Yews are native conifers. They do not bear cones but produce bright red fruits. This is why the yew is so popular as an ornamental tree in the garden. With a lot of patience, yew trees can be propagated quite easily from seeds or cuttings. This is how propagation works!
How can I propagate a yew tree?
Yew trees can be propagated by seeds or cuttings. When propagating seeds, ripe fruits must be cored and the seeds scattered on a soil-sand mixture. For cuttings, 10-15 cm long shoots are cut off and placed in prepared pots or the desired location.
Propagate yew – what options are there?
Yew trees can be propagated in two ways: either you grow the offshoots from seeds that ripen in the red fruits, or you cut cuttings. You can't do much wrong.
Since yews are very slow-growing trees, you have to be patient until a real tree has grown from the seed or cutting.
Dig up wild yew trees
If you want to plant a yew tree in the garden or even create a hedge, take a look under a yew tree that is already growing. Yew trees self-seed, so you can be among the females – and only the females! – Guaranteed to find a few young plants on trees.
Dig these up carefully. Be careful not to damage the roots.
Then place them in the desired location in the garden or plant them in pots.
Growing yew trees from seeds
Propagate yew trees from seeds is more complicated. To do this you need several ripe fruits.
- Removing the seeds from the pulp
- Fill pots with soil-sand mixture
- Spread seeds
- cover lightly
- place in a cool place
- keep moist
In order for the seeds to germinate, they have to go through a longer cold phase, known as stratification. To do this, place the pots in a place where it does not get warmer than eight degrees. Alternatively, you can store the seeds in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for several weeks before sowing them. (Attention: the cores are highly poisonous!)
It takes up to 18 months for the seed to germinate and the first shoots to appear. As soon as you discover the fresh shoot tips, plant the young yews in the desired location.
Use cuttings for propagation
It's easier and quicker if you propagate a yew tree from cuttings.
To do this, cut several shoots with a length of 10 to 15 cm in early summer. Remove the lower needles and insert the cuttings 5 cm deep into prepared pots or directly into the intended location.
You can tell that roots have formed on the cutting when new shoots develop. You can then transplant the young yew.
Tip
The yew tree contains the poisonous active ingredient taxin in all parts of the plant. Therefore, always work with gloves when harvesting the fruit, cutting and other care work. Although there is only a risk of poisoning if needles and fruit seeds are ingested, the juice can cause skin irritation on contact.
