Soapwort is often used as a ground cover and to fill gaps in beds. It's a good thing that the plant is easy to propagate. So you have several plants in a short time.
It doesn't take long before the soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) has completely won over its owners. It grows and thrives without extensive care and in locations that previously did not seem suitable for any vegetation.
Anyone who wants to practice the propagation of soapwort will not find it difficult to raise countless offspring from an existing plant. Even inexperienced hobby gardeners will be able to achieve success. Find out now how soapwort can be propagated quickly and easily.
Reproduction by Division
Soapwort quickly begins to assume impressive shapes and spread throughout the bed. If you have just such a plant, the time has come to propagate it by division. In order to be able to divide the plant, the soapwort is first completely removed from the soil. This offers the hobby gardener the opportunity to take a closer look at the plant, remove wilted plant parts or shorten the roots.
Depending on the size of the plant and the number of pieces you want, cut the soapwort into segments with a spade. In order for the sections to have a good growth guarantee, there should be at least two shoots. By dividing, equivalent and fully developed plants are obtained, which can immediately be planted again at a chosen location.
» Tip: In order to protect the plant during division, you should first try to divide the root ball by hand.
The best time for propagation by division is spring or late autumn.
DIn keywords:
- Dig out the older rootstock completely
- Split root into different segments
- Replant sections directly
- Water new plants well
Propagation by rhizomes
New plants can be grown relatively quickly and easily by propagating the rhizomespull.
» Tip: With this type of propagation, the strong main rhizome must not be damaged. It's all about the lateral rungs.
It is also necessary to completely dig up the soapwort for this type of propagation. If you hold the root ball in your hand, the soil is first shaken off well so that the root system can be seen clearly. Now the hobby gardener can see the side shoots and can cut them off at a length of about five centimeters. With older plants, several side shoots can be removed without hesitation. The resulting interfaces are sealed with charcoal powder before the mother plant is put back in its old place.
The root pieces are now placed in small pots filled with potting soil. The rungs should be brought back into their original position. The roots leading out of the rhizome should point downwards. The planters are placed bright and warm and kept evenly moist. If the first shoots appear, the propagation has been successful and the plants are grown further and, when they are large enough, planted in the desired outdoor location.
In keywords:
- Dig up plant
- Clean roots of soil
- Cut side bars
- Seal Interfaces
- Replant mother plant
- Place root pieces in seed pots
- set up bright and warm
- water regularly
Propagation by cuttings
Any hobby gardener is also familiar with the propagation of cuttings and can easily be carried out by laypeople without specialist knowledge. The cuttings are cut in the spring and should be about ten centimeters long. The cuttings are placed in seed pots and kept regularly moist. A sufficient root system should have developed by autumn and the young plants can be planted directly outdoors.
In keywords:
- cut cuttings in spring
- Put the cuttings in a pot filled with soil
- set up warm and humid
- water regularly
- Replant or plant out after root penetration of the planter
Propagation by Seeds
Anyone who wants to propagate soapwort by seed faces a more complicated task. The seeds cannot go into the ground immediately because they are cold germs. Germination would not occur unless the seeds were exposed to a cold stimuluswould. This process is called stratification in technical jargon. After the seeds have been dried at room temperature for about a month, they are placed in the refrigerator for about six weeks, where they should be around -4 degrees. Only then can the usual cultivation of seeds take place.
In keywords:
- Win Seeds
- Drying Seeds
- Cool Seeds
- Germinating Seeds
- Prick out and transplant plants
It is important not to immediately continue cultivating the seeds at room temperature after the time in the refrigerator. In order for the seeds to get used to the change in temperature, they should be given a rest period of around two weeks and stored there at around eight degrees.
The seeds should be sown about 0.5 centimeters deep and only need about ten days to germinate. If the young plants are separated, a planting distance of 20 x 20 centimeters must be maintained.