Methods for propagating various varieties of lilacs at home. Lilac plant. Reproduction of lilacs: layering, grafting and root shoots

Lilac - amazing ornamental plant, interest in it is growing every year, and accordingly, the demand for planting material. All cultivars lilacs are propagated only vegetatively (grafting, green and lignified cuttings, layering). Let us dwell in more detail on the propagation of lilacs by green cuttings.

mother plants

Both grafted and own-rooted plants are suitable for harvesting cuttings. The main thing is that they are proven, they must bloom at least once, then there will be no doubt about their varietal purity.
It is better to keep mother plants low so that it is convenient to harvest cuttings. If individual skeletal branches(or the whole plant) are very elongated and bare from below, then they are shortened into perennial wood by pruning.
Annual cutting of green cuttings can weaken the mother liquors, therefore, when harvesting material, shoots current year longer than 20 cm are cut off, but not all, but only 70-80% of their total number. If possible, after cutting the shoots to cuttings, the plants should be given a rest for 1 year.
Mother plants of lilacs need to be regularly fed and watered, but not overestimating the recommended doses. Excess fertilizer, like heavy pruning, stimulates the formation a large number fatty shoots (the so-called tops). Green cuttings taken from such shoots, as a rule, take root weakly.
Our years of experience showed that small cuttings rooted better, harvested from thin overgrown branches growing not vertically, but at an angle to upright growth shoots.

Procurement of cuttings

The best time for cuttings of varietal lilac is the period of mass flowering or its end (in the Moscow region this is usually the beginning of June).
Cutting material is best harvested from the middle part of the crown. The size of the cuttings is 10-15 cm (1-2, less often - 3 internodes). Leaves on the cuttings, including the lower ones, are best removed, leaf blades do not shorten.
Cutting cuttings should be done with a sharp grafting knife, the lower cut should be oblique, exactly under the knot, without leaving a stump. Cuttings with cuts in the internodes, as a rule, do not take root.
It must be remembered that lilac is a difficult-to-propagate culture. The root system on green cuttings is formed only in the zone of the lower node, immersed in the substrate, where the activity of meristematic tissues is much higher than in the internodes. Therefore, cuts on the cuttings must be treated very carefully.
After cutting, the cuttings should not be placed in water, it is better to store them, spreading them out in a thin layer under the film.

Pre-planting treatment

Green lilac cuttings are treated with growth regulators to stimulate adventitious root formation. Indole butyric acid (IMA) is best suited for these purposes. But in amateur gardening, heteroauxin (IAA) is more often used, it is more accessible. Preplant treatment of cuttings with auxin-type growth regulators is appropriate for both difficult and easy-to-root lilac varieties. As a result, root formation is accelerated, and the quality of the rooted material improves.
Both aqueous and alcoholic solutions of growth regulators can be used. It is better to prepare the concentrated mother solution in advance (it can then be stored in a dark glass container for 1-2 months). Take 1 g of the regulator (powder) and dilute in 100 ml of 98% ethyl alcohol or acetone.
When processing lilac cuttings with an alcohol solution, the initial mother solution is diluted 2 times with alcohol before use. Then it is poured into a flat glass dish, where the bases of the cuttings are immersed for 5 seconds, after which the cuttings are ready for planting in the substrate.
An aqueous solution is prepared from the original mother liquor as follows. take right amount, usually 5-10 ml (IMC) or 15-20 ml (heteroauxin), pour these volumes into water and then bring water to 1 liter. The concentration of aqueous solutions for lilacs is usually higher than for other plants (currants, honeysuckle, etc.). This is not 20-30 mg/L, but 50-100 mg/L (BMI) or 150-200 mg/L (heteroauxin). The bases of the cuttings connected in bundles are immersed in the prepared working aqueous solution to a depth of 1 cm, kept in it for 16-18 hours, then the solution is poured and the bases of the cuttings are rinsed several times with water. The cuttings are ready for planting.

