Many Russian summer residents would like to have a weigela in their area. This is a very bright, extremely beautiful shrub, with flowers, the size of which reaches up to 5 centimeters. At present, about 15 varieties of weigela have already been bred, and about half of them are grown as cultivated plant. The height of the bush can reach 2 meters. cultivation this plant in the conditions of the Russian climate, this is a rather troublesome task. However, all the work here is compensated by the extraordinary beauty of the weigela.

Weigela - how it is propagated by cuttings

If you decide to breed this plant, then you will need to know many of the nuances associated with this. One of the very important points here is the reproduction of weigela. Growers currently practice 3 methods:

cuttings - lignified or green;
seeds;
root suckers.

The first of these is the most common. The thing is that a lignified cutting, cut from a 1-year-old shoot, is able to take root at any time of the year.

However, according to experienced gardeners, the most optimal period for this is spring, when the buds have not yet blossomed.

So, let's first look at how weigela can be propagated using lignified cuttings. They need to be harvested in late autumn. This can also be done at the beginning of winter, but on condition that severe frosts have not yet hit. The cuttings must be preserved until the beginning of spring - it is best to hide them for the winter in the cellar. There is another storage option - directly under the snow, in grooves specially dug for this. Previously, the cuttings should be buried in the sand. Thanks to these precautions, you will save planting material by protecting it from disease, freezing and drying out.

In the spring, you can proceed to the next stage of reproduction. We will need to cut the cuttings again - already from overwintered shoots. There are certain rules that must be followed. In particular, the upper cut is made above the extreme kidney, stepping back a little from it. The recommended distance in this case is approximately 2 centimeters. However, a centimeter indent is also allowed. The lower cut must be made directly under the kidney.

It should also be noted one more important point. Neither the upper nor the lower part of the shoot can be cut into cuttings. The recommended length for planting in the ground is from 25 to 30 centimeters. At least 2 pairs of kidneys should remain on the surface. The stalk is planted not directly, but with a slight slope. Particular attention should be paid to aftercare. In particular, the plant needs to be watered, the soil needs to be fertilized. As a rule, rooting occurs after 2-3 weeks, and almost always it is 100 percent.

Now let's take a closer look at how weigela can be propagated using green cuttings. There are some peculiarities here. In particular, it is recommended to cut the shoots in the summer, around mid-June. The thing is that during this period they have not yet had time to completely lignify, although this process has already begun. Shoots should be covered with green bark, and not break when bent. It is recommended to cut the shoots early in the morning. The thing is that at this time they are as saturated with moisture as possible. You also need to reduce the leaf plate by 50 percent. Thus, you will reduce the evaporation of valuable moisture.

After you cut the cuttings, they need to be kept in water for a while. After that, we transplant the planting material into a box with loose soil, on top of which river sand is poured. The thickness of the layer of the latter should be from 1 to 2 centimeters. Pay special attention to the depth of landing. It should be no more than 0.5 centimeters. Then close the box plastic wrap, thus we stimulate the process of rooting. Periodically, the cuttings will need to be aired.

With a relative humidity of 90 to 100 percent, they root in about 2 weeks. If everything is fine here, the cuttings can be transplanted already in open ground. It should be noted that before the appearance good bush will have to wait. They appear from cuttings no earlier than 2 years later. In the central zone of the Russian Federation, it will be necessary to take care of the wintering of rooted cuttings. Young plants extremely negatively perceive temperature changes in the winter. They also do not tolerate frost and lack of snow. It is necessary to cover rooted cuttings for the winter with spruce branches, fallen leaves, or peat. The earth is not suitable in this case. It should be noted that in the southern regions of the country, young plants can be left for the winter without shelter - unless, of course, there are no weather anomalies.

Quite popular and at the same time the most productive is the reproduction of weigela with the help of seeds. The latter ripen in early autumn, in September, and have 100% germination. You can sow them immediately after harvest or in the spring. The second option is more preferable for the southern part of Russia. Closing is not needed here. You can simply sprinkle the place of sowing with humus or peat. Without a transplant, seedlings should grow from 3 to 5 years. Plants can be transferred to a permanent place only after they grow to 80-100 centimeters.

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Weigela shrub. Weigela reproduction

Weigela reproduction

So much amazing beauty and quiet joy are given to us by the plants that surround us everywhere. It pleases the eye, delights and surprises the beautiful, lushly flowering weigela shrub, strewn with tubular bells, sometimes opening until the leaves are fully blooming. Weigela looks good in a sunny meadow, surrounded by shrubs, protected from drafts and northern winds a cozy place, but it is undesirable to use it as a hedge.

