Planted in groups, chocolate flowers create a wonderful look. Now it's up to you whether you decorate your entire bed with purchased specimens or whether you dare to propagate them yourself. Thanks to our instructions, you can do the latter with ease.
How to propagate the chocolate flower?
The chocolate flower can be propagated by sowing, cuttings and division. Nutrient-poor and permeable substrates are suitable for sowing, while spring is the ideal time. Cuttings and division are possible all year round.
Time
Spring is the best time to propagate the chocolate flower. This particularly applies to sowing. There are also other options to choose from that you can tackle all year round.
Various methods
The chocolate flower can be propagated using the following methods:
- Sowing
- Cuttings
- Division
Propagation by sowing
The most important thing when sowing is to take into account the suitable soil conditions. The following substrates have proven successful for growing soil:
- Mixture of sand and seed soil
- Mixture of soil and perlite
- Coconut fibers
The soil should also be low in nutrients and very permeable to prevent waterlogging. Sprinkle the seeds lightly over the substrate and press them gently into the soil. You must then keep the substrate permanently moist, and standing water in the cultivation pots must be avoided. During the germination period, the chocolate flower does not tolerate direct sun. This lasts around 3 to 6 weeks and primarily depends on the environmental conditions. To optimize the location factors, cover the cultivation pots with an air-permeable film. However, the resulting high humidity quickly leads to mold formation. Therefore, ventilate the film daily.
Note: Unfortunately, you cannot take seeds from your own chocolate flower. You have to buy the seeds from specialist retailers (€2.00 on Amazon).
Propagation via cuttings
Taking cuttings from the mother plant and placing them in moist soil elsewhere is probably the easiest method of propagation. However, your chocolate flower should make a strong impression.
Reproduction by division
The third option is division. Proceed as follows:
- Lifting root balls out of the ground
- carefully separate individual pieces
- each part should have several roots and leaves
- Parts are best taken from the young growth
- place the removed root parts in the ground
- Press the substrate lightly
- pour on
Note: Be careful that the roots of the chocolate flower are very delicate.
