Detailed Guide to the Latest Grafting Techniques and Methods for Shatang Mandarin

The best harvest time for Shatang mandarin is after October each year, which is why it is also called the October mandarin. The main producing areas of Shatang mandarin are located in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions of our country. Its flavor is fresh and fragrant, and it is rich in vitamins, fructose and other nutrients as well as some elements essential to the human body. It is a fruit that is both delicious and highly nutritious. Usually when we grow Shatang mandarin, we use grafting. Although Shatang mandarin can also mature without grafting, grafted Shatang mandarin will flower and bear fruit earlier, and the fruit is also more stable. So how should Shatang mandarin be grafted? Below, Qinong Net will introduce the grafting techniques for Shatang mandarin.

Usually when we graft Shatang mandarin, the methods we use are mainly single-bud cut grafting and single-bud side grafting. Qinong Net also focuses on introducing these two methods here. Among them, cut grafting can usually only be carried out in spring, while side grafting has no specific seasonal restriction and can be carried out in any season of the year.

1. Single-bud cut grafting

1. Cutting the scion

For the scion, autumn shoots with relatively good growth are usually selected. When cutting the scion, first place the wider side of the branch downward, cut off 1 to 2 plump buds near the branch portion, then choose a relatively plump bud, make a diagonal cut about 1 cm below it at an angle of 45°, then turn it over with the wider end of the branch facing upward, and starting from a position about 0.3 cm below the selected bud eye, cut forward through the epidermal layer. Note that the cut surface must be flat and smooth, and must not carry woody layers with epidermis. Finally, turn the scion sideways with the bud point facing upward, cut it off 0.2 cm above the bud eye, and place it in clean water to prepare for grafting.

2. Cutting the rootstock

The selected rootstock should only be grafted when its diameter reaches 0.8 cm. Cut the rootstock off at 5-10 cm from the ground, and the cut position should preferably be chosen on a relatively smooth part. Then make a diagonal cut on the cut surface at an angle of 30° to 45° to the cut surface. On the lower side of the cut surface, at the junction between the epidermal layer and the xylem, make a vertical cut downward. The cut surface should also remain flat and smooth, and its length should be determined according to the scion made above, usually slightly shorter than the bud.

3. Grafting

When grafting, choose a rootstock and scion whose cut surfaces match relatively well in size and length. Place the scion into the bark layer cut open on the rootstock, and the cambium of the scion must be aligned with the cambium of the rootstock. If the cut surfaces of the rootstock and scion do not match in size, grafting can still be done, but at least one layer of the scion's grafted bud must be pressed tightly against the cambium of the rootstock, and the cut openings of the scion and rootstock must also be pressed tightly together.

2. Single-bud side grafting

Compared with single-bud cut grafting, single-bud side grafting is simpler to perform, is not restricted by time, and has a higher survival rate. Moreover, even if one grafting fails, the side grafting method can still be used to supplement grafting 1 to 2 times. The method of cutting the scion is roughly the same as that for single-bud cut grafting, and if it is cut into a through-head bud, it is even easier to press tightly against the rootstock. The rootstock is also cut at 5-10 cm from the ground. Use a grafting knife to gently push downward along the bark layer for 2 cm, with the depth reaching exactly the cambium, and slightly exposing a little white is best. The cut surface is likewise required to be smooth and flat. Cut off a little more than half of the removed bark, place the grafted bud into the opening, match cut surface to cut surface, and finally secure it with string or plastic film.

The above is the introduction to Shatang mandarin grafting techniques prepared for everyone by Qinong Net. As Qinong Net has already introduced above, grafting of Shatang mandarin has a certain beneficial effect on its flowering and fruiting, and the yield after grafting is also related to some extent to the quality of the rootstock. In our country, red tangerine, sour tangerine and the like are usually used as rootstock. Shatang mandarin grown this way bears early and has a large yield, which is more conducive to improving the economic benefits of growers.