This shrub is distinguished by the extraordinary beauty of rather large, up to 5 centimeters, flowers, collected in inflorescences and single, located in the axils of the leaves and on the tops of young shoots. Corollas of flowers are odorless, come in a wide variety of colors and shades, from white, pink and pale cream, to bright reds, purples and scarlet. In this case, the color changes in the process of flowering and withering.

Sometimes unusual leaves of some varieties of weigela compete with elegant flowers, with a creamy edging on a green velvety background, and by autumn the crown becomes crimson burgundy or bright purple. In countries East Asia one and a half dozen species of this amazing herbaceous perennial are common. He is also familiar to gardeners Far East, and in central Russia, weigela is a deciduous shrub about two meters high.

Weigela is a rather capricious plant that needs careful care and increased attention. The shrub often freezes slightly, but recovers quickly, and it is still best to protect the lower branches by bending them to the ground and sprinkling with peat in late autumn. The entire shrub can be covered with coniferous spruce branches, and later buried in a snowdrift.

As weigela grows older, it becomes more resistant to frost, but may die if its roots are flooded with spring melt water. Therefore, even when planting, it is necessary to ensure good drainage, by means of pebbles, small gravel, broken bricks, and then take care of uniform and regular soil moisture, avoiding either prolonged drying, much less moisture stagnation.

Systematic sanitary pruning in the spring will give the shrub the desired decorative look, save the plant from dried, broken, diseased and frost-bitten twigs. It is also desirable to shorten branches with fading flowers, which will provoke the emergence of new shoots, on which flowers will appear again.

It should be remembered, however, that late autumn pruning undesirable, so as not to damage the flower buds of the next season. Decorative pruning is best done during or after flowering. It is noteworthy that flowering branches of weigela in cut form are perfectly preserved for a long time.

Weigela shrub is a profusely flowering and therefore very decorative deciduous plant. Due to the variety of species of weigel, it will decorate any corner of the garden and will be a great addition to alpine slides, a Japanese garden, or just a bright spot in the garden.

Before planting weigela, you need to find a suitable place for it in the garden. Most types of weigela are thermophilic, so it is necessary to take into account the winter hardiness of the species you have chosen. Weigela shrub has the ability to increase its winter hardiness over time and even after frost damage is able to bloom in the same year, weigela can also bloom several times per season.

Many types of weigela are decorative not only for their tubular flowers in the form of bells, but also for foliage, which can be velvet, have a green, purple color or a white border around the edge of a green leaf.

Weigela does not require special care, it is better to plant it in loose, fertile and sufficiently moist soil, the landing site should be protected from the cold wind, sunny or semi-shady. Winter-hardy varieties of shrubs can not be covered for the winter. To improve the appearance of the shrub, it should be cut periodically so that the branches become more branched.

The best and easiest way to propagate weigela is cuttings, and summer cuttings are more preferable. To do this, in the period June-July, it is necessary to cut from young shoots, the thickness of which is not less than 0.5 cm, cuttings about twenty centimeters long. The cuttings should be kept for about six hours in a growth stimulator, remove the lower leaves and then plant them in partial shade, deepening ten centimeters into nutritious, loose soil. The soil should be moist, so you need to arrange regular watering and after rooting, the cuttings can be planted in a permanent place in the spring.

Summer green cuttings take root much more actively, but weigela can also be propagated with winter woody cuttings, which are harvested in late autumn. Planted cuttings in boxes filled with a mixture consisting of nutrient soil and river sand, sprinkled with sand on top. Placed in greenhouses or greenhouses covered with plastic wrap, cuttings need diffused light and high humidity.

Weigela reproduces well by dividing the bush and layering, as well as seeds that are harvested after flowering - this is a fruit with an oblong bivalve seed box. It takes about five years from sowing seeds to flowering shrubs, so this method has not gained distribution, in addition, the seeds often do not have time to ripen and lose their germination capacity in the second year.

But if there is such a desire, the seeds can be sown superficially in fertile soil with sand, tightly pressed with glass from above. Thanks to regular, accurate watering, shoots will appear in 20 days. They are grown like any other seedlings, planted in the soil and looked after, paying maximum attention.

Under favorable conditions, the weigela shrub can live for about thirty years, annually delighting with its elegant flowering.

Live

Weigela propagation by cuttings

Let's see how weigela is propagated. One day, friends may ask you to give a cutting, or you want to grow several copies on your site, one way or another this question will come up.

