Propagate buddleia by variety - this is how you can do it

Propagate buddleia by variety - this is how you can do it

Propagate Buddleia by sowing

The easiest way to multiply the buddleia is probably through its tendency to self-sow. Basically, you don't have to do anything more than wait and dig up the small, sprouting plants in good time and plant them in the desired location. You can of course also collect the ripe seeds yourself and sow them in pots. This makes it easier to avoid wild growth and you can also select the healthiest plants right away.

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Surprises inevitable at Buddleja davidii

However, you should expect more or less big surprises with this form of propagation, at least with Buddleja davidii - also known as butterfly lavender. This is especially true if you have different flowering varieties of one species in your garden. Plants grown by self-sowing are not varietal, ie they only resemble the mother plant in the rarest of cases. Instead, they often look similar to the wild form or are a cross between different varieties. With a little luck, you will also develop a new variety of summer lilac.

How to propagate Buddleja alternifolia from seeds

The situation is different with the changeable or Chinese Buddleia (Buddleja alternifolia), which can be grown from seeds quite well. And this is how you can successfully grow young plants from seeds you have collected yourself:

  • In the fall, collect the ripe seed pods.
  • You can recognize them by their brown-yellow color and the dried up shell.
  • Sieve out the seeds and place them in an airtight container.
  • Keep them in a dark, cool, dry place over the winter.
  • Sow them in March / April in pots filled with seed compost.
  • Keep the substrate moist and cover the pots with foil or similar.
  • Prick the plants into individual pots in good time.

From around June you can finally put the self-grown young plants directly outside, but you should slowly get used to the sun beforehand.

Classic: Propagation by cuttings

For single-variety propagation, however, you should better use classic cuttings. The best time for this is in the summer months between June and July, although you can still be successful with cuttings cut until mid / end of August. And that's how it works:

  • Do not choose too soft, flowerless shoots.
  • If long enough, cut it into several pieces approx. 10 to 15 centimeters long.
  • Shoots that are already lignified are not suitable for propagating cuttings.
  • Leave two to three leaves per shoot.
  • The rest is clipped off at the bottom.
  • Cut the remaining leaves in half.
  • Fill a mixture of 2 parts of seed compost and one part of sand into small (clay) pots.
  • Insert a cutting into each pot.
  • Pour them on.
  • Put a cut off PET bottle over it as an improvised greenhouse.
  • You can also stick long kebab skewers in the ground and put a plastic bag over them.
  • Important: both must be translucent.
  • Ventilate daily and keep the substrate moist.

The improvised mini greenhouse can be removed as soon as new shoots appear. Then roots formed and the propagation was successful. The young plants should be overwintered in a cool, but frost-free and light environment the first winter. You can plant them outdoors the following year.

Use clippings for cuttings

If there are any upcoming autumn pruning measures - for example, Buddleja alternifolia is thinned out in autumn - you do not need to throw away parts of the clippings. Instead, some shoots can also be used for reproduction. To do this, cut this year's woody shoots in late autumn, before the first frost. These should be around 8 to 10 inches long.

  • Cut the lower end at a slight angle, the upper end stays straight.
  • This way you can find the correct end later.
  • Remove all leaves.
  • You can put the woods straight away.
  • Prepare a suitable bed in a protected, light, partially shaded place.
  • Dig this up thoroughly and enrich the soil with humus or compost.
  • Put the pieces of wood into the ground so that only a quarter is still visible.
  • Keep the evenly moist.
  • In severe frost, the cuttings are covered with a fleece.
  • If you cannot put the cuttings straight in, keep them in the refrigerator.
  • To do this, wrap them in a kitchen towel.
  • Then put them in the designated place in March / April as described.

Woods planted in autumn often develop their first tender shoots in the following spring.

Tips

Another method is the propagation of the buddleia by sinkers, which in principle works like cuttings. The only difference is that the cuttings stay on the mother plant until they are rooted.