Rooting cuttings

Greenhouse preparation.In amateur gardening, for rooting green lilac cuttings, if there are no greenhouses, you can use greenhouses (1 m wide). It is recommended to stir them in partial shade and deepen into the ground by 15-20 cm.
As a substrate, it is best to use a mixture of 2 types of peat (low-lying and high-moor, in a ratio of 2: 1) with the addition of coarse-grained perlite (1 part) grade M-150. In mixtures with sand or in pure sand, lilacs take root poorly.
Along the vertical profile of the greenhouse, in its lower part, it is necessary to make drainage (sand, crushed stone, expanded clay) 10-15 cm thick, then place it in a fertile layer (15-20 cm) from well-rotted manure or leaf humus, but only from above - 5 -8 cm substrate layer.
Planting cuttings. The prepared greenhouse is compacted from above, carefully watered from a watering can, after which the lilac cuttings are planted in transverse rows according to the 5 × 10 cm scheme. Then they are watered again (water consumption - 1 watering can (10 l) per 1 m2 of greenhouse). From above, rigid frames are installed across the greenhouse, the height along the ridge is 40 cm. polyethylene film, then a layer of white paper or fabric, then another layer of film. The edges of the film along the contour of the greenhouse are hermetically sealed.

Care during the rooting period

If everything is done correctly, with this technology for lilacs in the future, 1 watering per week is enough. It is necessary to regularly remove rotting and fallen leaves (protection measures against moles should be provided in advance).
Lilac belongs to plants with long period rooting green cuttings. Callus may appear on the bases of the cuttings as early as 15-20 days, but this still does not mean anything. As a rule, a large callus is formed on cuttings of plants that are difficult to root. The first roots of lilac cuttings appear on the 30-50th day, and full rooting occurs closer to autumn. Due to the fact that the lilac buds are late-ripening, in the year of rooting, the cuttings do not give growth, but only the next year.
After the mass rooting of the cuttings, the greenhouse begins to ventilate, it is better to do this in the evening, and after a while (preferably in rainy weather) to fully expand.

What results to expect?

Our long-term experience has shown that with production cuttings in conditions of artificial fog, it is possible to obtain 100% rooting of green cuttings, but at home, in greenhouses, it is not always possible to achieve high rooting of lilac cuttings, and no more than 30-50% should be expected.
Varieties propagated quite well by green cuttings: Buffon, Charles Joly, Mechta, Nadezhda, etc. Varieties with medium rooting: Jeanne d'Arc, Madame Casimir Perrier, Hortensia, Beauty of Moscow, Krasnaya Moskva, etc. Varieties with low rooting: Katerina Havemeyer , Ludwig Shpet and others.
It is possible to improve the rooting of green cuttings of hard-to-propagate lilac varieties by selecting the optimal concentrations of growth regulators, using etiolation and using young mother plants for cuttings.

Digging and transplanting

Rooted lilac cuttings, if they are well developed, can be transplanted to permanent place for rearing early autumn, or save them until spring at the place of rooting with a light shelter from spruce branches.
When digging lilac cuttings, care should be taken, because. formed root system very fragile and can be torn off entirely. And one more feature: the root systems of adjacent shards are tightly intertwined with each other and even go into neighboring rows, which also makes it difficult to dig them out.

Lilac care in autumn: pruning, top dressing, preparation for winter, how to fertilize, propagation by cuttings

Lilac cuttings are one of the most common ways to propagate a bush. However, It requires compliance with several rules at once:

First of all, it must be taken into account that the rooting period of the cutting is quite long - at least 5 weeks. Therefore, selection occurs at the end of flowering or immediately after it. Lignified and even semi-lignified cuttings will not work - they do not take root. Therefore, you need to take only green layers, and it is from young branches. It is better to cut branches with 2-3 nodes. The best option- those layers that extend from the middle parts of the main branch. All leaves are removed from the lower node. Then a cut is made at an acute angle. It should come as close as possible to the place where the leaves were cut. At the same time, it is not worth cutting along the knot itself - such cuttings do not take root. All other leaves must be cut exactly in half. The upper knot is completely cut off along with the leaves - a regular cut is made perpendicular to the cutting. Next, the cuttings should be immediately placed in a solution of a root formation stimulator and left overnight. Then the shoot is completely washed under running water and landed in a semi-shaded place - either in a greenhouse or on ordinary soil, but in this case, the cuttings should be covered with 5-liter cut bottles. For the landing hole, a mixture of sand and peat is selected, taken in equal mass quantities. A hole is dug into the depth of no more than 20 cm. A cutting is planted, covered with a mixture. A 5-centimeter layer of sand is poured over the top. The hole is treated with a solution of any fungicide and watered thoroughly after a few hours. Further, the entire stalk is closed with polyethylene (or you can close each shoot with a bottle). Subsequently, you need to ensure that the sand always remains saturated with moisture, and also spray the shoots with a weak solution of potassium permanganate once every 7 days. It is also necessary to constantly ventilate the stalk, and it can be fully opened after 6 weeks - then almost all shoots should form roots.

