How to Propagate a Banyan Tree? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Banyan Propagation Methods
The banyan tree is also known as the small-leaved fig, evergreen, banyan aerial root, etc. It can be used as a street tree; its bark fiber can be made into fishing nets and rayon; its aerial roots, bark and leaf buds are used as a heat-clearing and exterior-releasing medicine. Common propagation methods include cuttings, layering and burying of stems, etc. In northern greenhouses it is mostly done between late summer and autumn and in combination with shaping and pruning, with occasional seed propagation or wild collection and other methods. Let's take a look at these propagation methods for the banyan tree below!
Cuttings propagation
After the temperature warms up in spring, cut 1-2 year old branches into 5-15 cm long sections, each containing 3-4 nodes, remove the lower leaves and keep 1 leaf at the top. If the leaf is large, roll it into a tube and tie it tightly with fine string. Insert the cuttings into a sand bed or flower pot to a depth of 1/3 of the cutting. After inserting, cover with plastic film to retain moisture and warmth, keeping the temperature at around 25°C. After 30-45 days roots and shoots form, and they can be transplanted into pots; treating with ABT No. 1 rooting powder before inserting the cuttings can promote rooting.
Layering propagation
Banyan trees grown at home can be propagated by layering or air layering. Bury part of a branch in the soil, firm it down and water it, and roots usually form in about 30 days. For air layering, choose a 2 year old branch and ring-bark a smooth part of the branch, with a bark removal width of 1.0-1.5 cm; wrap the wound with moist peat, moss, etc., then wrap it tightly with plastic film, tie off both ends, and pierce several small holes in the film for ventilation. Once roots have grown, cut it off and pot it up.
Seed propagation
Seedling banyan trees have a well-developed root system and are easy to shape, so seed propagation is often used. Sowing should follow collection, processing and sowing in quick succession. First wrap the ripe berries in cotton gauze and rub and wash them in clean water until they become a thin pulp; after drying for 2-3 days, sow them directly in a prepared sand bed or flower pot by broadcasting, without covering with soil, and spray with clean water 1-2 times a day to keep the bed surface moist. At a temperature of 25-30°C, they will germinate and emerge one after another within 10 days after sowing. After sowing, a plastic arched shed should be built over the bed surface to prevent heavy rain from washing it away. After 15 days of growth, spray the leaves with 1% urea or potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution. When they have grown 6-7 leaves, transplant them into pots.
Grafting propagation
1. Green branch grafting: use a robust young shoot of the current year that is still growing but has not yet topped out as the rootstock, and use a relatively mature young shoot of a superior variety as the scion for grafting. Stop watering several days before grafting to reduce excessive bleeding during grafting. The rootstock and scion must be the same thickness. The scion should be 2-3 cm long, retain the terminal bud and the top 2 leaves, and have its lower end cut into a “V” shape. Cut off the top of the rootstock and use a blade to cut vertically downward along the pith to a depth of 1 cm. Insert the scion into the “V” shaped slot of the rootstock, align the cambium on both sides, and bind tightly with plastic film. Finally, cover it with a film bag, water thoroughly, place it in a bright, ventilated spot, and uncover the film once a day for ventilation. It usually survives and can be untied in about 45 days.
2. Hardwood grafting: graft before bud break and growth in spring. The diameter of the rootstock branch stem should be more than 1 cm. The scion base diameter should be about 0.8 cm and the length 5 cm, retaining a single bud, with no leaves required. When grafting, cut the rootstock horizontally at the graft site, and make a vertical downward cut at an appropriate position at the rootstock graft site according to the diameter of the scion. Then insert the wedge-shaped lower end of the scion into the cut slit of the rootstock, align the cambium of both, and bind tightly with plastic film. Finally, seal the graft union tightly with film to prevent water loss. After grafting, remove the leaves below the graft site on the rootstock to promote scion budding and shoot growth