Detailed Guide to Single-Bud Cutting Propagation of Ivy
Ivy is not difficult to cultivate, and it stays evergreen all year round and is very beautiful, and its propagation is not difficult either. What I want to introduce to you here is the single-bud cutting method for ivy, a method that can quickly grow ivy.
Ivy
Between the leaf and the stem of ivy, there is a dormant bud. The single-bud cutting method is about making this bud inside the plant sprout and grow into a new plant. Use a sharp knife to cut off the part between the leaf and the stem of the ivy, about 2 cm long, keep the leaf, and then insert it into a moist sandy seedbed (the seedbed should be built inside a greenhouse or arched shed). Since this is softwood cutting, be careful not to damage the cutting when inserting it; you can first make holes in the seedbed with a thin wooden stick, and the insertion depth is 1.5 cm. After insertion, keep the seedbed moist, with the relative air humidity at around 90%, and let it receive as much light as possible (if inserted in September, it can receive light all day). After about half a month, the cutting can take root; at this time, you can spray some low-toxicity fungicide, and then proceed to normal management. Generally speaking, after 2 months the cutting seedling can reach a length of 20 to 30 cm.
Single-bud cutting of ivy
Using a branch with only 1 bud for cutting is called single-bud cutting, abbreviated as single-bud cut. Single-bud cutting saves material, and the cuttings are very short, usually below 5 cm. When propagating ivy and cutting the cuttings, the cut surface of the slant should face away from the bud, the cutting should be 3~5 cm long, and it is best to have 1 complete leaf. Because the cutting is short and the cut surface is relatively large, after cutting the cutting, use freshly burned plant ash or sulfur powder to coat the wound to prevent bleeding and infection by pathogens. When inserting, first make a hole with a wooden stick or bamboo skewer of the corresponding diameter, place the cutting in the hole, and then press the surrounding area firm with your hands. After cutting, pay special attention to spraying water, preserving moisture, shading, and blocking wind, so as to avoid water loss from the cutting affecting survival.
Flower Cutting Propagation Methods
Flower Cutting Propagation Methods
Cutting propagation is a commonly used propagation method in flower cultivation at present, and it is also one of the methods of vegetative propagation. It is a method of cutting off part of a flower's roots, branches, buds, leaves, etc., and inserting them into a medium so that they take root and sprout and form a new plant. The decision on which part to cut off is determined by the regeneration ability of the different organs of various flower plants.
1. Classification of cuttings
According to the different organs used, cuttings can be divided into three types: stem cuttings, root cuttings, and leaf cuttings.
(1) Stem cuttings. Also called stem insertion. It is a method that is widely used and can propagate seedlings in large quantities. This method is simple to operate. The branches suitable for cutting should be neither too hard nor too tender; if too hard, they are not easy to root, and if too tender, they are easy to rot. For herbaceous flowers, you can choose new shoots or tender branches that are still elongating; for woody flowers, you should choose one-year-old branches whose epidermis has just begun to turn brown, and it is best if they are fairly flexible.
On the same plant, choose branches from the current year, from the middle and upper parts, facing the sun; branches with shorter internodes, thick and strong branches and leaves, and plump bud tips are most suitable as cuttings. Branches about to bloom and leggy branches are not suitable as cuttings. On the same branch, hardwood cuttings are suitable for choosing the middle and lower parts, while for chrysanthemums, etc., the tender top part is suitable. The mother plant from which cuttings are taken must be healthy and free of pests and diseases.
According to the different degrees of lignification of the branches in cutting, flowers can be divided into hardwood cuttings, softwood cuttings, and single-bud cuttings, etc.
① Hardwood cuttings. Flowers such as winter jasmine, rose of Sharon, cotton rose, crape myrtle, oleander, and gardenia are all suitable for propagation by this method.
This method is suitable when the flowers enter dormancy. For example, deciduous flowering trees after leaf fall and before bud break, and evergreen flowering trees from the stop of growth until the flow of sap begins in spring.
