If you have a hydrangeas plant and want more plants like it. Then stem cutting propagation will be the best option. And if you only have seeds and want to grow hydrangeas from seeds, you are at the right place. Because today I am going to explain hydrangeas seed propagation.
I want to make it clear that growing hydrangeas from seeds take lots of time and effort. There are many things that lead to failure. Every single step is well explained in this guide so keep reading.
First, we will start with the harvesting of seeds and then proceed to the germination process.
How to harvest hydrangea seeds?
The first step of propagating hydrangeas from seeds is harvesting some high-quality seeds. Hydrangeas seeds are very small in size and you have to harvest them carefully.
The plant flowers produce these tiny seeds. No doubt the flowers grow in cluster form and look bigger. But the seeds they produce are tiny seeds roughly the size of a crushed black pepper.
To harvest seeds, let the Hydrangea flowers on the stems for some extra days. When the flowers become fade and dry then remove them from the plant. Use a paper bag to collect all the matured and faded flowers. Let the flowers in the same bag until they dry completely.
After that shake the bag so that the seeds can easily come out from the florets. Then take a white paper and empty the seed bag on it. The white paper will help you to easily see the tiny seeds.
Collect all the healthy seeds do not wash or do any fancy stuff. Simply collect them in aplastic bag. The next process is germinating the hydrangea seeds.
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How to germinate hydrangea seeds?
Germination is the process where we put new life in the seeds. It is a simple process all you have to do is follow the below steps and Propagate hydrangeas from seeds.
You can germinate hydrangea seeds right after you harvest them. But this will not be a good idea. Because germination needs warm weather. In winter most of your seeds will not germinate due to cold weather. Yes, there are options like seedling heat mats that you can use under the germinating tray.
But these methods are for experienced people. If you are germinating seeds for the first time then you should start in the early days of spring. Once you gain some experience then you can use germinating heat mats.
Germinating steps for hydrangea seeds propagation
- The first thing you need to do is buy a seed starting tray online.
- Fill the cells of the tray with potting soil or Rockwool. You can also use your own growing medium.
- Then sprinkle hydrangea seeds over the growing medium, do not sow them.
- Give some water to add moisture to the growing medium.
- Put the seed starting tray in a warm and humid place.
- Do not expose it to direct sunlight.
- After every 3 days lift one corner of the tray for 3 minutes for fresh airflow.
- Every seed starting tray comes with the instruction. Read them carefully before use.
The seeds will take almost 17 to 20 days to fully germinate. You will see the tiny shoots coming out of the seeds. Once you see them remove the tray cover and let them grow bigger.
Keep the growing medium moist and do not fertilize the tiny plants. Take care of their light needs. Once they become healthy seedlings then you can transfer them to the plant pot. After that follow the general hydrangeas growing routine.
In the initial stage of their growth indirect bright light is sufficient. Otherwise, the highly intense sun rays can damage the soft-growing plants.
Roughly it will take near about 15 months to grow a healthy hydrangea from seeds. After that, you can transfer the plant to your outdoor garden or in the backyard.
Again, choose a place that is bright enough to full fill the hydrangea light needs. Do not grow them in shade or under the shadow of large trees.
Hydrangea seed propagation positives and negatives
Mainly people grow hydrangea from seeds because they want new cultivars. They do not want to copy their old hydrangeas qualities. Some plants produce more colorful flowers than others. Hydrangeas have many varieties.
Each of the varieties is a little different from the others. The size of the flower cluster, height, and spread depend on the hydrangea variety.
Before buying check the variety of seeds and their germination time. hybrid seeds have a shorter germinating time.
Positives
You can grow hydrangea from seeds in fall or spring. Whereas for stem propagation you have to wait for the spring season only. Because at this time of the year the plants develop strong immunity and stems. Strong stems are required for successful propagation.
You can grow different types of hydrangeas from different seed varieties.
You will learn the seed germination technique. This will level up your gardening skills.
Growing from seeds brings new challenges and makes you strong.
You will have different color plants in your garden.
Negatives
It takes lots of time to grow a plant from its seeds.
Germination is a technique that needs time to master
In most cases, the germination of seeds gets failed due to weather changes.
Stem propagation will reduce the blooming time.
With stem propagation, you know the quality of your plants. But in seed propagation, this is not possible. Moreover, stem propagation is easy and has a 98 % success rate. Stem propagation of hydrangea is easy to compare to seed propagation of hydrangea.
Conclusion
Hydrangea propagation from seeds takes time. If you are okay with this, go and get some quality hydrangea seeds. Hybrid seeds are another good option to increase success.
Take care of the light, water, temperature, and humidity when germinating seeds. All these factors directly affect the germination success rate.
Always use a seed starting tray to grow plants from seeds. These trays are specially made for germination.
This is all about the propagation of hydrangea from seeds. If you like this article, give us a comment. You can also share your propagation story with our readers.
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Very informational!! Explained in detail, anyone should be able to understand it.