Invaluable for providing evergreen structure, colour and shelter in the garden, many conifers can be easily propagated in various ways, most often by seed and cuttings
Sowing seed
Many kinds of conifers, such as Pinus, are raised from seed because their stems contain so much resin that cuttings fail to root successfully.
Cones should be collected at the point of opening and stored in a cool, dry room. The seeds are best sown in the following March. Scatter the seeds thinly into a prepared seedbed and protect from birds and mice. Resulting seedlings should remain for about two years in the seedbed and can then be transplanted or containerised.
Taking cuttings
Where you remove cutting material from the parent plant will generally determine the way the resulting plants grow. Cuttings from upright growth will produce an upright plant. If sideshoots are used, a low spreading plant will be formed. Take semi-ripe cuttings of conifers using the current-season’s growth in summer. The size of the cuttings may vary, but in general, aim for 15cm (6in). Remove the lower 3cm (1in) of foliage. It appears there is no difference in rooting conifers with or without a heel of older wood on the cutting. Dip prepared cuttings into a hormone rooting powder.
Conifer cuttings need an open, free-draining compost; they will not thrive in wet conditions. A mixture of three parts grit or perlite to one part peat or peat substitute is suitable.
Place into cold frames, polythene tunnels or a heated propagator capable of maintaining bottom heat at 20°C (78°F).
Aftercare
Cuttings should not be allowed to dry out or to get too wet. In hot sunny weather shading should be applied. Remove any dead or diseased material. Pot up and fully harden-off before placing outdoors or planting out.
Grafting
Grafting can be used to propagate conifers, but is generally only done by commercial businesses with skilled grafters.
Sarah Durrant