The cotoneaster(s) have been planted. But in retrospect it becomes clear that the planting distance was chosen too generously or that too few plants were purchased to cover the entire ground like a carpet. If you don't want to invest money for more cotoneasters, you can reproduce them with your own hands
How to propagate cotoneaster?
Cotoneasters can be propagated by four methods: separating and planting runners in late fall, harvesting and stratifying seeds in October, cutting cuttings of evergreen or deciduous species between February and April, or using sinkers in spring and fall.
Foothills: Feel free to do it yourself
Not much needs to be done with the propagation method via runners. For the most part, the cotoneaster likes to do this on its own. In late autumn you can separate the runners from the mother plant. They need about 1 year to grow in their new location.
Sowing: A complex affair
Gardeners who like to experiment find sowing a long-term procedure. This is how it works:
- harvest a handful of the ripe and poisonous follicles in October
- pule out the hard and flattened seeds
- clean and stratify the seeds
- Put in potting soil and encourage germination
- ideal germination temperature: 20 °C
Cuttings: Reliable and proven
Cotoneaster is easy to propagate using cuttings. The branches that are cut between February and April can be used. But: The mature shoots are only suitable for propagating the evergreen cotoneaster species. They should be around 8 cm long and are inserted into the ground to root. High humidity is optimal. To do this, you can, for example, put a plastic cover over the cuttings.
Deciduous species are propagated via half-ripened shoots. They are taken from the cotoneaster in early or mid-summer. If you plant the cuttings in the growing bed or at home after rooting, add a dose of compost to the planting hole.
Lowering: This can take time
This proven ground cover can also be propagated using planters. This happens in spring or autumn. It can take up to two years until the sinkers are rooted and can be separated from the mother plant.
The easiest and fastest propagation methods for cotoneaster are via cuttings and runners.
