The Latest Plum Tree Seedling Cultivation Techniques Tutorial

The plum is a deciduous tree of the genus Prunus in the rose family (Rosaceae), and is one of people's favorite fruits. It is cultivated in every province of China and around the world, and is one of the important temperate fruit trees. It has very strong adaptability to climate, and in production, division propagation, cuttings propagation and grafting propagation are commonly used. Let's take a look together at plum tree seedling cultivation techniques!

Plum Tree Division Propagation

The root suckers of the plum tree can be used for division propagation. Usually, soil is mounded around the root zone to promote the formation of adventitious buds on the horizontal roots. After the buds sprout and grow shoots, the root sucker seedlings are separated from the mother plant the following year to become independent small seedlings for transplanting.

Plum Tree Cuttings Propagation

1. Build the seedbed well: Set up a plastic shed (bamboo strips, wooden boards, or straw curtain materials can all be used) in a shady place, clean up the area inside the shed, and make a cuttings bed with fine river sand. Use a 0.5% potassium permanganate solution or a 500-part solution of 50% carbendazim, 70% thiophanate, or 58% mancozeb to strictly sterilize and disinfect the cuttings bed. The amount of spray should be just enough to moisten the surface of the sand bed. Keep the temperature inside the shed at 20°C to 28°C, and the relative humidity no lower than 70%. Since this is softwood cutting with leaves, natural scattered light must be allowed to shine into the shed to facilitate photosynthesis of the cuttings. The size of the shed depends on the number of seedlings to be raised. Generally, about 250 seedlings can be raised per sq m.

2. Collect cuttings: From disease-free areas, cut current-year leafy softwood shoots from healthy mother trees in full fruit period (for early spring cuttings, you can collect unbranched shoots from the previous year, with a thickness of about 0.7 cm being best) as cuttings, with a length of 10 cm to 20 cm, keeping 2 to 3 leaves or 3 to 5 half-leaves on the upper part. The varieties of the cut cuttings must not be mixed, and labels should be attached promptly. The cuttings should be semi-lignified and free of pests and diseases. Tie the collected cuttings into bundles of 50 to 100 each, and soak the base portion about 2 cm long in a 0.005% to 0.01% ABT rooting powder No. 1 solution or a 0.025% naphthaleneacetic acid solution for half an hour to 1 hour.

3. Cut in time: Use a knife to sharpen the base of the cuttings. Before cutting, first make holes in the cuttings bed with a small wooden stick, then insert the cuttings into the holes. The cutting depth is 5 to 8 cm, and the spacing between plants is 6 to 8 cm. Water immediately after cutting and promptly cover the shed to retain moisture.

4. Post-cutting management: After cutting, pay attention to the temperature inside the shed, the moisture of the bed surface, and ventilation and light conditions. If the temperature is high at noon, spray more cool water. Under the condition of ensuring the required temperature and humidity for the cuttings, the water content of the cuttings bed should be reduced as much as possible to prevent rot from excessive moisture. After 7 days, callus tissue begins to form; after 15 days, the cuttings begin to root. When the number of roots reaches more than 10 and the average root length reaches more than 5 cm, they can be transplanted.

Plum Tree Grafting Propagation

1. Rootstock selection: Transplant wild peach, plum, cherry and other tree stumps and, after they survive, cut or saw them off 6-10 cm above the ground (or according to tree shape) to serve as rootstock.

2. Scion selection: Select well-developed 1-year-old, robust, semi-lignified branches with plump buds and no pest damage as scion wood. Take segments about 7 cm long, keeping 5-7 buds as scions. Wrap the collected scions in a damp cloth and use them as you collect them.

3. Method selection: This is generally done before the rootstock buds sprout, or when they begin to sprout but have not yet unfolded leaves. The cleft grafting method is commonly used, mainly suitable for thicker rootstocks. This method is easy to master, and the graft union heals quickly and firmly, with a high survival rate.

4. Grafting method: Water the rootstock once the day before grafting. When grafting, trim the cut surface of the rootstock flat with a knife, then use a grafting knife or blade to make a straight cleft about 3 cm long. Cut the lower end of the prepared scion into a wedge-shaped cut surface about 3 cm long, with one side slightly thicker and the other thinner, keeping only 2-3 buds. Then insert the scion into the cleft with the slightly thicker side facing outward and the thinner side facing inward, aligning the cambium layers, and bind tightly and wrap completely with wide plastic strips. Bind the upper cut end of the scion tightly with plastic film to prevent water evaporation and pest damage. In dry and windy weather, a transparent plastic bag must be used, with a small cotton ball soaked with enough water placed inside, then cover the part above the graft union and tie the bag opening tightly.

5. Post-grafting management: Generally, cutting the rootstock promotes earlier sprouting than bending the rootstock. But in summer, when cutting the rootstock, be sure to cut it 3-5 cm away from the grafted bud, leaving a few leaves on the rootstock. After the grafted bud sprouts, then cut the rootstock 1 cm above the grafted bud. After cutting the rootstock, remove sprouts in time, completely removing all buds sprouting from the rootstock, leaving only the grafted bud. Water the seedlings timely in the later stage. At the end of September, when the grafted bud has grown to 70-100 cm, pinch off all growing tips and stop watering to promote thickening growth of the seedling, making it mature, so as to improve the seedling's overwintering ability.