Aronias are bushes native to North America, prized for their edible black or red berries with a blackcurrant flavour. They are particularly rich in antioxidants and vitamins. Aronias also offer lovely white flowers in spring. Their deciduous leaves turn beautiful orange-red hues in autumn before falling. They form bushes ranging from 50 cm to 3 m in height, depending on the species and variety. In the garden, they thrive in partial shade or non-scorching sun, in fresh, slightly acidic soil. Perfectly hardy, they can withstand winter temperatures of around -30 to -35°C. In this tutorial, we explain how to easily propagate them by propagation by cuttings, division or sowing!

1 - Propagating Aronia by cuttings

When and how to take cuttings from Aronia?

Aronia cuttings are taken in June (herbaceous cuttings) or September-October (semi-hardwood cuttings):

  • Using secateurs, take a healthy shoot about 10 cm long from the Aronia
  • Remove the leaves from the lower part of the stem, leaving only a few at the tip.
  • Prepare a pot by filling it with a light, well-draining substrate, such as a mix of compost and coarse sand, or special sowing and cutting compost.
  • Water the compost to moisten it.
  • Make a hole in the substrate with a pencil.
  • You can dip the base of the stem in plant hormone for cuttings.
  • Plant the stem in the hole, then firm the compost around it to ensure good contact between the cutting and the compost.
  • Optionally place the top of a plastic bottle over the cutting to create a confined, humidity-saturated atmosphere (closed cutting). Be careful that the stem and leaves do not touch the walls of the bottle. You will then need to ventilate regularly to prevent the cutting from rotting. You can also use a mini greenhouse.
  • Place the pot in a bright spot but out of direct sunlight.
  • Remember to water regularly: the substrate should remain slightly moist until the cutting takes root.
How to take cuttings from Aronia

Required materials

2 - Dividing Aronia

Aronia tends to spread gradually by producing suckers (new shoots that develop on a root). It is therefore possible to take these suckers to propagate the plant.

When and how to divide Aronia?

You can take suckers in autumn, in October-November.

  • Choose a sucker next to the original plant that is at least 20 cm tall
  • Push a spade all around it, then lift it out of the soil.
  • Using secateurs, cut the rootstock connecting the sucker to the mother plant.
  • Prepare a planting hole, or a pot with compost, to receive the sucker.
  • Plant it immediately, either in a pot or in the ground.
  • Fill in by adding more compost, then firm lightly.
  • Water generously.

Required materials

  • A spade
  • Secateurs
  • A pot and compost, if you wish to plant the sucker in a pot
How to divide Aronia
To divide Aronia, dig up suckers around the mother plant in autumn

3 - Sowing Aronia

When and how to sow Aronia?

Harvest the fruits in autumn, then separate the seeds from the pulp. To germinate, the seeds need to be stratified, meaning they need a period of cold to break dormancy (this corresponds to winter). Place them in the refrigerator for at least three months.

Sow Aronia in spring, around April.

  • Prepare pots by filling them with a mix of compost and coarse sand, or special sowing compost.
  • Firm lightly and level the surface.
  • Place the seeds on the surface.
  • Cover them with compost. They should be buried about 1 cm deep.
  • Water gently with a fine spray.
  • Place the pot under cover, in a bright spot out of direct sunlight.
  • Remember to water regularly: the substrate should remain slightly moist until germination, but not overly wet.
  • All that's left is to wait: Aronia seeds germinate in two to three months.
How to sow Aronia seeds
To sow Aronia, collect the seeds from the berries, then place them in the refrigerator before sowing in spring

Required materials

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