If your property is large and you are planning to plant a hedge, it can be very expensive due to the number of plants required. So, first of all, look around: Maybe you or your garden neighbors are already cultivating a shrub in the garden from which you can take cuttings.
How can you grow a hedge yourself?
To grow a hedge yourself, cuttings from hedge plants such as cornelian cherry, privet, forsythia, cotoneaster, boxwood and yew are suitable. Cut 20 cm long cuttings in May to August and plant them 10 cm apart in loosened soil.
Which hedge bushes are suitable?
Many hedge plants are easy to propagate yourself, even if some species require a little patience until they take root.
This can be done without any problem, for example:
- Cornelian cherry,
- Privet,
- Forsythia,
- Cotoneaster,
- Boxwood,
- Yew.
The right time to cut cuttings
Ideally, you should cut cuttings between May and August. For deciduous shrubs, you can cut cuttings in the fall after the leaves have fallen.
The degree of maturity of the wood is important:
- If you cut too early, the shoots are susceptible to rot.
- If they are already well woody, they are hesitant to grow roots.
How are cuttings cut?
The cuttings, which should be about twenty centimeters long, are separated from the upper third of the mother plant. Immediately remove all leaves and mark where is up and down by making a straight cut in the bark. You also cut the lower area diagonally.
For some evergreen trees, successful rooting takes a long time. Here it has proven useful, instead of cutting cuttings, to tear the first section of the shoot directly at the branch. Use a sharp knife to peel off the excess bark so that the branch ring is visible.
How are the cuttings planted correctly?
- Loose the soil and completely remove weeds.
- Place shoots into the soil in rows, ten centimeters apart.
- It is important that you bring the lower end into the ground with three quarters of the length of the branch pieces.
Tip
If you cut cuttings from pruning in spring, they cannot be planted directly because the soil is still frozen. Until spring, store the cuttings vertically in a bucket filled with sand and place it in an unheated garage or a cool basement room with the marking facing upwards.
