The Egyptian papyrus was one of the plants most used by the ancient Egyptians to make their paper. In it they wrote from poems to the taxes they had to pay. It grows on both sides of the Nile River, which was and is today their source of life, thanks to which they can cultivate.
If you want to enjoy a plant with history in various corners of your garden, keep reading as we are going to explain step by step how to reproduce papyrus.
The Egyptian papyrus, scientifically known by the name of Cyperus papyrusIt is native to northeast Africa, although today it can be found in all the hot climates of the world. It grows to a height of 2-3m, at a very fast pace (each year, it can take several stems always a little higher than the previous ones). He likes to have his “feet wet” permanently, so it is ideal to put near ponds or in large pots without holes.
To reproduce it, you can choose to do two things: divide the stems, or bury the leaves of one. This is a plant that produces seeds, but it is not always easy to find them and, when they are obtained, it is usually difficult for them to germinate. Dividing the stalks or burying one are the two most effective ways to get a new papyrus. Let’s see how to do it.
Stem division
To proceed to divide it, it is important to know that the Egyptian papyrus is a tubercular plant, that is, the stems sprout from tubers that are underground.
To separate it, the ideal would be to extract the plant from the pot and with a small saw cut the root ball in half (vertically). If we have it in the pond, I recommend you remove a little of the earth around it, and with a small hand saw, make a deep cut and remove the stem to later plant it in another place in the garden or in a pot.
Burying the leaves of a stem
If you don’t want to complicate it, then all you have to do is take a stem and bury its leaves. In a very few days new papyri will begin to sprout.
Both one method and another can be done at any time of the yearthe most suitable being spring or summer.
Egyptian papyrus is a very interesting plant, don’t you think?
