How to propagate barberry - cuttings, division

A beautiful barberry shrub enlivens the suburban area. It is expensive to buy seedlings for landscaping. The plant is easier to propagate. The procedure can be carried out in different ways: by cuttings, shoots, seeds, layering. Each method has its own characteristics. How to propagate barberry by cuttings is described in detail below.

When can reproduction be carried out: features

The breeding time of barberry depends on the chosen method. When grafting, the procedure is carried out in early spring or, conversely, for the winter. Young twigs take root well in greenhouse conditions.

Barberry Thunberg

The division of the bush is done at the beginning of the season. When the buds begin to swell and the leaves begin to bloom. The leaves will not interfere with dividing the bush. In this way, you will be able to select the desired piece.

Root shoots appear at the beginning of the season. It takes some of the nutrients from the soil, inhibits the development of the mother bush. It is recommended to remove the shoots to make the barberry more luxuriant. But if there is a goal to propagate the plant, then the shoots are left until the end of the season. The procedure begins in the fall.

Reproduction of barberry by seeds is a laborious process. The grains are prepared in advance for several months. Layering is easy. It is advisable at the beginning of the season so that by the fall a new bush can be transplanted to a new place.

Propagation by cuttings

Common barberry is easier to cut in summer than in autumn. A special variety is the Thunberg barberry. It has beautiful flowers and large fruit ovaries. For reproduction, the bush should be no more than 10 years old. After this age, the cuttings take root hard and it becomes more difficult to breed barberry. How to properly cut barberry?

It is easy to grow cuttings of an ornamental shrub. The transplant process follows the algorithm:

1. At the beginning of the season, they examine the bush, choose young shoots 15-20 cm long. Lignified twigs, which have 3-4 internodes, are also suitable.
2. Blanks are made at any time of the year. Planting is carried out mainly in early summer.
3. The lower end of the branches is made oblique. So it absorbs water faster and gives roots.
4. If there are leaves, cut them in half.
5. On the first day, cuttings are left in water with the addition of a root formation stimulator.
6. Then the cuttings are transferred to the ground or left in water until the first roots.
7. If the branches are planted in the ground, they are covered with a glass jar or plastic bottle on top. Inside they create a greenhouse effect.
8. You can immediately plant the cuttings in the greenhouse.

Cutting barberry in summer provides the best survival rate. Winter twigs take root worse.

Dividing the bush

How to properly propagate barberry by dividing the bush? The question is easily solvable. New bushes quickly take root when:

1. Dig up the mother bush.
2. Transfer it to the shade.
3. Using scissors, you need to divide the plant into 2 equal halves. Each daughter barberry should have at least 3 shoots.
4. Dig 2 holes in the garden. The soil is mixed with fertilizers and moisturized well.
5. Bushes are planted in a new habitat.
6. After 2 weeks, the plants will fully recover.

Barberry in autumn

It is better to breed young bushes with this method. Digging up a large, mature shrub is difficult.During work, you can scratch, break healthy branches and harm the plant.

Air layering

How does barberry propagate by layering and what is it? It's actually very simple. An adult shrub grows in the garden. He has twigs hanging down to the ground. A couple of them remain in the ground. At the same time, it is impossible to cut it off from the mother plant. In this form, they contain layering until the end of the season.

The branches of the twigs will receive nutrition from the soil and from the plant at the same time. Therefore, the survival rate is high. Subsequent procedures and care for layering:

1. By the end of summer, they check how well the layers have taken root. The roots should be felt.
2. The tops are cut off from the main bush, so that at least 3-4 internodes remain in the new plant.
3. You need to plant new barberries in your own holes.
4. While the shoots are taking root, they are periodically spud. The more land at the base, the better the process goes.
5. Plantings are watered every week with 500 ml of water. Do not overflow them so as not to erode the earth at the trunk.
6. Top dressing is carried out at the same level as all barberries.

Barberry fruit

Seeds

How exactly does barberry propagate with red seeds? Similar to other varieties. At the end of the season, several branches with fruits are left until fully ripe. By mid-September, seed pods are formed. Collect them and dry well. Seed germination lasts 2 years.

Planting seeds is carried out for the winter or early summer. Seed germination is higher if fresh seeds are planted for the winter. The process is carried out step by step:

1. Prepare in advance a bed 20 cm high from nutritious and dry soil.
2. Dig holes. They make a distance of 15-20 cm between them, and 30 cm between the rows.
3. The day before planting, the grains are soaked in water with potassium permanganate.
4. The next day, one seed is placed in each hole.
5. The holes are closed with overripe humus.
6. Cover for the winter with agrofibre or spandbond.

The first shoots will appear in the spring. Not all seeds will germinate quickly, some will appear above the ground only at the beginning of summer. When there are 3-4 leaves on the stem, new bushes are planted in a permanent place. The plants are preliminarily watered well in order to ensure the turgor of the roots.

When planting seeds in summer, the grains are preliminarily stratified. In March, they are laid out in wet rags, covered with cellophane and sent to the top shelf of the refrigerator. Germinated at home on a wet cloth. Sowing is carried out in early May. By the end of the season, sprouts appear. The germination rate of winter crops is 20% higher than that of summer crops. New bushes can stand for some time, and then die if strong shoots grow next to them.

Decorative variety of barberry

Root shoots

It is customary to remove the root growth as it interferes with the normal nutrition of the mother barberry. But if you want to propagate a plant, then the scions are great. They inherit all the characteristics of the main bush.

Throughout the season, children are cared for in the same way as adult plants. Closer to September, a place for the transfer is being prepared. Fertilize the soil with mineral additives. They dig up the baby and put it in a new place.

The scions are real shrubs. Therefore, their survival rate is high. In the first year, the plant is actively fertilized, watered and covered for the winter. So it will sooner bloom and bear fruit. The addition of a growth stimulant helps to root the barberry.

Common mistakes

It is not difficult to propagate barberry. However, beginners make mistakes. The most common ones are:

• Incorrectly selected cuttings.The length and number of internodes is strictly limited. A twig that is too long will not be able to fully feed, and a short one does not always take root.
• The greenhouse effect has a beneficial effect on survival rate. But it is worth ventilating the greenhouse once a day. The sprouts need fresh air.
• Too much fertilizer in the new soil can burn the root of the scion. Add additives strictly according to the instructions.
• It is not recommended to use fresh manure to feed new plants. It contains a large amount of nitrogen, which causes burns.
• Watering plentifully is good. But everything should be in moderation. If a lot of moisture accumulates in the ground, then the roots and the lower part of the cutting will rot.
• When selecting cuttings, they are cut off only with a disinfected instrument. You can not break off the branches. The cut should be oblique, not straight.
• Be sure to use a root former, so new roots will not keep you waiting.
• Cover young bushes for the winter, until the age of three, winter hardiness is not fully manifested.

Yellow barberry

Barberry Thunberg and its propagation by cuttings is almost no different from other varieties. You need to follow the rules and useful tips and new shrubs will surely take root.

Barberry is a wonderful plant that pleases gardeners not only with its flowers, but also with berries. They are used for absolutely different purposes: they boil compotes, jam, bake pies and prepare syrups. Shrubs are great for landscaping. They are planted along the fence (a beautiful green hedge is obtained).