Being able to call a Leadwort your own is a beautiful thing that fills you with pride. How about propagating it, for example to give a plant as a gift or to decorate other living areas with it?
How can leadwort be propagated?
Leadwort can be successfully propagated by cuttings. To do this, cut off half-ripe shoots 10-15 cm long between May and June, remove the lower leaves and let them root in nutrient-poor, permeable potting soil. Sowing seeds is less recommended as their germination rate is often low.
Use cuttings for propagation
Propagation from cuttings promises the highest success rate. Cut the cuttings between May and June. Choose shoots that are not too soft and fleshy. But they shouldn't be too woody either. Half-ripe shoots are ideal.
The selected shoots should be between 10 and 15 cm long. Better than cutting the shoots is tearing them off. The lower leaves are removed as well as any flowers that may be present. Only 2 to 4 upper leaves should be retained.
Place cuttings in potting soil
Once the cuttings are prepared for propagation, they go into the potting soil:
- use nutrient-poor, loose and well-drained soil
- Place shoots approx. 5 to 7 cm deep into the soil
- Press and moisten the soil
- Put a plastic hood or foil over it
- place in a bright place
- first roots appear after 4 weeks
- successful rooting can be recognized by new shoots
Plant the cuttings in a suitable place
After successful rooting, the cuttings should remain in the pot or only be repotted if necessary. They won't go outside until next spring because they wouldn't survive the frosty fall and winter. Overwinter them in a bright but frost-free place!
Sowing seeds, germinating them and caring for young plants
Sowing leadwort is less recommended because many seeds don't seem to want to germinate. Do you still want to try it? Spring is the optimal time for sowing.
Note the following:
- Laying seeds in sowing soil
- 0, cover 5 to 1 cm thick with soil
- Keep substrate moist
- if applicable. Put the foil over it
- put in a bright place
- ideal germination temperature: 20 to 23 °C
- Germination time: 3 to 4 weeks
- De-tip young plants from a size of 30 cm
Tip
No matter how well the plant is cared for, seeds from your own cultivation usually germinate much worse than purchased seeds - sometimes not at all.
