Not everyone may have the money to buy several sweetgum trees. A much cheaper alternative would be to grow this plant yourself from seeds or propagate it using cuttings. But how exactly does it work?
How to propagate a sweetgum tree?
Amber trees can be propagated efficiently and cost-effectively using cuttings. In autumn you cut off 15-20 cm long shoots, put them in potting soil and keep the substrate moist. Rooting is successful when new leaves grow. Sowing seeds is more complicated and less recommended.
Propagation via cuttings
Propagation using cuttings is quick and not particularly time-consuming. Compared to sowing, this method is more recommended for hobby gardeners. The time for this propagation has come in the fall between the end of September and mid-October.
First you need cuttings. You can get these by pruning an older sweetgum tree. The cuttings should be 1 to 2 year old and 15 to 20 cm long shoots. If you have found a shoot with at least two buds, cut it off at an angle. The shoot tip is removed.
So it continues:
- Fill pot with potting soil
- Put the middle shoot in there
- Moisten the substrate
- place in a cool place (temperatures between 5 and 12 °C)
- keep moist
- new leaves are a sign of successful rooting
- plant out in spring
- Location: sunny and as sheltered as possible
Sowing – complex and not recommended
Sowing is time-consuming and not recommended. The main reason: The seeds of the sweetgum tree are cold germinators and need stratification. Furthermore, most seeds in self-collected fruits are sterile and therefore not capable of germinating. Very few seeds are fertile. It is therefore better to buy the seeds from specialist retailers (€5.00 on Amazon)!
This is how sowing with seeds from your own harvest works:
1. Sow seeds in potting soil, keep moist at 20 °C for 2 to 4 weeks
2. Artificial cold period for 2 months: place seeds in the refrigerator3. Actual sowing: Sow seeds, keep them moist and place them in a cool place
If the cotyledons are visible, you can keep the plants warmer. But be careful: They should not be exposed to direct sun. Only when they have already developed several pairs of leaves is it time to get them used to the sun and plant them outside.
Tip
Seeds that have already been stratified are also available from specialist retailers. Sowing is much easier here.
