How to Grow Forsythia

Take a cutting from a mature forsythia plant., Fill a small to medium pot with soil., Firmly insert the cutting into the soil., Moisten the soil., Keep the cutting in a warm, sunny location., Watch for signs of a failed rooting., Keep the forsythia...

13 Steps 2 min read Advanced

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Take a cutting from a mature forsythia plant.

    Most gardeners prefer growing forsythia from cuttings, rather than seed, because forsythia seed is much harder to work with.

    Look for new, pliable growth and snip off a section that is 3 to 6 inches (7.62 to
    15.24 cm) long.

    This growth can be found easiest during late spring or early summer., Use a well-drained soil blend, like one made with equal parts sterilized garden soil, peat moss, and compost., The bottom inch (2.5 cm) or so should be covered, just enough to keep the cutting upright without support. , The cutting will not take root if it is allowed to dry out.

    Keep the soil continually moistened by watering it with a watering can. , A south-facing window will usually suffice.

    The plants do best in full sun to light shade. , Forsythia cuttings are easy to root, but occasionally, something goes wrong to prevent the process from working.

    If the cutting appears to dry out or look rotted, you may have to start over.

    The bush should usually take root within a few weeks. , The best time to transplant forsythia is usually around late autumn or winter, when the plant is dormant.

    If the shrub threatens to get too large for its container beforehand, though, you can transplant it earlier.

    You can technically transplant forsythia during any time of the year, even though it does do best when transplanted during the dormant stage. , This shrub prefers full sun, but it can tolerate some light shade as long as it still receives more sun than shade. , Loosen it by chopping it up with a trowel or garden fork.

    Mix a little peat moss and compost into the garden bed to improve its ability to drain and to enrich it. , You do not want it to be much deeper than that, though, since planting the shrub deeper will cover up too much of the lower stems. , Tip the pot over to its slide and glide a trowel in between the soil and the side of the pot.

    Gently pull the shrub out of the pot, moving slowly to keep its roots and the soil it is sitting in intact. , Pack soil around the forsythia to fix it in place.
  2. Step 2: Fill a small to medium pot with soil.

  3. Step 3: Firmly insert the cutting into the soil.

  4. Step 4: Moisten the soil.

  5. Step 5: Keep the cutting in a warm

  6. Step 6: sunny location.

  7. Step 7: Watch for signs of a failed rooting.

  8. Step 8: Keep the forsythia in its pot until ready to transplant.

  9. Step 9: Choose a sunny spot in your garden.

  10. Step 10: Amend the soil.

  11. Step 11: Dig a hole that is roughly the same size as the pot.

  12. Step 12: Gently remove the forsythia from its pot.

  13. Step 13: Place the roots in the hole.

Detailed Guide

Most gardeners prefer growing forsythia from cuttings, rather than seed, because forsythia seed is much harder to work with.

Look for new, pliable growth and snip off a section that is 3 to 6 inches (7.62 to
15.24 cm) long.

This growth can be found easiest during late spring or early summer., Use a well-drained soil blend, like one made with equal parts sterilized garden soil, peat moss, and compost., The bottom inch (2.5 cm) or so should be covered, just enough to keep the cutting upright without support. , The cutting will not take root if it is allowed to dry out.

Keep the soil continually moistened by watering it with a watering can. , A south-facing window will usually suffice.

The plants do best in full sun to light shade. , Forsythia cuttings are easy to root, but occasionally, something goes wrong to prevent the process from working.

If the cutting appears to dry out or look rotted, you may have to start over.

The bush should usually take root within a few weeks. , The best time to transplant forsythia is usually around late autumn or winter, when the plant is dormant.

If the shrub threatens to get too large for its container beforehand, though, you can transplant it earlier.

You can technically transplant forsythia during any time of the year, even though it does do best when transplanted during the dormant stage. , This shrub prefers full sun, but it can tolerate some light shade as long as it still receives more sun than shade. , Loosen it by chopping it up with a trowel or garden fork.

Mix a little peat moss and compost into the garden bed to improve its ability to drain and to enrich it. , You do not want it to be much deeper than that, though, since planting the shrub deeper will cover up too much of the lower stems. , Tip the pot over to its slide and glide a trowel in between the soil and the side of the pot.

Gently pull the shrub out of the pot, moving slowly to keep its roots and the soil it is sitting in intact. , Pack soil around the forsythia to fix it in place.

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E

Emma Stewart

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