How to Propagate Weigela
The weigela is a woody shrub native to parts of Asia. Weigela shrubs are hardy to plant in U.S. Department of Agriculture growing zones 5 through 8, where they produce pink trumpet-shaped flowers in late spring. Propagate the weigela by taking softwood cuttings in late spring through early summer or hardwood cuttings in mid-summer. Weigela easily roots from softwood cuttings in three to four weeks, according to the University of Connecticut Department of Horticulture, while hardwood cuttings take up to six months.
Make a solution that is nine parts water and one part bleach. Wash all propagation tools in the solution, rinse well with clean water and let dry completely.
Cut a 6-inch softwood or hardwood section of current-year growth on the weigela shrub with a sharp blade. Softwood cuttings are immature branch sections that snap when bent. Hardwood cuttings are mature branch sections in the dormant stage.
- The weigela is a woody shrub native to parts of Asia.
- Cut a 6-inch softwood or hardwood section of current-year growth on the weigela shrub with a sharp blade.
Place softwood stems in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel to prevent them from dehydrating during the collection and preparation period.
Fill a clean rooting tray with a medium from equal portions of sterile peat moss, course sand and perlite. Spray the rooting medium with water to moisten lightly.
Cut off the leaves from the lower half of the softwood weigela stems, hardwood stems no longer have leaves. Dip the lower tip of softwood and hardwood stems in rooting hormone and lightly tap to remove excess hormone.
Stick the weigela cuttings into the rooting tray to submerge the lower half into the medium. Press the medium around the stem to hold in place. Stick the cuttings in the tray so the stems and leaves remaining do not touch each other.
- Place softwood stems in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel to prevent them from dehydrating during the collection and preparation period.
Mist the weigela stems with water and cover the entire tray with a clear bag to keep the humidity level high during the rooting process. Open the bag twice a day to mist the cuttings with water. Watch the moisture content in the medium to make sure it does not become over saturated.
Grow the weigela cuttings in a covered tray until the roots reach a length of 1 inch. Transplant the stems to 4-inch growing pots fill with a well draining soil. Fertilize the stems with a half dose of a water-soluble fertilizer after transplanting.
Place the growing pots in a bright location with indirect sunlight. Continue growing the weigela stems indoors for the first year.
- Mist the weigela stems with water and cover the entire tray with a clear bag to keep the humidity level high during the rooting process.
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Jennifer Loucks has been writing since 1998. She previously worked as a technical writer for a software development company, creating software documentation, help documents and training curriculum. She now writes hobby-based articles on cooking, gardening, sewing and running. Loucks also trains for full marathons, half-marathons and shorter distance running. She holds a Bachelor of Science in animal science and business from University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