Of course, it can be propagated from seeds, but it is troublesome and long for at least 5 years until the shrub blooms. Therefore, we will focus on summer cuttings - the most effective technique, you can take cuttings in the fall - but this is worse.

Weigela is best propagated in the summer. To do this, cut green young cuttings in the month of June. Choose specimens for cutting at least 0.5 cm thick, 15 - 25 cm long.

I always cut off the lower leaves, I also cut off the top, leaving only the leaves “in the middle”. But I, in turn, cut them to half the length of the sheet, this is necessary in order to reduce the surface of moisture evaporation.

Now the Weigela stalk is ready for planting. I want to note that this breeding technique is suitable for all shrubs.

It's time to prepare the place for landing. To do this, you need to pour a layer of compost, on top of a layer of sand 3 - 4 cm. We deepen the cuttings into our prepared greenhouse so that the outer buds are slightly buried in the ground (to the leaves that you left). Cuttings should be planted with a slight slope. We water our landing. We put a cropped bottle on top, so we created a greenhouse. If you have 3-4 cuttings, use 5 l. cut bottle, then everyone will fit.

Periodically moisten planted weigela cuttings. After a month, you need to start opening the bottle, first put a sliver, then a small pebble, and then completely remove the jar, by this time the cuttings will already be well rooted.

The following spring, they can be transplanted to a permanent place. This is how weigela and other shrubs propagate easily.

Weigela- deciduous shrub of the honeysuckle family, able to effectively decorate your garden. Weigela will delight with pink, red, cream, yellow and white bell flowers twice a year - in spring and at the end of summer. It is noteworthy that the color of the inflorescences during flowering is not the same: the newly opened corollas are pale, but gradually they gain strength and become brighter.

Planting weigela

The best time for landing is March-April. During the autumn planting, the seedlings do not have time to take root and die, so if you purchased plants in the fall, you should not rush - wait until spring. Dig the weigela in an inclined position and cover the crown with earth. When buying, take an interest in the age of the plant - specimens that are more than 3.5 years old adapt well to new conditions.
Choose your landing area carefully. Weigela is photophilous, warmth and abundance of the sun are prerequisites for full development. Leaves and flowers are easily damaged by the wind - the planting site must be reliably protected from the northern winds.
The shrub prefers loose, fertile soil, does not tolerate compaction and waterlogging of the soil. The soil should be loosened regularly, preferably after each watering. If this is not possible, then cover the ground with peat or sawdust.
At the bottom of the planting hole with a depth of 50 cm, lay gravel and sand (layer thickness - 15 cm), plant the bushes at a distance of 3 meters from each other. Do not deepen the root hole. The soil mixture should include sand, turf and humus in a ratio of 2:2:1.

Weigela reproduction

The most common way to propagate weigela is cuttings. Wood cuttings are ineffective, and the results will have to wait a long time - 5 years, so reproduction is most often used with the help of green cuttings. It is better to carry it out before the start of kidney formation, i.e. in April-May. The length of the cuttings is 10-12 cm. Make a straight cut, leave two leaves on the handle.

After treatment with a growth stimulant - heteroauxin (150 mg / liter of water), the shoots are left in a dark room at a temperature of 20 degrees for 12 hours. Then they are planted for rooting in a sand-peat mixture, sprinkled with sand and covered with plastic wrap. Planting depth - 0.5 cm. Water the plant twice a day. Roots appear on the 25-40th day. It is recommended to transplant to a permanent place after 1.5 years.
Weigela can also be propagated by seeds. Preliminary preparation of the source material is not required. Plant the seeds in boxes filled with sand and fertile soil. Surface-sown seeds are sprinkled with sand and covered with glass. Expect seedlings in 3 weeks.

Weigela care

For better growth, the bushes are systematically pruned, diseased and dry branches are removed. The best time for sanitary pruning is spring or early summer. Plots with wilted flowers are shortened, and the cut points are treated with garden pitch (can be found on the free market).
Young weigela needs your care. For the winter, wrap the bushes with kraft paper or modern covering material - spunbond. Sprinkle the trunk circle with spruce branches or dry foliage. These simple measures will help the plant to endure severe frosts. If, after the winter, the plant is very frozen, then abundant watering will correct the situation (10 liters of water per bush). The same becomes mandatory in hot weather.

