A Detailed Guide to Waxberry Grafting Time and Grafting Methods
Waxberry (Chinese bayberry) is a sweet-and-sour fruit that begins to ripen and reach the market every May and June, and is deeply loved by consumers. There are many varieties of waxberry, and the varieties grown in different regions vary according to local geographical conditions and climate. To help waxberry set more fruit and grow well, grafting is often used. Let's take a look below at the grafting time and methods for waxberry.
I. Grafting time for waxberry
The suitable time for grafting waxberry is before spring budding, generally from early February to late March. The climate during this period is relatively suitable, and after the graft takes, it can immediately sprout and grow.
The grafting time should not be later than around Qingming Festival at the latest. If grafting is done too late, the sap flow in the waxberry tree will be relatively greater, and too much liquid will flow out during grafting, thereby affecting the survival rate of the graft. Now that we know when to graft waxberry trees, the grafting methods for waxberry trees certainly cannot be left out.
II. Grafting methods for waxberry
1. Rootstock management
After the seedlings emerge, management should be frequent, with timely water supplementation to promote the growth of sprouting seedlings. To make the seedlings sturdy, begin watering with dilute liquid fertilizer (decomposed human and livestock manure and urine) when the seedlings are 3cm tall, applying once a month, and carry out weed control, pest and disease prevention, and other work well. When the base of the seedlings begins to lignify and the seedlings are about 6-10cm tall, they can be transplanted.
2. Selection of rootstock and scion
Cultivate healthy and sturdy rootstock, with a rootstock diameter of about 1cm being most suitable. Determine good mother trees, and select from superior individual trees in full fruiting stage the middle section of last year's spring shoot (free of pests and diseases, with plump buds) as scion. It is best to collect and graft immediately; if grafting cannot be finished on the same day, wrap the scion in a wet cloth or store it in sand to keep it fresh.
3. Grafting methods
① Grafting in place, cutting the root system. Often used for 2-3 year old rootstock; after grafting, make deep cuts on both sides of the rootstock cultivation bed to cut part of the main and lateral roots.
② Grafting at a different site. Before grafting, dig up the rootstock, prune part of the main and lateral branches, replant it in another place, and then graft.
③ Indoor grafting. Dig up the rootstock and carry out grafting indoors; used for 2-3 year old rootstock, or large 3-4 year old rootstock dug from the wild, then heeled in or planted directly at the final planting site after grafting.
④ Branch-retaining grafting. First plant the rootstock in place, then graft in place; used more often for large rootstock. That is, graft on the main branch and retain another branch as a "water-pulling branch" to attract water flow toward that branch, slowing the growth vigor of the grafted part and thereby increasing the graft survival rate.
3. Post-grafting management. New shoots sprouting below the graft union should be removed in time. For young shoots sprouting from the scion, keep the strong and remove the weak, retaining 2-3 buds for growth and removing the rest. When the new shoots lignify, apply decomposed human manure and urine once, then apply again after one month, following the principle of light fertilizer applied frequently. During the new shoot growth period, control pests and diseases in time, and timely use 70% thiophanate-methyl 800-fold solution to control anthracnose, yellow caterpillar, and so on.