The oleander is one of the most popular potted plants for the terrace or balcony. The reason for this is that it gives any outdoor area a touch of Mediterranean flair in summer and also produces beautiful flowers in different colors. No matter whether as an accent in the form of a solitary plant or in a combination of several varieties to nicely frame the seating area - the shrub is definitely a great choice and even without complicated care measures. Would you like to add a few pieces to your collection? How about propagating the oleander yourself instead of buying new ones? We would like to explain to you how this works.
Which methods are suitable for propagating the plant?
As with most plants, the choice is yours. You can't just oleandergrow from seeds, but also use cuttings or offshoots or simply divide the adult plant to raise new plants. We will introduce each of these methods to you below and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each as well as how to proceed step by step.
Oleanders propagate by seeds
Some people prefer to remove the spent flowers in order to preserve the beautiful appearance of the shrub. However, if you omit this step, pods will develop on the oleander in which tooSeeds ripen. You can then use these for propagation. The ideal time is spring, but you can also try it at other times.
- Once the seeds are ripe (the pods then open on their own), you can cut off the oleander seed pods and remove the seeds.
- After you cut off the oleander seeds, let them soak and swell in warm water.
- Plant them in potting soil and keep it moist. To prevent drying out, you can also stretch cling film over the container.
However, keep in mind that bushes these days are hybrids and therefore the new plant might be different from the mother plant. In addition, it will take a while for it to produce its first flowers, up to three years. Germination occurs quite quickly after a few weeks.
Oleanders propagate through cuttings/offshoots
Regular pruning is necessary to maintain the shrub's bushy shape. And if you're already cutting the oleander anyway, you can use the cut parts straight awayuse for propagation. The time between April and May is ideal if you propagate oleander through cuttings, but if necessary you can also choose another time. Are all branches suitable for this purpose or just the woody ones?
The younger branches are also ideal. It is more important that the parts used are long enough (around 30 centimeters) and have no buds. Leave a few of the leaves at the top and remove only the bottom ones (leaves will rot over time and ruin your cuttings). Now use the prepared cuttings as follows:
- Place them in a glass of water and then place it in a warm place. If you wish, you can wrap the glass with an opaque material to prevent algae from forming in the water. Aluminum foil, cardboard or something similar is ideal for this purpose. After a few weeks, the cutting should form roots, which you can then let grow well before planting the young plant in a pot with soil.
- The cuttings can also be stuck directly into soil. But then make sure that the soil is always moist to promote root formation.
This method is simple and takes little time, which is why it is one of the preferred ones.
Tipp:If you stick the cuttings directly into soil, you can also use willow water to promote root formation. To do this, chop up green willow branches and boil them for about 5 minutes (using just enough water to barely cover the pieces). Now let the resulting brew steep for about 24 hours, after which you can use it as water for the cuttings to keep the soil always moist.
Divide the plant
This is also possible for large plantseasy to share– make 2 out of 1, so to speak. However, before you decide on this method, take a good look at your plant first. Would you ruin their beautiful appearance and growth habit too much by dividing them? Each new plant part should also have several shoots available, but you should shorten some of them. This is necessary so that the plant does not have to support too many leaves and shoots and can instead form enough new roots. Once you have divided the root ball, plant the two new plants in pots and care for them as usual.
The advantage is that with this method you get two plants that are already large and you don't have to wait years until they are big enough to produce flowers. After a relatively short recovery period, each “new” plant will delight you with beautiful greenery and flowers.