Mature shrubs require much less attention. In the spring, after a heavy snowfall, shake the snow off the branches. A frame made of wooden slats carefully planted in autumn. In winters with little snow, weigela is covered with lutrasil or roofing felt.
The soil is fertilized twice a year. The first time - in early spring, the second - during the formation of buds, in early June. Use for this potassium sulfate, double superphosphate, urea.
When the first signs of bacterial damage to the leaves appear (yellowish, purple foci, premature fall, white bloom on the upper side of the leaf), a mixture of lime milk and copper sulphate (Bordeaux liquid) is used. Get rid of rot and rusty spots Topsin, which irrigates the bush (during the growth period, 1% solution is used, before bud break - 3%). Infusions of bitter pepper, garlic, wormwood, potato tops are effective against pests.

Types of weigela

1. Weigela early (W. Praecox). Bushy shrub with gray bark, reaching a height of 2 meters. Flowers - lowered, pink hue. Blooms in May. Flowering time - 15-25 days. It looks advantageous in the form of untrimmed hedges;

Weigel Middendorf (W. Middendorffiana). Plant with ascending shoots 1.5 meters high. The flowers are creamy white or yellowish with an orange centre. Blooms 2 times a year (autumn and spring) for 30 days. It is used in group and single plantings along the edges, under trees, on lawns;

3.
Weigela blooming (W. Florida). Shrub with bright green leaves that persist even in winter, grows up to 3 meters. Large tubular flowers, collected in small inflorescences, are pink at the edges, and white inside. This type of weigela blooms in May-early June;

4.
Weigela Korean (W. Coraeensis). Reaches a height of 1.5 meters. The bells, located in semi-umbellate inflorescences, are first white, then pink, and then acquire a rich carmine hue. Blooms in early June, flowering duration - 10-15 days;

5.
Weigela profusely flowering (W. Floribunda). One of the fastest growing species, reaching 3 meters in height. The drooping flowers are red at first, and then lose intensity and become light pink. Blooms in May.

It is better to place plants in groups of 3-5 specimens, which are combined in the color of the corollas, the size and shape of the bushes and coincide in terms of flowering. The area between the bushes can be planted with fern, astilbe or hosta.

We consider ways of breeding weigela. We describe how to propagate a shrub with cuttings and seeds step by step, as well as recommendations from experienced gardeners.

Introduction

Weigela can be propagated by seeds and vegetative propagation methods. Seed and vegetative reproduction have their own advantages and disadvantages.

seed propagation

Growing weigela from seeds has a number of advantages: such a plant grows more viable, resistant to sudden changes in weather conditions and well adapted to the local climate, and more copies can be grown per season.

Disadvantages: plants develop longer and bloom in the fourth year, a more complicated growing process, seeds can fully ripen only in the south of Russia and then mostly winter-hardy species, and in the northern regions it is almost impossible.

However, for amateur gardeners, the main disadvantage is often that seedlings do not retain all varietal characteristics.

Vegetative propagation

This is the only propagation method that is used to maintain the purity of the variety. Weigela can be propagated by layering, dividing the bush and cuttings. Layers of the bush do not take root well, it is very difficult to divide the bush.

Therefore, according to the magazine "Feast of Flowers", cuttings are the easiest and most convenient way to propagate. In this case, it is possible to propagate both winter (spring) and summer cuttings (summer).

Growing from seed

In winter-hardy species, the seeds ripen by the end of October - the beginning of November, while in the Korean weigela, pleasant and abundantly flowering, the seeds do not ripen often.

If you have your own seeds, then it is advisable to sow them in the same autumn, as a last resort, next spring. Freshly harvested seeds have a good degree of germination, and they do not require preliminary preparation (stratification).

After 1-2 years, germination will be 1-5%. In winter, store the seeds in a paper bag or linen bag.

Sow the seeds in March-April at home in containers with a soil mixture (peat (turf) and sand - 2: 1), lightly sprinkle them with sand and press the glass on top. Cover the bowl with a transparent lid, film.
Keep the substrate moist and air the "mini-greenhouse" daily. Spray the sand or water it gently to keep the seeds deep. Shoots will appear in about 20-25 days. Water the soil mixture next to the seedlings so as not to wash out the roots.
Dive seedlings after the formation of the second pair of leaves in separate containers (cups).
Seedlings at the age of one year have one non-branching stem about 6-7 cm in height, 3-4 pairs of leaves, axillary and apical buds. Root system 3-5 cm in diameter. Germinal leaves (cotyledons) fall off in September.
In the second year, boxes with seedlings are best taken to the site for growing in partial shade (under a tree with a sparse crown or a bush). During the season, the root system grows significantly superficially, and a two-year-old plant will be 40-50 cm high.
In the third year in spring, seedlings are planted in open ground in a permanent place and looked after as an adult plant. In the fourth year, the plant begins to bloom.