How lilac breeds (video)

NOTE

Cuttings can be left for the winter, but if they have taken root by the beginning of autumn, they should be transplanted to a separate bed for growing. Compost or humus is added to the soil. If the soil is acidic, it is better to add ash or dolomite flour at the rate of 200-300 g per 1 m2. You can transplant to the main place in the spring.

Thus, the lilac needs basic care at the end of summer - the beginning of autumn. If you make some effort this season, the bush will delight with its fragrant, beautiful flowers all next summer.

How to propagate shrubs with cuttings

Watering

In order for as many cuttings to take root as possible, you need to water often a little, so that the earth is always wet, but do not flood! A greenhouse in this case is ideal, especially for hard-to-root plants. It can create high humidity, which helps to form roots easier and faster. When the first shoots and leaves appear on the branches, this means that they successfully grow roots. Most likely, not all branches will please you good growth(some of it will dry out). During this period, watering is reduced, watered only to prevent the soil from drying out.

Summer cuttings

If you did not have time to prepare the cuttings early in the spring or in the summer you saw some kind of interesting variety, you can try rooting a few branches. To do this, you need to carefully cut off the leaves and flower brushes from them, cut the cuttings, immediately split the tips of the branches stronger - “swirl” and put them in water for a couple of days with the addition of “root”. Then we do everything as with ordinary cuttings (we tirelessly monitor the humidity!). In this case, it is even more difficult to achieve the growth of cuttings, but it is possible. It all depends on your desire and perseverance.

In autumn, bushes grow from our cuttings. We choose the best of them and transplant them to a permanent place. Weak and fragile leaves for the second year for growing.

Video about propagation of shrubs by cuttings

Propagation of lilacs by cuttings step-by-step master class with a photo

Reproduction of lilac cuttings: step by step master class with photo

Lilac ornamental varieties propagated by shoots, layering, grafting and cuttings. To plant a lilac, you need to have some skills, and it is convenient to propagate a bush that is already growing in the country with shoots and layering. If you want to bring a plant from another place, it is best to resort to cuttings. Using this method, you can root lilacs even from a bouquet. Provided that it was cut no later than one day ago.

In addition, keep in mind that lilac is a difficult-to-root plant. Therefore, for successful breeding important to follow certain Conditions:

    Don't miss suitable time cutting blanks. Green twigs of lilac are cut during flowering or immediately after it, since lignified cuttings do not take root. And the best time to do it is early in the morning. Use suitable cuttings. They need to be cut from the middle of the crown of young bushes (up to 6 years old) and from the middle part of the shoot. At the same time, there must be 2-3 buds on the handle (10-15 cm long). Shoots coming from thick branches (tops) are unsuitable. Withstand temperature and humidity. Optimum temperature for rooting cuttings - 22-25 ° C, and humidity - 85-95%.

Reproduction of varietal lilac

Reproduction of varietal lilac

Not all methods transmit the genetic code in the same way. Therefore, for the reproduction of varietal bushes, a limited number of them are used.

Can be propagated:
    vaccination; root growth; layering; green (not lignified) cuttings; merisystem way.
Cannot reproduce:
    seeds.
Comparison of breeding methods for varietal lilacs

For each, there are positives and negatives.

Own-rooted lilac is healthier - it has high winter hardiness, large growth, shoots inherit signs. A significant drawback is that the flowering time comes three or even four years later than the grafted one.

