Editing Schisandra chinensis (section)

== Propagation ==

Seed is the ordinary route, and it needs a cyclic rather than a single chilling treatment. The Moldovan trials used three-phase stratification — about 30 days at 18–20 °C, then 30 days at 3–5 °C, then about 60 days at 8–10 °C — before spring sowing, giving 80–90% germination; about 1000 seeds weigh 25 g. <sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup> Ukrainian seed work at the M. M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden found spring sowing of stratified seed (about 65% germination) and autumn sowing of freshly harvested seed (about 63%) both effective, and that dark storage at about +4 °C limited oxidative loss and preserved germination, whereas ten months of storage measurably reduced seed fats and proteins. <sup id="cite_ref-6">[[#cite_note-6|[6]]]</sup> Seedlings of this woody vine are slow: seed-grown plants begin to fruit at about 4–5 years. <sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup>

Because seedlings can lose or change maternal traits, vegetative propagation is the way to keep a named selection. <sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup> Semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings taken in late June to early July from young plants (12–15 cm, 2–3 nodes) rooted well in sand or a 1:1 sand–peat mix under at least 24% mist after treatment with 0.005% IBA for 16 hours or 0.01% IAA for 5 hours; hardwood cuttings taken in February–March were held in sand or sawdust until frost danger passed. <sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup> Layering and division are also used. <sup>[[#cite_note-3|[3]]]</sup> Results conflict across conditions, which a grower should expect: a Chinese micropropagation study states that conventional cuttings fail to form adventitious roots and therefore develops a somatic-embryogenesis route, with about 90% of regenerated plantlets surviving hardening. <sup>[[#cite_note-7|[7]]]</sup> Practical grower reports add that root pieces can sprout: root cuttings of 'Eastern Prince' produced shoots within about eight days in one trial, and air-layering is discussed as a reliable technique. <sup id="cite_ref-9">[[#cite_note-9|[9]]]</sup><sup>[[#cite_note-8|[8]]]</sup>