Winter cuttings

Winter (lignified) weigela cuttings are last year's young shoots that have already overwintered.

In April (before the leaves bloom), cut off the top of a lignified shoot with a diameter of up to one centimeter and a length of 15-25 cm with 3-5 pairs of buds. Cut off the cutting 1-2 cm below the kidney.
Dip the cutting in "Kornevin" or any other growth stimulant and plant it in a pot or boxes at a slight slope with a soil mixture: turf (garden) soil and sand - 1: 1.
Planting depth - 0.5 cm, the distance between the cuttings - 20-30 cm or 40x10 cm. Pour a 2-3 cm layer of sand on top.
Planting containers bring in a greenhouse or greenhouse or cover with a film. For better rooting, high humidity and diffused light are needed. Spray and air the cuttings daily.
The roots appear in the early weigela after 40-45 days, and in the Middendorf weigela on the 25-30th day after planting. Now the accustomed cuttings need to be pinched and fed for better development root system and aerial parts of the plant.
As a top dressing, use nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer, for example 25 g ammonium nitrate and 30 g of superphosphate per 1 m² or a teaspoon without a slide for each cutting.
Instead of mineral fertilizer, you can feed with a solution of mullein - 0.5 liters of slurry per 1 m² or 50-100 ml under the cutting.

The percentage of rooting of summer cuttings with the use of root formation stimulants (Heteroauxin, Kornevin, Zircon) is more than 80, and in botanical gardens it is about 100% and significantly higher than in winter. If your winter cuttings have not taken root well, then do not despair and try to propagate your favorite bush with summer cuttings.

Summer cuttings

It is best to cut the cuttings before the formation of flower buds. The exact timing of harvesting cuttings depends on the climatic zone and the variety of weigela. Usually this is mid-May - mid-June, and for example, in the Moscow region from about June 5 to June 20.

At this time, it is still not so hot, it is easier for the cuttings to take root, and they will also have time to develop better before autumn. For propagation by summer (green) cuttings, young shoots are taken, which are just beginning to lignify.

Cut off a young shoot with a 1-2 cm section of last year's wood (about the thickness of a pencil) with two pairs of leaves and one internode. The length of the green cutting is 9-12 cm.
The lower cut is under the lower pair of leaves, and the upper one above the upper pair of leaves is 1-2 cm. Both cuts are straight, since weigela has an opposite arrangement of leaves.
Remove the leaves completely or 1/2-1/3 of the leaf blade and place the summer cuttings in water for 60-120 minutes. Usually the bottom pair is removed completely, and the top pair of leaves is cut off by 1/3.
After that, dip them in Kornevin and plant them in a mixture of peat and sand - 1: 1 to a depth of 1-2 cm per school or in a container. On top of the soil mixture, it is desirable to pour a 2-3 cm layer of washed sand.
Instead of Kornevin, it is very effective to keep the cuttings for 12 hours in a solution with heteroauxin (150 mg / 1 liter of water) in a dark place with a temperature of + 20-25º.
Cover the planting site or pot with a transparent film to maintain high humidity and, accordingly, better rooting. You can also cover each cutting individually with a cropped plastic bottle or glass jar.
Plant the cuttings in partial shade and for the first 5-7 days shade with a cloth or gauze from the sun's rays. Planting distance between cuttings and rows: 25 cm.
Ventilate the "greenhouse" twice a day and water the cuttings daily with a little water to keep the ground slightly moist at all times.
After the cuttings begin to grow and new leaves appear, the film must be removed - it means that they have taken root.
After about a month, pinch them and feed them, just like winter cuttings. Water the cuttings after the top layer of soil dries out by 2-3 cm.
In autumn, for a successful wintering, mulch the cuttings and cover with a slotted box to protect the shoots from freezing and snow damage.
Next spring (mid-late April), plants can be transplanted into shkolka (50x50 cm) until three years of age or immediately to a permanent place in the garden.

Weigela belongs to the Honeysuckle family. ornamental shrub loves sunny glades, protected from drafts. It blooms at the beginning of summer, so home gardens are often decorated with it. It is important to properly plant, care for and propagate shrubs so that they constantly grow and delight the eye with their flowering in your garden area. Let's take a closer look at how to plant and care for the plant, as well as how to propagate weigela to decorate the garden.