In the north, people mostly cut the current year's branches into sections 20~30 cm long after the flowers drop their leaves in winter, tie them into bundles, and then bury them in moist sandy soil to overwinter, waiting until the next spring to take them out for cutting. You can also cut cuttings before spring bud break in combination with pruning and then insert them. The cutting should have at least 2~3 buds, the cut should be smooth, the upper end cut into a level surface, and the lower end cut into a slant. After insertion, spray water on the cutting, water it, and shade it, and keep the temperature at 20°C~25°C, which is most suitable.
② Semi-hardwood cuttings. After rapid growth in summer, cut off the current year's semi-lignified branches, cut them into cuttings with 2~3 nodes and about 6~10 cm long, remove all the leaves on the lower part of the cutting, leave only 2 leaves at the top, and insert into the medium to a depth of 1/3~1/2 of the cutting length. Some evergreen broad-leaved plants often use this method, such as camellia, big-leaf boxwood, and other plants.
③ Softwood cuttings. Also called soft-branch cuttings. For example, azalea, camellia, osmanthus, Chinese rose, plum blossom, jasmine, rose, nandina, croton, monstera, pothos, ivy and other flowering trees, as well as herbaceous flowers such as chrysanthemum, geranium, dahlia, and scarlet sage, can all use this method. Generally, it can be done when the plant's new shoots or branches enter semi-maturity, and the cutting time is mostly in summer and autumn. Cut cuttings about 5~10 cm long, leave 2~4 leaves at the top of the cutting, and the lower cut of the cutting should be cut below a node, as this makes it easy for the plant to take root. Use disinfected clean sand or vermiculite, etc. as the cutting medium, then insert the cutting into the medium, about 1/3 of the cutting length is enough, and then spray water, water, shade, and control temperature as with hardwood cuttings, to ensure the cutting successfully takes root.
④ Single-bud cuttings. This method leaves only one bud on the cutting. With the bud as the center, leave 1~2 cm on each side, and slightly peel off the bark on the opposite side of the bud. Insert the cutting into the bed, with the bud slightly hidden in the soil (to avoid direct sunlight). Water after insertion, and finally protect with plastic film; this method can save material. Flowering trees such as camellia, osmanthus, and rubber tree can all use this method. After insertion, pay special attention to spraying water, shading, and blocking wind, so as to avoid water loss from the cutting and affecting survival.
(2) Root cuttings. A cutting method using root segments as cuttings. Cut roots 0.3~1.5 cm thick into 5~15 cm long root cuttings, with the upper end cut flat and the lower end cut slanting, and insert them straight into the medium; after cutting, adventitious roots and buds form. Plants and flowers suitable for root cuttings include Scotch broom, elm, crape myrtle, wintersweet, small-leaf privet, red-leaf plum, goji, Chinese trumpet creeper, silk tree, crabapple, plum blossom, and serissa, etc. Because roots have relatively weak resistance to dryness and freezing, after insertion, water the surface of the pot and cover with plastic film to preserve moisture. The best time for root cuttings is late autumn and early winter or early spring, especially in spring from March to April, when the survival rate is highest.
(3) Leaf cuttings. Leaf cuttings are only applied to succulent flowers. Most flowers that can use the leaf cutting method have thick, fleshy leaves, but flowers with thick leaves cannot necessarily all use this method. Therefore, those that can be propagated by leaf cuttings are limited to species in a few families, such as the common gloxinia and some begonia plants with larger leaves, which can use leaf cuttings. The leaves used as cuttings must be removed only after they have grown fully.