The grafted syringa blooms earlier. It can be formed from clearstem tree. Reception is common in modern landscape design. Alas, she lives much less than her own root. More stable is considered to be grafting on a wild one. With proper care, a shrub with other rootstocks can become a long-liver.

Lilac, grown merisystemically, is also rooted. It conveys the characteristics of the variety better, suffers less from viral and other diseases, and more easily tolerates complex climatic conditions. A seedling obtained by the merisystem method gives a small increase in the first years. Blooms no earlier than the fifth year.

Methodology

The easiest way to plant root shoots. It is a little more difficult and longer to make layering. The most popular method is green cuttings, which are not suitable for all varieties. The grafting process is difficult for the gardener and requires good skill and experience. Must be available and special tool. Propagate lilac merisystemically outside laboratory conditions impossible.

Now more about how to propagate lilacs.

Grafting

All varieties are propagated by grafting. The rootstock for grafting are wild seedlings, privet, Hungarian lilac.

In grafted plants, shoots in trunk circle and near the root collar it is unsorted, wild, so it is completely removed with pruners - “on the ring”.

For scion, take annual twigs of syringa. They are prepared in advance and stored until grafting in a damp, cold and dark place.

There are such ways:

    budding; copulation; grafting into the side cut; split grafting; for the bark.
Root growth

The separation of the root shoots is best done in the fall. The desired specimen is cut off from the main root with the maximum preservation of its own fibrous root system. AT further landing and care for the separated plant is carried out as for ordinary seedlings.

layering

For propagation of varieties by layering, own-rooted mother bushes. The process takes several years.

1-2 year. To prepare for winter in the first and second year, the shrub intended for propagation by layering is cut to the very root collar.

3 years old By autumn, many young shoots will appear on the bush.

4 year. In the spring, the grown annual shoots are bent to the ground, fixed with hooks driven into the ground and sprinkled with soil. Throughout the season, you need to ensure that the soil near the layers is sufficiently moist. In the autumn of the fourth year, rooted layers are separated from the branches of the mother bush.

Less commonly, grafted lilacs are transferred to their own roots by layering if the vaccine is not very high above the ground. The plant is planted obliquely. In the spring, shoots that are higher than the graft are attracted to the ground. Use special wire and pins. The plant is spudded throughout the growing season and watered. In autumn, roots will appear above the constriction, and the layers can be cut off from the bush.

With this method, you can get the largest number of seedlings from a single shrub in a short time.

Propagation of lilac cuttings in spring

This method can propagate some varieties in one season. The process includes the following steps:

    selection of material and its preparation for vegetative propagation; cutting green cuttings; preplant processing of shoots; soil preparation; planting the prepared material; care during the rooting period; transplantation of rooted open ground for growing up.

Let's take a closer look at the main points.

How to choose shoots for cuttings and prepare for cutting

The older the bush-mother liquor, the worse the rooting occurs. The plant should be at least 4-5 years old, but not older than 10-15.

Large green shoots, they are also called fat, practically do not take root. Vertical strong - also not very suitable. The best ability to form roots in medium-sized green twigs growing sideways.

To increase the rooting of cuttings, gardeners use various tricks. In particular, "etiolation" is used. Insulating tape dark color 3 weeks before grafting, young shoots are not very tightly wrapped from below under the internode. In essence, etiolation is the isolation of part of the branch from light. After some time, the areas of the bark under the insulation will become whitish, this is where the cut should be made, and after about 10 weeks, roots will develop in this place.

Pruning time is evening, morning is possible if the day promises to be cloudy. Then the branch will spend less moisture on its most difficult first day.

Rules for cutting green cuttings

Cuttings are carried out during the flowering period or immediately after it. Selected shoots are cut clean sharp knife. The top of the shoot is cut off, two or three internodes are counted, and the lower part is cut off. Important! The bottom cut should be oblique and pass immediately under the third knot, but without touching it.

On the shoots, all the leaves are cut to half and packed in a film. thin layers until landing. You don't need to put it in water.

