If you are looking for quick success, then propagating tulip trees is not recommended. It is very lengthy and not always successful. In addition, many years pass before the first flowering.
How to propagate a tulip tree?
The propagation of tulip trees is tedious and requires patience. Plant 15 cm long cuttings in moist substrate in spring or sow ripe seeds on potting soil in September. Keep the environment evenly moist and warm (20-26°C). Young plants are not hardy.
Propagation by seeds
You can rarely buy seeds for the tulip tree. However, if you find ripe and strong seeds on your own tulip tree, then you can try sowing and growing on the windowsill or in a warm greenhouse. The ideal time for this is September, save the selected seeds until then.
Place the seeds in a container with potting soil so that they are thinly covered with soil. Lightly moisten the seeds and soil and pull a transparent film over the container. This keeps the moisture constant and means you have to water the seedlings less.
For germination, the seeds need a uniform temperature between around 20 °C and 26 °C and sufficient light, but no direct sunlight. Only use soft, low-lime water for watering.
Propagation using cuttings
Cuttings are best cut in spring. They should be about 15 cm long, he althy and strong. To grow they need the same conditions as seeds, i.e. moist substrate and temperatures between 20 °C and 26 °C. Rooting powder is not necessarily necessary, but definitely helpful.
Caring for young plants
The seedlings and young plants of the tulip tree are quite sensitive, as are the roots of the adult tree. When the seedlings are around 10 cm in size, they can be pricked out carefully. They should definitely spend their first winter in the warm. Only when the first parts of the plant have become woody can you transplant your small tulip tree into the garden.
The most important things in brief:
- Propagation difficult and tedious
- Cut cuttings approx. 15 cm long, plant in spring
- Sowing in September
- keep both evenly moist
- Avoid waterlogging
- Germination temperature between 20 °C and 26 °C
- Young plants not hardy
Tip
Tulip tree propagation is not suitable for beginners, it requires specialist knowledge and patience.