Briefly about the shrub

Weigela has large flowers that can grow both singly and in collected inflorescences. The flowers are hidden in the axils of the leaves and in young shoots. The flowers do not smell, but they look pretty and attractive.

Weigela is white, pink, pale cream, bright red, purple or scarlet. The color of flowers changes in the process of flowering and wilting. Therefore, at the beginning of flowering, the bushes can bloom in one shade, and towards the end of flowering - completely different.

Some varieties of shrubs have unusual leaves. They have a cream border on a green velvety background. In autumn, the crown acquires a crimson burgundy or bright purple color. Weigela grows to a height of two meters. The shrub blooms twice a year with large bright flowers: in May and September. If you create favorable conditions for growth and reproduction for the shrub, it can live for about 30 years, every year, blooming with its beautiful flowers.

Flower growers most often grow the following varieties and types of weigela:

early weigela is a shrub with branches that almost lean towards the ground itself. Blooms very early and abundant beautiful flowers purplish pink. It grows up to two meters in height;
the modest grace of the weigela variety is pleasant. The height of the bush is 0.5 - 1.5 meters. It blooms profusely with large lilac-pink flowers;
the most abundantly flowering bush is flowering weigela. It blooms with small bright pink flowers. Bushes grow low and hardly endure the winter season. Therefore, they must be covered for the winter. If the plant freezes, it will not be able to recover and will die;
Weigela Middendorf has a very dense crown and grows no higher than one meter. Often this variety is grown as a border. Bushes have large light yellow flowers with red dots. Since this variety loves moisture, it takes root well and blooms in wet summers.

Read also: Mock orange - correct pruning

There are many more types and varieties of weigela, which are grown in the territories of different countries.

Planting weigela

Weigela is recommended to be planted in fertile, structural, moisture-intensive soil. For planting, it is better to choose sunny open areas, but also protected from drafts and northern winds. The shrub does not like lowlands with a large accumulation of water, acidic, heavy soils, drafts.
If you plant a weigela in the fall, it will disappear. Therefore, it is recommended to plant shrubs in early spring. Holes for shrubs should be 50x50 centimeters in size. At the bottom of each hole, put superphosphates and potassium salt in an amount of 50 grams of each ingredient. If the earth is sandy, it must be diluted with humus.
When planting seedlings in the ground, do not bury the root neck. It should be at ground level. Be sure to mulch the circles of seedlings near the trunks with cut grass or sawdust.

Landing undersized bushes weigels, be sure to make a distance of 1 meter between them. And when planting tall bushes, the distance between them should be 2 - 3 meters.

Plant care rules

Care for weigela bushes is as follows:

Every spring, carry out a systematic sanitary pruning. This procedure will give the shrub a decorative well-groomed appearance. It is necessary to remove dried, broken, diseased and frostbitten branches from the bush.
In order for new shoots with flowers to appear in place of withering flowers, shorten the corresponding branches.
In order not to harm the flower buds of the next season, do not cut the weigela in the fall.
In order to give the bush decorative look it is recommended to prune it during or after flowering.
With the active development of shoots, it is important to fertilize the bushes with nitrogen fertilizers. They are added to the water, which is irrigated once every two weeks for all plants.
When budding, bushes are fed with superphosphates, which are added in a tablespoon per bucket of organic solution.
After watering and top dressing, the soil around the bushes must be plowed.
Young plants that have not yet reached a height of one and a half meters must be protected from the cold in the winter season. To do this, before wintering, cover the rhizomes and plants with leaves, straw or special shelters.

If you cut off a flowering branch of weigela, it will stand in a vase for a very long time. Can be used to decorate the garden different varieties weigels, dropping them in different parts of the territory.

Weigela breeding methods

Weigela propagation is carried out using seeds, cuttings, shoots or shoots. Experienced flower growers know which variety can be propagated by seeds, and which one is best propagated by cuttings.

Read also: How to grow shrub St. John's wort

seed propagation

In April or May, seed propagation of the plant can be carried out.
Prepare your garden soil by mixing it with peat moss. Place the prepared soil in spacious boxes and moisten it well. Sow the seeds and cover the boxes with foil to keep the right temperature for the first sprouts to sprout.
As soon as leaves appear on the sprouts, the film can be removed. The first seedlings can be seen 14 days after sowing the seeds in the ground. A month after that, they can be transplanted into open ground. After the appearance of the first leaves and just before planting in the ground, it is imperative to pick young bushes. Dig up young bushes in the first autumn before the onset of the first frost and plant in a cool, ventilated room. Hide the rhizomes in burlap, which must be systematically moistened. The next spring, the plants are planted in open ground.