Pre-planting treatment

Twigs take root very hard. Therefore, before planting, they must be treated with root formation stimulants (indolylbutyric acid, heteroauxin, zircon). The preparations are diluted with water or alcohol according to the instructions. If alcohol dilution was used, the shoots are dipped into the solution for 5 seconds and planted in the ground, if water dilution is used, they are kept up to 18 hours, dipped to a depth of 1 cm.

Soil preparation

Most often rooted in sand or a mixture of sand and perlite. But in order to achieve the highest percentage of rooting, it is better to use the following composition: part of large perlite, part of high-moor peat, two parts of low-lying peat.

Drainage layer of washed sand and expanded clay - 15 cm, then 20 leaf humus or rotted manure, and on top from five to eight centimeters of rooting mixture.

Landing

The finished soil is compacted and watered. The cuttings are deepened, immersing the first internode into the ground completely. It is under it that the system of fibrous roots will develop. Between the rows we leave a distance of 10 cm, and between the shoots - 5 cm. Water again.

The temperature should not be very high. If it is hot outside, the greenhouse is shaded and ventilated.

The most important condition for good survival is high humidity, perfect - 100%. For rooting in industrial scale in greenhouses, a special fogging machine is installed.

The first roots may appear no earlier than in a month and a half.

Remember to periodically remove fallen or spoiled leaves to prevent fungal infections.

You can talk about the percentage of rooting only in the fall. Then they can be seated for growing in the garden-school. Do not forget to cover the resulting seedlings for the winter to prevent the still tender shoots from freezing. If in doubt, it is better to transplant rooted cuttings next spring, as usual, before the start of sap flow.

Merisystem method

Modern science allows you to get plants by growing tissues in the laboratory - this is a "merisystem" method of reproduction.
The technique consists in growing cells of a varietal shoot on a nutrient medium. Plants obtained by this vegetative method acquire all parental characteristics.

Reproduction of lilac cuttings, layering and seeds

With the advent of spring, another cycle begins in the development of plants, many of which bloom, filling the air with a wonderful aroma and pleasing the eye with a riot of colors. The month of May is the apogee in the extravaganza of spring: it is at this time that lilacs bloom, declaring that spring has fully come into its own, and prophesying with its flowering about the imminent onset of summer.

Parks, squares and other places of public recreation at this time are in power blooming lilac, because it is capable of transforming even the most dull landscape beyond recognition. This is why culture is highly valued by landscape designers.

Every year the need for high-quality lilac planting material increases. Its wild varieties are quite decorative, but their magnificence cannot be compared with the charm of varietal lilac, color palette which is diverse.

Seed propagation of lilac

Varietal lilac reproduces mainly by vegetative methods, of which layering and green cuttings are most widely used. No less common is the method of vaccination garden forms on rootstocks of common lilac or privet (less commonly used). For this purpose, it is necessary to grow a rootstock from seeds.

They start harvesting seeds in late August - early September in order to have a supply for stratification within one and a half to two months. Stratified seeds are sown to a depth of 2 cm, after which the crops are mulched with humus. The rate of consumption of seeds per 1 running. meter - 2 grams (this amount is enough to get more than 200 seedlings).

After 2 years of cultivation, the seedlings are suitable for grafting by budding.

Growing lilacs from cuttings

Grafted lilac has the advantage of adapting to growing conditions, but also has a significant disadvantage - the need for regular removal of root shoots. In terms of labor costs for maintenance, the cultivation of own-rooted lilacs is more attractive, in addition, life cycle of such plants is longer (up to 25 years or more).

Reproduction of lilacs from layering is considered the most promising method, since it provides the production of conditioned planting material in one year. Important condition- the mother plant must be own-rooted, that is, not grafted.

Grafted varietal lilac can also be "transferred to its own roots". To do this, it is necessary to plant the plant obliquely, make the constriction of the stem of the young shoot above the grafting site (you can use copper wire), and then spud the plant to a height of up to 30 cm. During the summer, the plants will need to spud a few more times. By autumn, roots should form above the constriction, after which the layers are cut off from mother plant. For a season, up to 100 seedlings can be obtained from one bush using this method.

