Birches look extremely decorative both in the garden and in pots. In addition, many of their components have a wide range of usability. Reasons enough to grow a birch tree yourself. With the following tricks you can easily plant a tree of the Betula genus on your own.
How can I grow a birch tree myself?
To grow a birch tree yourself, you can sow seeds, propagate a branch or plant a cutting. Distribute seeds loosely in soil, place branch cuttings in pot or dig up cuttings and plant them. Transplant as soon as young plants show roots and sufficient growth.
Growing birch trees with seeds
As the first and simplest variant, the birch offers its seeds to grow into a young tree. You can take these from the elongated fruit heads of a free-standing birch tree between March and April or simply buy them from the garden center (€6.00 on Amazon). The pioneer plants, which are already designed for wind dispersal, will multiply readily if you simply scatter the seeds loosely over a pot of soil. Then turn it around with your hands and wait. As soon as the young birch tree sprouting from it has grown to around 15 to 20 centimeters tall, you can transplant the tree into a larger pot or into the soil in the garden.
Propagate a tree from a branch
- Separate a strong shoot tip branch from any birch tree. He should:
- be at least 10 to 20 centimeters long
- bring solid woody growth at the bottom
- have several eyes in the lower area
- be green at the top
- Strip the leaves from the bottom.
- At the top, remove larger leaves with scissors. Flower buds are also discarded because they cost unnecessary energy.
- Place the cutting straight into a small pot.
- Place in partial shade and keep moist.
- As soon as the first roots stick out of the pot, you can transplant the small birch tree.
Planting offshoots
Next to a birch tree there are usually many tiny specimens. As a third option, you could dig up a small plant and plant it at home just like the rooted young plant from the branch propagation. Digging out does not pose any problems as the birch has shallow roots and therefore you do not have to go deeper than one or two meters into the ground. The best time for this is April. Choose a tree in the early stages of shoot formation and carefully cut out the root ball with a spatula. At the destination, simply place it in a prepared hole in the ground and water.