Seedlings planted from seed may produce red flowers instead of the pink you would expect. Since it is very difficult to guess what kind of flowers the shrub will have in one case or another when propagated by seed.

Reproduction by layering

Tilt the nearest branch to the ground. Make an incision in the bark and treat with a special tool for rapid root formation. Cover the cut area with soil.
The next spring, if the seedling takes root, it can be carefully separated from the mother bush and transplanted to a permanent place of growth. Be sure to cover the young plants for the winter.

Reproduction from shoots or shoots

For vegetative propagation, semi-woody cuttings from adult bushes or young shoots are used.
Cut cuttings from last year's bushes. Remove all leaves from the shoots and treat them with a special tool for quick rooting.
Prepare peat or peat-sandy soil for seedlings. Plant each cutting outdoors in July or August. The landing is carried out according to the scheme 40x10 centimeters.

For quick rooting of cuttings, as well as their resistance to external factors follow the rules below:

Water the planted cuttings regularly. It is also important to ensure that the soil is not too wet;
during the rooting period, be sure to cover the cuttings. Since weigela sensitively tolerates temperature changes and cold wind.
after 45 days, rooted shoots need to be pinched. Continue to water them, fertilize, monitor their growth.
it is possible to plant on a permanent place of growth a year after reproduction from shoots.

Propagation by cuttings

Cuttings are carried out in summer or autumn. But weigela is best propagated by summer cuttings. The procedure for propagation by cuttings is carried out as follows:

It is necessary to cut green young cuttings in June. Cuts should be half a centimeter thick and 15 to 25 centimeters long.
Trim off the top and bottom leaves. Let the leaves remain in the middle.
To reduce the rate of evaporation of moisture, cut the length of the remaining leaves in half.
Place a layer of compost on the ground. Lay a four-centimeter layer of sand on top.
Plant cuttings in each prepared greenhouse so that the buds are slightly buried in the ground. Cuttings are planted with a slight slope.
Be sure to water the planted seedlings with water.
From above, cover the planted cuttings with a cut bottle to create a greenhouse.
Then, if necessary, systematically water the cuttings.

Read also: Luxurious flowers in the garden - dahlias

After 30 days, put a little pebbles under the bottle so that the plants gradually get used to the ambient temperature.
The following year, plants planted by cuttings can be transplanted to a permanent place of growth.

In order for weigela reproduction by cuttings to bloom perfectly, it is important to heed the following tips:

it is possible to cut cuttings from summer plants only after they have faded;
to propagate weigela by cuttings, you need to take shoots without flowers;
cuttings should be cut obliquely with a sharp knife, since the wood of the shrub is loose and can be easily damaged and lost;
so that the cut cuttings do not suffer from rot, immediately after cutting, soak their sections in melted wax or paraffin. As soon as the wax hardens, the cutting can be planted in the ground;
shoulder straps, 15 centimeters long, must also be held for 10 minutes in a weak solution of heteroauxin. After the procedures described above, the cuttings are ready for planting.

Thanks to cuttings, the shoots germinate easily and completely. They bloom 2 years after planting. With the help of cuttings, you can predict what flowers the bushes will bloom. Winter cuttings are similarly cut from adult wintering plants. In autumn, rooted cuttings can be planted in open ground. Weigela bushes planted with cuttings, in the first year of growth in a permanent place for wintering, must be dug up and stored in a cool room, constantly maintaining the moisture of the roots. In the spring they can be planted back into the ground.

Now you know what weigela reproduction is, how bushes are grown, what care they need. Each variety of weigela has its own breeding characteristics. Therefore, experienced flower growers propagate weigela either by shifts or cuttings. It is important to know both options in order to grow beautiful shrubs in your garden.

large bells garden plant weigela fell in love with flower growers due to the fact that they bloom twice a year: in late spring and at the turn of summer and autumn. Having grown one bush, many want to expand the flower garden. if you have mature plant, you can propagate it with cuttings, as well as layering the lower shoots and dividing the bush. different ways have different efficiencies. Experts share their experience on how best to propagate culture. Photo recommendations will help beginners.

Features of growing shrubs

A guest from Asia called weigela loves an abundance of heat and sun. In the climate of the Russian Federation, it grows best in the southern regions. Weigela early and Middendorf endure weather conditions middle lane, but for the winter they need warming. The profusely flowering and Korean varieties are also covered when grown in warmer areas.

