When does wintersweet bloom and drop its leaves, and how is it transplanted? Is keeping it indoors and grafting it feasible?

Wintersweet, also known as golden plum, wintersweet, wax flower, wintersweet flower, wax wood, mamu purple, stone cold tea, Tang plum, fragrant plum, is a deciduous shrub, often growing in clusters. So when does it generally bloom, drop its leaves, and get transplanted? Is it suitable for keeping indoors? Can it be grafted? According to Calycanthaceae data, wintersweet blooms before spring, being the first among all flowers; especially the Tiger Hoof wintersweet, which opens its flowers in the tenth lunar month, hence it is called early plum. When deep winter arrives and all other flowers have vanished, only wintersweet breaks through, blooming alone in the snow”. At this time, wintersweet everywhere also blooms in competition. The golden, translucent wintersweet attracts countless visitors to brave the severe cold to see it. Because wintersweet resembles plum blossom and its flowering period is close to that of plum blossom, many people also regard wintersweet as plum blossom. The flowering time of wintersweet is from December to March.

When does wintersweet generally drop its leaves and get transplanted?

Leaf drop:

Wintersweet is a deciduous shrub, and it flowers before it leafs out. The flowering period of wintersweet is from November to March of the following year, and the leafing time is in early spring. Due to the influence of various factors such as region, climate, and growing environment, the specific time of sprouting and leafing varies. In mid-to-late February, wintersweet trees can already be seen leafing out, but quite a few also delay until March before leaves sprout. The general growth sequence of wintersweet is flower, leaf, fruit; but flower, fruit, leaf can also be seen.

Transplanting:

Wintersweet is mostly transplanted in winter and spring, and the roots of the seedlings must be kept with a soil ball. Before planting, apply sufficient base fertilizer such as manure, barnyard manure, or decomposed bean cake in the planting hole. After applying the base fertilizer, cover it with a thin layer of soil to separate it, then place the seedling and fill in soil. After planting, water promptly and prune appropriately. For ground-planted wintersweet, management can be somewhat extensive. Generally from June to September each year, apply liquid fertilizer once every 20 days (bone meal and bean cake can be soaked in water and applied after full decomposition), which ensures good development of branches, leaves, and flower buds. Water once before early winter, apply fertilizer once after the flowers fade, and water once; usually no watering is needed, and water only moderately when the weather is too dry.

Wintersweet has strong sprouting ability, so it should be pruned promptly after flowering. Generally, cut off the part of the flowering branch above 20 cm, and shorten the elongated branches of the previous year, keeping 1-2 pairs of buds. This concentrates nutrients on sending out new branches and creates favorable conditions for producing brightly colored, large flowers the following year.

Is wintersweet suitable for keeping indoors?

1. Wintersweet likes sunlight, tolerates shade, cold, and drought, and is best placed in a wind-sheltered, sunny spot. In winter it is generally not easy to keep alive; if it is a grafted seedling that already has flowers, it will generally open quickly, but it is also most likely to die after blooming, so it is best to grow it in early spring.

2. Plum blossoms in a greenhouse are not very easy to keep alive, but potted ones in winter should be moved indoors when the temperature is below 1°C. Online sellers generally give you 5-year-old seedlings from division, which need careful care to grow well.

3. The mother plant generally needs 4-5 years before it can be divided. In winter it is best not to water too much, just keep the soil from drying out; in summer, water more. Generally, it can bloom around the Spring Festival, and the temperature required for flowering is below 10 degrees. The fragrance of plum blossom comes from the bitter cold; besides temperature, sunlight is essential. Only with sufficient sunlight and enough cold can people appreciate the noble spirit of wintersweet defying frost and snow.

Can wintersweet be grafted?

Wintersweet propagation is generally mainly by grafting, and division, sowing, cuttings, and layering are also possible. Grafting is mainly by cut grafting, and approach grafting and bud grafting can also be used. Cut grafting is mostly carried out from March to April; grafting is easiest to succeed when the leaf buds swell to the size of a wheat grain. Generally, dog-tooth wintersweet is used as the rootstock, and superior varieties such as Suxin wintersweet and Xinkou wintersweet are used as scions.

Bud grafting propagation is best done from late May to late June. For wintersweet bud grafting, dormant buds on first-year growth branches must be selected; their survival rate is higher than that of new buds on current-year branches, and the “V”-shaped grafting method can be used.