Spruce seed
P:How to propagate the spruce? Which method of reproduction is most appropriate.
O:Botanical species of spruce can be propagated from seeds by collecting cones at different times: Norway spruce from November to February, white from August to September, Serbian spruce to December to February , blue spruce from August to September.In a warm room, the cones open after some time and you can get seeds from them, which we keep dry.
In March, the seeds are stratified monthly at 4˚C (with the exception of Norway spruce and Serbian spruce), and then sown 1 - 2 cm deep in April - May. Varieties of dwarf spruces are propagated from cuttings, harvesting cuttings in June - July after the formation of the top buds, when the needles are still light green.
We do not remove the needles from the base of the cuttings and we do not use any rooting agents or fungicides. The seedlings are placed in an inspection box, in boxes or in flower beds.
Propagation of tuberous begonia
P:I would like some tips on how to propagate tuberous begonia.
O:Tuberous begonia is propagated from seeds by dividing tubers or by cutting. Only those varieties that repeat the varietal characteristics are propagated from seeds.The seeds are very small - in 1g there are 40,000 seeds. To produce 1000 plants, about 0.15 g of seeds should be sown.You can start sowing in December and finish in February.
It is difficult for an amateur, because to germinate begonia should have very stable temperature conditions (20˚C) for both the air, substrate and water to be watered.
During growth, the seedlings are picked three times. At the end of May, seedlings are planted permanently.The tubers are divided when they are large and strong.After digging them out of the ground in September, they are cleaned, dried and placed in a room with a temperature of 7-10˚C and sprinkled with fine peat.In March, the tubers are planted in boxes with a mixture of sand and peat and placed in a warm room.When the buds swell, the tubers are removed and divided.
Each part should have at least one well-developed bud. The place of cut must be sprinkled with pulverized coal and left in the air for 24 hours.The tubers are then planted in boxes, which are left in a warm room until they take root.
Planting is carried out from mid-December, when the tubers are planted in boxes and placed at a temperature of 20˚C.When shoots appear, they are separated from the tuber by breaking off at the base at the tuber which remains intact. The cuttings prepared in this way are placed in sand with peat. They will take 3-4 weeks to take root at 20˚C. With the help of rooting, this period can be shortened to 2 weeks.
