Detailed Guide to the Propagation Methods and Pruning Techniques of the Radermachera sinica

Radermachera sinica, a very auspicious and lucky name, makes people unable to resist wanting to grow it at home. Radermachera sinica is relatively common in daily life, and many people like to grow it at home, because Radermachera sinica not only has a good meaning, but also has a beautiful plant shape, making it especially suitable for placement at home for appreciation. So do you know how Radermachera sinica should be propagated and pruned?

Propagation Methods of Radermachera sinica

1. Cutting propagation

Choose 1-2 year old woody branches, about 15-20 cm long, cut off all the leaves, and keep the distance between the cut and the stem node at about 0.5 cm. Insert the cut branches directly into sandy soil, with a depth of 1/3 or 1/2 of the branch. If too shallow, the branch will not be fixed and it will be difficult to take root.

2. Seed propagation

In early March, buy plump, dry seeds. Soak the seeds in water for 3-4 hours, then remove and dry them. The seed coat of Radermachera sinica is not very hard, so do not soak for too long, to avoid the seeds rotting from soaking in water.

Sow the treated seeds evenly in the soil, keeping a certain distance between each one, and cover with a thin layer of soil. Then cover the flower pot with a protective film to ensure sufficient humidity for seed germination. After the seeds germinate, remove the film and provide appropriate shading. When 4-5 leaves have grown, they can be planted in pots.

3. Layering propagation

Choose two-year-old branches, and perform girdling at the lower end of the branch, with the girdling width 2-3 times the diameter.

Then wrap the girdled area with mud, squeezing it into a soil ball with a diameter of 8-10 cm. Then wrap the soil ball with plastic film, leaving a small opening at the top for convenient watering. Then tie the girdled branch against a thick branch to fix it, so as to prevent the branch from breaking and affecting growth.

After three seasons, by autumn, a relatively complete root system will grow at the girdled area. At this time, it can be cut off and planted separately in a pot.

How to Prune Radermachera sinica

1. Pinching

Pinching, as the name suggests, is to pinch off the top shoot at the top of the main stem or side branch of Radermachera sinica with your hands, or cut it off with a sharp tool. The reason for doing this is actually to prevent the branch from growing excessively and to encourage the branch to sprout and produce new shoots at the lower end. Therefore, pinching is also called topping or removing the tip.

2. Heading back

Heading back is to cut off the entire upper part of the plant. Generally speaking, this pruning method is aimed at those large flowering plants, because large flowering plants grow too tall and are inconvenient to grow at home, so they need to be pruned by heading back. The same is true for Radermachera sinica. If the Radermachera sinica at home grows too tall, then be decisive and head it back!

3. Thinning

Thinning is actually cutting off overly dense branches, removing excessive leaves, and pinching off excessive flowers when the plant grows too dense. To be honest, the pruning of Radermachera sinica is mainly on overly dense branches and leaves. If the branches of Radermachera sinica are too dense, it will itself affect its ornamental value and also affect the ventilation conditions of Radermachera sinica. When thinning, follow the direction in which the branches extend, and keep the density moderate.

How to Repot Radermachera sinica

First, before repotting, give Radermachera sinica enough water to fix the potting soil, making it convenient to separate the tree from the pot. Then take the tree out together with the soil, transplant it into another large pot prepared in advance, and then fill and cover the surrounding area with soil.

Second, water it for the first time after repotting, and be sure to water thoroughly. For the soil after repotting, be careful to use loose soil rich in organic matter, that is, soil mixed and prepared from garden soil, leaf mold, decomposed organic fertilizer, and river sand, and the soil should also have good drainage.

After that, place the repotted Radermachera sinica in a cool place for about 4 days, giving about one hour of light each day. Wait until the branches and leaves stretch out and open, then carry out normal care work.

Finally, during the growth period, remove the yellowed leaves to ensure the growth of healthy leaves. You can also cut off new shoots to promote faster growth.

If the leaves turn yellow severely, you can dig out the roots and expose them, then dilute potassium permanganate and sprinkle it on the roots.

Precautions for the Care of Radermachera sinica

1. Avoid frost injury. Summer and winter are the hardest seasons for Radermachera sinica. If it is not hot, then it is cold. Heat is still okay, but once it is cold, the plant is very likely to suffer frost injury. Therefore, after winter begins, promptly move Radermachera sinica indoors for care, and keep the temperature above 10°C. If the insulation measures are improper and the temperature remains below 5°C for a long time, cold damage may occur and lead to leaf drop.

2. Pests and diseases. Radermachera sinica is afraid of freezing in winter and stuffiness in summer. A stuffy, hot environment can easily lead to various pests and diseases. Preventive measures should be taken promptly. Once small insects are found on the leaves, immediately spray pesticide and strengthen ventilation. If leaves turn yellow and fall off, promptly clean up the yellowed leaves and spray a fungicide.

As mentioned above, although Radermachera sinica is a foliage plant, it will actually also bloom! However, it does not bloom at a fixed time. This mainly depends on how well you care for it. If cared for well, it will bloom; if not cared for well, the possibility of blooming is very