You can easily propagate hawthorn yourself and grow numerous offspring from one mother plant. Both the fruits and cuttings or cuttings are suitable for breeding. Propagation through grafting is also possible, but is usually only carried out by professionals.
How can I successfully propagate hawthorn?
Hawthorn is easy to propagate. Propagation can be done by seeds by harvesting fruits, removing the pulp and sowing the seeds in potting soil. Alternatively, cuttings or cuttings can be used, cutting shoots from the mother plant and placing them in soil to encourage root formation.
Propagation by seeds
Harvest some of the red fruits in the fall and remove the pulp completely. Let them dry on a kitchen towel for a day. This means the seeds germinate faster and do not start to rot.
Planting soil or, as with many wild shrubs, highly humus-rich topsoil with an admixture of sand is suitable as a substrate. Scatter the seeds into the container in grooves a few centimeters apart and cover them with some soil. Keep the soil evenly moist and place a clear plastic bag over the container.
The hawthorn germinates very slowly; in nature it can take up to a year for the seeds to sprout. If hawthorn fruits are left in the garden, they will germinate on their own the following spring if conditions are favorable. You can carefully dig up the many small seedlings and transplant them to another location.
Breeding by cuttings
Cut four to eight centimeter long seedlings from the annual wood at the beginning of the growing season. The hawthorn shoots should have at least one leaf and one leaf bud and should be cut above a noticeable node.
- Cut the cutting slightly at an angle.
- Place the lower third in potting soil.
- Dipping in rooting powder (€8.00 on Amazon) stimulates root formation.
- Keep the plant evenly moist.
- To create a greenhouse climate, cover with a bag.
Alternatively, breeding can be done using cuttings, which you can cut as early as February. Strong annual shoots that are not yet fully mature are well suited. Using a clean cutting tool, separate the seedlings from the mother plant just below one eye. Two thirds of the cuttings are placed in substrate or garden soil. Keep plants warm and moist so they can root quickly.
Tips & Tricks
The hawthorn is one of the cold or frost germinators. Stratify the removed seeds in the refrigerator. This cold treatment, which is close to nature's model, allows the seeds to sprout more quickly.