Reproduction by horizontal layering is somewhat different from the vertical (“Dahlem method”), but there is much in common between them, namely, the obligatory constriction at the base (!). Shoots are placed in prepared grooves and covered with soil. As the vertical shoots grow, they are spud several times. In autumn, up to 10 seedlings are obtained from each shoot.

Propagation of lilacs by green cuttings

"Green cuttings" is considered the most time-consuming method, since successful rooting requires a number of preparatory operations, as well as strictly observing the temperature and humidity regime. In addition, rooted cuttings require mandatory rearing before planting in a permanent place.

Propagation by green cuttings has advantages in terms of efficiency (multiplication rate), so this technique is mainly used in industrial cultivation lilacs. If desired, every gardener can successfully master the technique of rooting green cuttings.

It is advisable to start harvesting cuttings during the period of mass flowering of lilacs (at the beginning), when the bark begins to harden. The cutting is carried out in such a way that there are 2 buds (1 internode) on the handle. The lower cut is half a centimeter away from the kidney, the upper one is 1 cm above the kidney. The bottom sheet is shortened by 1/3, and the top sheet is cut in half. Planted cuttings to a depth of 1 cm.

Pre-planting treatment of lilac cuttings in solutions of growth regulators stimulates the development of the root system. For this purpose, indolylbutyric acid (50 - 100 mg / l) and heteroauxin (150 - 200 mg / l) are most often used. Exposure time - 12 - 16 hours; immersion depth - 1 cm.

Rooting at home can be carried out using micro-greenhouses (closable containers with a lid made of translucent material). Stacked in a container nutrient soil(10 cm) and coarse sand (3 cm).

The optimum temperature for rooting is 25 - 28 ° C, relative humidity within 80 - 90%. To maintain moisture, lilac cuttings are sprayed daily with water from a spray bottle.

Root formation begins in a month, and in the fall, the cuttings are transplanted into open ground for growing, taking care of providing protection from freezing.

autumn next year get well-developed seedlings.

What gardener does not dream of propagating a fragrant lilac bush? It can be propagated in several ways: by grafting, layering, cuttings. Therefore, a grafted plant and a rooted plant are distinguished. How to propagate lilac? You can make this choice after reading our article. But back to our topic. Own-rooted lilac is a more prosperous breeding option, it lives much longer, is not burdened with care in terms of removing young shoots, and besides, bushes grown by cuttings give great material landing in the future. This is especially true for hedges. But consider the reproduction of lilac cuttings in more detail.

Rules for choosing the source material for breeding and planting plants:

It all starts with choosing good mother plant. The bush should be moderately fed with fertilizers, not be cut too much.

It is necessary to choose the right one. Look for thin, not stiff, but green branches.

How to propagate lilac correctly? Growing in a greenhouse

The process of rooting lilac cuttings is very time consuming. In conventional greenhouses and greenhouses, the number of rooted cuttings does not exceed 30 - 50%. It is necessary to properly prepare planting material. The cuttings should have an oblique lower cut, located exactly under the node. It is not necessary to cut off in the internodes - this planting material is weakly rooted, and may not take root at all. Lilac cuttings are cut either during the flowering period or shortly after it. But not later. The length of the cut cuttings should not exceed 15 cm, they are stored under the film until planting. To accelerate root development and increase the proportion of rooted planting material, it should be treated with growth regulators. In this case, you can take the drug heteroauxin (water or alcohol solution). In order for the cuttings to take root, they are placed in a greenhouse or greenhouse, sand is poured onto the soil, with a layer of 2-3 cm.

The temperature is maintained at 25 - 30 C, diffused light is made. When a well-developed root system appears, the lilac is transplanted to a permanent place. It is best to do this from July to September. If planting or late autumn, then the bush will almost not give growth. Saplings for the winter are covered with peat with fallen leaves or spruce branches. You can dig them in the basement, and plant them in the beds in the spring.

