Detailed Guide to Peony Bud Grafting Methods and Timing Selection
The peony is native to the mountainous areas of the Qinling and Daba Mountains in western China. It is a perennial deciduous small shrub with slow growth and a small plant form. The peony is a precious woody flower unique to our country, long known by the laudatory titles "national beauty and heavenly fragrance" and "king of flowers," and has long been regarded by people as a symbol of wealth, good fortune, and prosperity. Luoyang peonies and Heze peonies are the most famous. The root bark of the peony is used as medicine, called “Danpi,” and it can be grown as a bonsai plant for ornamental viewing. The flowers come in many colors, including pink, red, white, and so on; among pinks, Fenzhongguan is relatively famous, and among whites, Jingyu is relatively famous.
Grafting Time
Bud grafting should be carried out from May to June after the flowers fade, and branch grafting should be carried out around White Dew in autumn. If the temperature is too high, it can be slightly delayed to avoid autumn growth; if the temperature is low, it can be appropriately advanced to avoid poor healing. Rootstock and scion: For the rootstock, an inferior peony variety or wild peony with strong growth vigor, thick and tall branches and trunk, and no pests or diseases can be used. For the scion, one-year-old branches and buds of excellent varieties can be selected. For bud grafting, axillary buds that are robust and plump must be selected; for branch grafting, fully developed branches should be selected, 6 cm to 10 cm long, used immediately after collection.
Grafting Methods
For bud grafting, choose noon on a sunny day. On the upper part of the plant used as rootstock, select a spot with an axillary bud, use a grafting knife to cut around the bud, with a depth of 0.5 cm to 0.8 cm, cutting to the xylem, keeping the woody handle, and slowly remove the axillary bud. In the same way, take a similarly sized axillary bud from the scion plant, place it into the axillary recess of the rootstock, bind it tightly with plastic tying wire, and then seal it tightly with plastic drip film. To improve the survival rate, multiple buds can be grafted on one branch at the same time. For branch grafting, choose a relatively thick branch or trunk as the rootstock, cut the top flat, and split it vertically from the middle, about 2 cm long. Take the scion from an excellent variety, cut the lower end of the bud into a wedge shape with one side slightly thicker and the other slightly thinner, with a cut surface of about 2 cm, insert the scion into the rootstock incision so that the cambium layers of the two are aligned, wrap the joint tightly from top to bottom with a wide-band rope, and seal the incision with wax.
Post-Grafting Care
One month before grafting, apply a compound fertilizer once to both the peony used as rootstock and the peony used as scion, and water the pot. Wait until it is completely dry before grafting. After grafting, attention should be paid to shading and protection from wind and rain, attention should be paid to pest and disease control, and attention should be paid to freeze protection in winter. After sprouting the following year, remove the binding material and return to normal management.