Nandina domestica, or sacred bamboo, is an ornamental bush valued for its compound foliage, colourful shoots, and evergreen berries in winter, which provide colour and structure to the garden all year round. Propagating a nandina domestica allows you to sustain your sacred bamboo or replace weakened plants. For more reliable and quicker results, two techniques are recommended: separating suckers and propagating by cuttings. Here’s how to propagate sacred bamboo!
How to propagate Nandina domestica?
Sowing sacred bamboo seeds, while possible, remains a lengthy and uncertain method. That’s why we recommend opting for more reliable techniques, such as cutting propagation or propagation by suckers — the latter being shoots that naturally grow from the roots of the parent plant, at a certain distance from the main stump. Once rooted, they can be easily harvested and replanted to form new specimens.
Propagating Nandina Domestica by Cuttings
Cutting propagation of semi-lignified stems is a method that is quite accessible with a bit of patience.
When?
Between mid-July and September, when the shoots begin to lignify at their base, meaning the lower part of the stems becomes more rigid and takes on a slightly woody texture, indicating that the tissues are starting to transform into wood.
How to take a cutting of sacred bamboo?
Necessary materials
- a well-sharpened pruning shear
- pots or buckets
- a bell jar, a plastic bag, or a mini greenhouse to cover the cuttings.
- potting soil for sowing and repotting
- optional: a rooting hormone
- Using the pruning shear, take stems 8 to 10 cm long from the lower shoots, whose base is semi-ripe (still flexible, but already somewhat woody).
- Remove the lower leaves, keeping only those at the upper end.
- Dip the base of the cuttings in the rooting hormone (optional).
- To root nandina cuttings, plant each cutting in a bucket filled with a moist mixture of river sand and potting soil.
- Keep covered (under a bell jar, plastic, or mini greenhouse), protected from frost, throughout the winter. Rooting is slow and can take several months.
- Keep the substrate slightly moist, without excess.
- Regularly ventilate to prevent mould.
- Keep the young plants in pots for two years before planting them out permanently in the ground.
By Separating Suckers
Separating suckers is a simple and quick method to propagate a healthy, mature Nandina. Here’s how to propagate sacred bamboo!
When?
In spring, when the plant is actively growing.
How to do it?
Necessary materials
- a spade or fork
- pots
- a special potting soil for sowing or cuttings
- a watering can
- Using a spade, carefully uncover the base of the plant to locate the shoots with roots.
- Separate these suckers, taking care to preserve as many roots as possible.
- Replant them immediately in pots, in a light mixture, and place them in partial shade, in a cool spot.
- Water regularly to keep the substrate slightly moist.
- Once well-rooted (usually after a few months), transplant them into the ground the following autumn.
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