How to propagate lilac? General agrotechnical measures

The agrotechnology of rooting cuttings is suitable for all Hungarian, which is most often propagated by gardeners, is unpretentious, drought-resistant, and also grows successfully with excessive moisture. It reproduces well not only by green and lignified cuttings, but also by seeds. Does not give root shoots. Seeds sprout together, seedlings develop quite quickly: by the second year of life, their height is 50 - 60 cm. By the third year, well-developed and strong plants can bloom, but the main flowering will begin in the fifth year. Often, the Hungarian lilac is used as a rootstock for others. Vaccinations on this type of lilac take root well and are quite durable.

You already know how to propagate lilac, so you can safely breed it.

Like any other plant, lilac has features of reproduction. Compliance with the rules of propagation by seeds, cuttings, layering or grafting will allow the gardener to grow a healthy and beautiful crop, for personal use or further sale. It is important to carefully study the types of seedlings and learn how to interact with them!

Lilac breeding methods

In order to quickly get a blooming lilac garden (syringaria), it is best to plant ready-made seedlings. They can be purchased from nurseries and horticultural firms. But to do right choice, you need to have a clear idea of ​​\u200b\u200bhow lilacs are propagated. After all, it is on this that the type of seedling depends, the features of caring for an adult plant and the ability to independently propagate the variety you love.

Reproduction by seeds

In this way, non-varietal lilacs can be successfully propagated. There are many types of lilacs, most of them are quite decorative in themselves. But if you are interested in some specific, bred variety, then seed propagation won't fit. Seedlings obtained from seeds of varietal lilac will only partially inherit the properties of the mother plant. They will be no less interesting and decorative, but you will not get an exact clone of the desired variety. In nurseries, seed propagation is mainly used for growing rootstocks, on which various varieties are then grafted.

Own-rooted lilac, especially grown from seeds, has an enviable longevity compared to grafted specimens. The average life expectancy of such a plant is 100 years. In addition, own-rooted lilacs can be painlessly rejuvenated by cutting off old trunks to a stump. New skeletal branches are formed from young shoots.

Reproduction by cuttings

This method of reproduction is vegetative. With all vegetative methods, the varietal properties of the mother plant are inherited. Propagation by cuttings is as follows. During the flowering period, young shoots are cut from lilacs and cut into cuttings about 10 cm in size. Each cutting should have at least two buds. The bottom cut should be located exactly under the node; roots do not form in the internodes. Leaves are not cut from the cuttings. Before planting, it is necessary to treat the cuttings with a root formation stimulator. Usually heteroauxin is used - soaked for 16-18 hours in its aqueous solution. Then they are washed and planted in a greenhouse for rooting (best in a peat-perlite mixture). In September, they are transplanted to a permanent place. From the cutting, a root-own varietal plant is obtained, which can subsequently be propagated by any vegetative method.

As rootstocks for grafting varietal lilac, seedlings of common lilac, Hungarian lilac or privet are usually used. Plants grafted onto privet do not have frost resistance. When using Hungarian lilac, the tissues of the scion and rootstock are poorly combined, the grafting site is very fragile and can break off under the weight of the bush.

For this type of reproduction, the root shoots of the mother plant are used. It should be remembered that new plants will inherit all varietal properties only if the mother plant is its own root, and not grafted. In grafted plants, in most cases root growth comes from the rootstock. Although there is a way to transfer the grafted plant to its own roots, if, when planting, the grafting site is deepened into the soil. But even in this case, it can be difficult to distinguish which growth comes from the rootstock, and which from new adventitious roots.

The method itself consists in digging the basal shoots with soil so that their roots form on them. Then the rooted cuttings are cut into pieces (each with roots and a new above-ground shoot) and seated as separate plants.

Reproduction by grafting

Vaccination is carried out in early spring or summer. Summer vaccination in a T-shaped incision is popular. Shoots are harvested on the day of vaccination, buds with a piece of bark are taken from its middle part. On the lateral shoot of the stock at a height of at least 1 m, a cut of 1.5 x 3 cm is made. The bark is carefully folded over and the scion is inserted. The vaccination site is wrapped with a medical film for compresses, the kidney is left open. The result is visible after 2.5 weeks - the non-engrafted kidney will dry out and turn black. With successful grafting, the strapping is removed in the spring and the stock is cut 5-7 cm above the grafted bud, the cut is treated with garden pitch. A grown shoot is tied to the resulting spike so that it does not break off.