Protection from the cold is especially important for the plant after planting and propagation. The bushes are tightly wrapped with special materials, and the soil around the trunk is insulated with dry foliage or spruce branches of coniferous trees.

Pay attention to protecting the shrub from frost in winter

Even with careful protection, the weigela can freeze slightly, but in this case it will recover in a couple of seasons. The older the shrub becomes, the more resistant it is to cold.

Advice. The branches of the plant are quite fragile and can break under the snow mass, so they need to be propped up for the winter.

It is desirable to obtain material for reproduction from healthy and strong specimens. Regular sanitary pruning is one way to form a good bush. Shorten and delete:

Tops of annual twigs that are frozen. Shoots will bloom in the same season.
Branches that have low productivity. Cut off before the shoots resume.
In autumn or spring - broken or dry twigs, shoots with signs of rot and disease.
At the end of June and the end of September, immediately after the end of flowering, shorten by 1/3 the branches on which there were flowers.

Advice. Cut points should be treated with garden pitch. At good care weigela will live up to 30 years.

How to carry out spring cuttings

Cuttings are the most popular material for rooting weigela. It is better to get green shoots, because lignified ones take root for an extremely long time - at least 5 years. Spring propagation should be carried out before buds form on the branches. Usually it is April or early May. Procedure:

cut a stalk about 10 cm long with a couple of leaves. The cut must be made at a right angle;
soak the cut for 6 hours in a solution of heteroauxin (150 mg per 1 liter of water) to stimulate growth;
prepare the substrate - a mixture of peat and sand in equal proportions;
deepen the cutting halfway into the ground and sprinkle with sand;
stretch a film over the pot to create a greenhouse effect.

Arrange for the plant 2-time watering every day, periodically ventilate the stalk. Under such conditions, the roots should grow in 1-1.5 months. The stalk turns into a seedling and gradually develops in a pot. It will be ready for transplanting into open ground only after 1.5 years. Until that time, he will need a transplant into a more spacious container. However, a voluminous pot can also be used for initial rooting, and then no longer disturb the process.

A convenient way of propagation - cuttings

Features of summer and autumn cuttings of weigela

Florists also use summer cuttings: after the first flowering of the season, in the second half of June or early July. During this period, cut planting material 20 cm long from young twigs. It is important that the shoot be at least 0.5 cm thick. Such a cutting must also be preliminarily kept for several hours in a growth stimulator solution.

Then proceed like this:

remove the bottom leaves;
land on a temporary place directly into the ground, picking up a place in partial shade;
pour a 4 cm layer of sand over the soil;
deepen the cutting by 10 cm;
water it at least 1 time per day, constantly keeping the soil moist;
for the winter, carefully cover from frost.

Advice. Such a cutting will be ready for planting in a permanent place next spring. In the same season, the plant will bloom for the first time.

Sometimes in practice, rooting of woody shoots obtained during the autumn healing pruning of the bush is used. The cuttings are cut in November and planted in boxes with a loose substrate of garden soil and sand. The planted branches are sprinkled with sand and covered with a film or glass jar. In the greenhouse, you need to maintain high humidity, and put the box itself in a bright place.

Advice. When rooting any weigela cutting, pinch each new shoot on it. This will allow the plant to bush.

Reproduction of weigela by layering and dividing the shrub

To increase the number of bushes on the site, you can resort to reproduction by layering. The procedure is carried out in early autumn. It is not difficult, but requires some skill:

You can root cuttings in the summer

Pick up a strong healthy twig at the base of the trunk.
Bend the shoot so that it touches the ground at one point.
Slightly damage the bark in this place. For example, scratch with a sharp object.
Lubricate the incision with a root growth stimulator.
Fix the shoot with a bracket or in any other way at the desired point. Sprinkle with soil.

At good watering and winter protection, by next spring you will receive a small seedling with its roots. You can separate it from the mother plant, but at least 3 years must pass before transplanting to a permanent place.

If the weigela bush has grown too much, try dividing it into several parts. This should be done in the period from the second half of October to April, or when transplanting, which is most often also performed during the dormant period. Weigela division:

dig up the plant;
wash off the remnants of the soil;
divide the bush into fragments with a sharp knife or pruner, leaving extreme young roots on each;

Weigela flowering

cut off the entire above-ground part of the plant;
immediately plant new bushes around the site.

Of the vegetative propagation methods of weigela, it is easiest to use rooting with green cuttings. Layering is also an effective, but less popular method due to the long formation of a new plant. Dividing roots is a last resort. It is suitable if you want to rejuvenate an aged shrub.