When doing leaf cuttings, first prepare a small flowerpot with a diameter slightly larger than the leaf to be inserted, fill it with culture soil, press the soil firm, keep the soil surface 1~1.5 cm from the pot edge, and then water thoroughly so that the pot soil is soaked through. Choose a mature, robust leaf free of pests and diseases from the mother plant; the leaf should not be too old, otherwise it is not easy to root. Use a sharp knife to cut the leaf from the base of the petiole, then cut off the petiole. Place the leaf with the leaf surface facing upward and the back facing downward, flat on the medium or shallowly buried in the medium. For example, the leaves of plants such as umbrella plant, star plant, Pachyphytum, Pachyveria 'Clavifolia', brown-spotted echeveria, corpuscularia, and Sedum acre are placed flat on the medium. But for species of the genera Gasteria and Haworthia, and Peperomia, as well as a few species of Echeveria, Aeonium, and Crassula, the leaves need to be inserted into the medium to take root.
Then place it in a cool place; at this time there is no need to water, otherwise the leaf may rot, and wait until small roots have grown before adding water.
2. Suitable culture medium
A medium suitable for cutting rooting should have suitable soil temperature, loose and aerated soil, contain no undecomposed organic matter, and also contain no salts, and have good water retention.
Commonly used culture media include river sand, vermiculite, perlite, plain sandy soil, rice husk ash, and sawdust, etc. No matter which medium is used, it should be ensured that the medium is clean, of medium and uniform particle size, and the medium in the cutting bed generally should not be spread too thick, otherwise it is not conducive to raising the medium temperature and affects rooting.
3. Suitable cutting season and temperature-humidity environment
Generally, cutting is more suitable in the early and middle stages of plant growth, and it is best not to cut during dormancy and semi-dormancy. Cutting is also not suitable in the late growth stage; although it can take root at this time, both transplanting and post-transplant growth are very difficult.
Generally, flowers dormant in winter are most suitably cut from mid-April to early June each year; species dormant in summer are better cut from late September to early October. During midsummer, some species of the genera Selenicereus, Cleistocactus, and Harrisia are better for cutting. When cutting propagation is carried out during the hottest days of summer, there is less mold, wounds dry easily, and infection rarely occurs. During the plum rain period in Jiangnan, humidity is relatively high and mold grows easily, so it is best not to cut; however, night-blooming cereus grows fast, the cutting wound is small, and it likes relatively high air humidity, so it can be cut, and in order to prevent pests and diseases, fungicide should also be sprayed on its medium and cutting part.
Most flowers are most suitable for rooting at 20°C~25°C; flowers native to the tropics require 25°C~30°C or above, and generally a soil temperature 3°C~5°C higher than the air temperature is favorable for rooting. A relative air humidity of 80%~90% in the cutting bed is favorable for rooting. Softwood cuttings require about 30% light. Moisture should be moderate; in the early stage of cutting, moisture can be slightly greater, and in the later stage do not use too much water; slightly drier is enough.
4. How to promote rooting of difficult-to-root plants
For example, flowering trees such as Aglaia odorata, crape myrtle, honeysuckle, wintersweet, osmanthus, camellia, azalea, and white magnolia are not easy to root; the following simple methods can be used to promote rooting.
(1) You can use auxins such as naphthaleneacetic acid that promote root growth for treatment.
(2) Soak the base of the cutting about 2 cm deep in a 0.1%~0.5% potassium permanganate aqueous solution for 12~14 hours, take it out, and insert it immediately.
(3) You can use white sugar solution. For herbaceous flower cuttings, use a white sugar solution at a concentration of about 2%~5%; for woody flowers, use a white sugar solution at a concentration of about 5%~10%. Soak the base of the cutting 2 cm in the above solution for about 24 hours, take it out, rinse the sugar solution adhering to the cutting clean with clean water, and then insert it.
(3) Dilute medical vitamin B12 injection with an equal amount of cool boiled water, put the base of the cutting in it to soak for about 5 minutes, take it out, and insert it.
(4) On the base of the branch used as the cutting, about 15~30 days before cutting the cutting, make a wound or ring-bark it to prevent the nutrients produced by the upper part of the branch from being transported downward and make them remain in the branch; after cutting, this can promote rooting.