boxwood. Then the plant will quickly take root in a new place.

The soil under young plants should be moist and well fertilized. In this case, boxwood can be fed one year after breeding.

To create comfortable conditions for reproduction, seedlings can be covered for a month with film caps or covering material. Be sure to keep an eye on soil moisture. Drying out or excess moisture will kill the plants. When propagating boxwood in autumn, it is imperative to cover the plants with layering before the onset of cold weather.

How to propagate boxwood seeds

Propagation of boxwood by seeds can be a lot of trouble. It takes a lot of patience to collect and germinate the seed material. Problems begin already when collecting seeds. A frequently cut shrub rarely has time to produce mature seed for propagation.

Collect seeds in the fall. To do this, gardeners leave branches on several bushes without cutting. Large dark achenes of boxwood are very difficult to germinate. They lose their germination the next year after harvest. If the seeds are bought in a store, then you must definitely pay attention to the date of collection. Otherwise, all the efforts to breed boxwood will be wasted.

To soak the seeds, you will need a solution of Kornevin or a similar preparation. Some gardeners use Zircon, Epin or Agricola Ecogel. Pre-planting preparation will help increase the energy of germination of seed material for propagation and increase the immunity of future seedlings.

For swelling, boxwood seeds are kept in solution for about a day. Then they need to be laid out on a dense damp cloth and covered. Germination takes at least a month. The entire period must be ensured that the seeds remain moist.

Seedlings of boxwood seeds are white. Sprouted seeds are sown with seedlings down.

To do this:

1. Soak the seeds in water or a root-forming solution according to the instructions for the preparation.
2. Pour a layer of sand into a small container and moisten thoroughly.
3. Spread the seeds at a distance of a centimeter from each other.
4. Top with a small layer of wet sand.
5. Remove the container to the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, where the temperature is suitable for storing vegetables.

For about a month, you need to make sure that the contents of the seed container do not dry out or freeze.

At the end of the term, put the container in a warm place and cover with a plastic lid. Seeds should hatch in 3-4 weeks.

For sowing germinated seeds, the soil must be very loose. It is recommended to add perlite or crushed foam to the soil mixture.

Put a layer of drainage mixture on the bottom of the boxwood container. You can buy it or make your own from charcoal, eggshells, or small pebbles. Be sure to drill holes in the bottom to remove excess water when watering.

The soil for planting seeds must be prepared in advance. If the soil mixture was made independently, then it is important to warm it up or treat it with antifungal drugs for disinfection.

It is better to sow the seeds one by one in small containers. This method is not very economical, but allows you not to touch the young boxwood seedlings for a long time.

If the root system of the plant has completely filled the container, and it is still far from planting in a permanent place, then the seedlings need to be transplanted into large pots by transshipment.

1. Partially fill the new container with soil, after laying the drainage.
2. Water the plant abundantly.
3. Carefully pull out the seedling along with a clod of earth.
4. Set in a new pot.
5. Pour the soil along the diameter, slightly compacting it.

Further work on propagating boxwood with seeds consists in regular watering and fertilizing. The first top dressing should be carried out a month after the appearance of sprouts. For this, it is better to use complex mineral preparations. In the future, plants can be fertilized after 2 – 2,5 weeks.

With the onset of heat, containers with seedlings can be placed in a greenhouse or a place protected from wind and sunlight for hardening.

It is better to plant boxwood obtained from seeds in open ground at the end of August. Before the cold weather, young seedlings will have time to get stronger enough and develop the root system.

It is important to remember that for wintering it is necessary to mulch the soil under the bushes with a thick layer of peat or rotted compost or manure.

Sometimes just planting boxwood with seeds is enough. Some rare varieties of this evergreen shrub are too expensive. Growing them from cuttings or layering can take too long due to the slow growth of the shrub.

An alternative way to propagate boxwood

Sometimes gardeners are forced to resort to dividing boxwood bushes. Old bushes, even with careful pruning, eventually fill the allotted space. With a lack of light and nutrition, overgrown branches lose their decorative effect.

By dividing the bush, you can breed boxwood in the garden. You can transplant at any time from spring to autumn. To do this, you need to dig the soil from the side where the separation of the part of the plant is planned. With a sharp shovel or knife, cut off part of the root with several healthy shoots.

In the prepared planting hole with nutrient soil, install the seedling strictly vertically. Lay the soil, gradually tamping. It is desirable that the soil is moist. This will avoid the occurrence of voids around the root system. New seedlings should be watered regularly and should be fed like mature plants. In the first days after planting, the crop must be protected from direct sunlight.

Conclusion

Propagating boxwood on your own is within the power of a beginner. The evergreen shrub looks very beautiful in group plantings and hedges. But do not forget that boxwood is a poisonous plant, and if the juice of the leaves gets on the skin or inside, negative consequences can occur.