Propagating Hydrangeas: Offshoots, Cuttings & Division

Here you will find everything you need to know about being successfuln Propagating hydrangeas. The propagation succeeds either via offshoots, cuttings or by division.

For any Hydrangea Species (Hydrangea), which can be found in our home gardens, sowing is not a suitable form of propagation. The flowers are very small and so are the seeds – if any can be harvested at all. In addition, the complex sowing is rarely crowned with a presentable germination success. Therefore it is more practical to so-called vegetative forms of propagation to fall back.

For the vegetative propagation of hydrangeas (Hydrangea) you already need access to a hydrangea plant that you want to propagate. Accordingly, vegetative propagation creates clones of the beloved hydrangea from your own garden. We show which propagation methods for the hydrangea work and how.

Propagate hydrangeas by division

Hydrangeas can certainly be propagated by dividing the rootstock, but here is the Hydrangea Art decisive. The snowball hydrangea (Hydrangea arborecens) can be easily propagated by division, for example. In the panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata), however, this form of propagation is rather problematic.

Instructions for multiplying hydrangeas by division:

• Right time for division: spring or autumn
• Carefully dig out the mother plant with a generous root ball
• Divide the root ball as gently as possible into equal parts
• Transplant the divided plants separately to suitable locations and then water them well

Multiply hydrangeas using sinkers

Offshoots and sinkers are two forms of propagation that are very similar and are often confused. In the case of offshoots, whole shoots are placed in a depression in the ground, fixed and covered with earth. Then exactly as many new plants emerge as buds sprout on this buried shoot. In the case of sinkers, a shoot is fixed in the ground at one point in such a way that the tip of the shoot looks out of the ground again. Only one new plant develops, which can be detached from the mother plant. With hydrangeas, the propagation method of sinkers has proven itself.

Instructions for multiplying hydrangeas using sinkers:

• Suitable time: April to June
• Select a healthy, strong shoot, if possible without flowering or budding. Flower bud and not too woody
• Test whether the drive can be bent
• Bend the shoot so that it touches the ground at one point and the tip of the shoot is sticking out
• Remove the soil about 5 cm deep where the shoot touches the ground
• At this point, carefully cut the bark of the shoot on the underside
• Fix the shoot in the dug hollow with a peg and cover it with earth; alternatively, a large stone can also serve as a fortification
• The protruding shoot tip is stabilized with a bamboo stick
• In order to achieve sufficient root formation, the sinker should remain in place for at least a year
• Then it can be separated from the mother plant (including new roots!).
• Cultivation in a pot is initially recommended, but the hydrangea reducer can also be planted directly in the bed

Propagating hydrangeas from cuttings

For many plants, the Propagation via cuttings an easy and quick propagation method. The same goes for hydrangeas. In terms of time, the propagation of cuttings is clearly superior to the sinkers, because in most cases a result can be seen after just 4 weeks.

Instructions for multiplying hydrangeas by cuttings:

• Right time: June and July
• Shoot tips with 2 pairs of leaves are separated from the mother plant with a sharp knife; the cuttings should be 5 to a maximum of 10 cm long and have no flowers or flower buds, as this would significantly reduce the rooting success
• The cuttings should be planted immediately and not stored if possible
• A special substrate for the propagation of cuttings is also perfect for hydrangea cuttings
• In the first two to three weeks, high humidity must always be ensured, as the cuttings are not yet able to absorb water themselves; You can use a mini greenhouse for the windowsill for this
• Root formation can be observed after three weeks at the earliest; then the hood of the mini greenhouse can be removed again and again to slowly acclimate the cuttings to the normal environment
• If the root ball is completely rooted, the successfully propagated hydrangea cuttings can be repotted in a larger container

How your Caring for hydrangeas properly after propagation and strengthen, you will find out in this special article.