Types of seedlings

The most common is the division of seedlings into two large groups: root-own and grafted. As it has already become clear from the foregoing, seedlings obtained from seeds, cuttings or layerings of the mother plant are called proper roots. The grafted ones, respectively, are obtained by grafting a certain variety of lilac on a non-varietal hearth.

Another classification is the division of planting material into seedlings and seedlings. Seedlings are called plants obtained from seeds. Saplings - received vegetative propagation. Saplings of varietal lilac are exact clones mother plant. Seedlings (we recall once again) do not inherit varietal properties or inherit partially.

It cannot be said that one of these types is better or worse than the other. Each of them has its own characteristics, which, depending on the situation, can be considered both as pluses and as minuses. Seedlings have a higher vitality, they develop better, more successfully resist adverse environmental conditions. Such planting material is used mainly for mass gardening: as a hedge. In addition, seedlings are much cheaper. If you are a lilac collector and are interested in acquiring different original varieties, then you need to stop your choice on clone seedlings.

Simple lilac (non-varietal) gives, as a rule, a lot of shoots. Young shoots are dug up and planted in the ground, where they successfully take root. If desired, you can plant lilacs at least the entire plot! And varietal lilac shoots give little or no at all (depending on the variety), so the described breeding method not suitable for her. In such cases, vaccinations are given or propagate lilac cuttings.

Terms of cuttings of lilac

There are two opinions on this:

  • The cuttings are cut immediately after the lilac blooms - in spring or early summer (magazine " household farm»).
  • Cuttings are harvested during the budding period, before the buds open (video on youtube, where an employee of the botanical garden shares his cutting experience).

In both sources, experts say that the growths at this time are already quite mature and ready for cuttings.

Choosing cuttings

Lilac cuttings are not easy to root, the percentage of survival is from 10 to 100 percent, so it is recommended to harvest cuttings with a margin (50 pieces). Young lilacs are better cuttings, and old plants are worse.

Young growths of the current year are used as cuttings. To determine if the cutting is suitable for propagation, you can do this:

  1. Go around the branch around the finger (if it was easy to do this, the stalk is suitable).
  2. The twig should be elastic, not yet begun to lignify.
  3. The stalk must have 2 nodes (a node is the place where the leaves come from).

If the growth meets all three conditions, it is suitable to become a propagation cutting. Let's cut it! Outwardly, it should look like this:

Cutting and processing

Now this segment of the shoot needs to be turned into a cutting:

  1. At the bottom of the cutting (under the very node) make an oblique, long cut.
  2. Above (above the second node) - a straight, horizontal cut.
  3. The lower leaves are torn off completely.
  4. Upper half.

The number 1 in the picture is the first knot and the first pair of leaves.
Number 2 - the second node and the second pair of leaves.

Now the lower cut of the cutting must be treated in a solution of a root formation stimulator (for example, Kornevin) or in a special cutting powder.

Rooting

For rooting cuttings, loose, moisture- and breathable soil is needed. A mixture of peat and sand is well suited. The cutting is lowered into the substrate to the second kidney. The planted cuttings are watered, sprayed with Vitaros and covered.

You can arrange a stalk in a separate greenhouse with a film. And if there are few cuttings, then plant each of them in a separate pot and cover plastic bottle with lid. After a while, they look - if the leaves have not wilted, the lilac feels good, the lid can be unscrewed.

It is better to place the cuttings in a shady place, for example, under a bush. Not in the sun, but not in the shade either.

From time to time, the contents of the cuttings need to be sprayed, moisten the soil. You can make arcs under the film and put on damp gauze - so the humidity will be higher.

The cuttings are left to winter in the cuttings, in the same place. But it is recommended to insulate it and protect it from attack by rodents.

In the spring, as the earth thaws, cuttings with roots are transplanted into a small garden bed (school).

The method of propagation of lilacs by cuttings is complicated, but with correct execution- quite effective.

Sources of information on how to propagate lilacs by cuttings: Homesteading magazine and Garden World youtube channel.