Detailed Guide to the Grafting Propagation Method for Peach Blossoms

Because peach blossoms are relatively difficult to root from cuttings and have high environmental requirements, peach blossom propagation is often carried out by grafting. To improve the survival rate of peach blossom grafting, attention must be paid to certain technical issues when grafting.

Peach blossom

Peach blossom propagation is mainly by grafting, mostly using cut grafting or shield budding. In East China, the rootstock is mostly wild peach (a semi-cultivated type of peach), while in the north, mountain peach is used. However, peach trees grafted onto wild peach or mountain peach rootstock all have the drawbacks of a short lifespan and many pests and diseases; if apricot is used as the rootstock instead, although grafting is more laborious and initial growth is slightly slower, the lifespan is longer and there are fewer pests and diseases.

Rootstock seeds are conveniently sown in autumn; alternatively, stratify the seeds in moist sand after autumn and take them out for sowing in early spring the following year. When sowing, the row spacing is usually 40-50 cm, the plant spacing is 10-20 cm, the furrow is 5 cm, and one seed is placed per spot. If the seeds have already sprouted during spring sowing, cover the young shoots well with soil.

Budding is mostly carried out in July-August. The rootstock is best a one-year-old vigorous seedling; a two-year-old rootstock can also barely be used. The survival rate of budding is very high, mostly above 95%; in the same year, the buds mostly do not sprout. Check once the following spring: for those that have survived, remove the rootstock shoots to let the peach blossom scion sprout; for those that have not survived, cut grafting can be done immediately as a replacement.

Cut grafting is carried out in spring when the buds have begun to swell. Select vigorous peach blossom branches grown in the previous spring, cut them into 6-7 cm long segments, which must carry 2 nodes of buds (1 node is also acceptable), with a cut surface 2-3 cm long. The rootstock is best a one- or two-year-old seedling; older ones are less good. Cut off the top of the rootstock at about 5 cm above the ground, then perform the cut graft. After grafting, soil must immediately be banked up, slightly covering the top of the scion. The survival rate of cut grafting can generally reach 90% or higher.

Grafting Propagation Methods for Flowers

Grafting Propagation Methods for Flowers

For some flowers that do not easily set seed or that tend to vary when propagated sexually, and that are also difficult to root from cuttings or layering, grafting is generally used to carry on the line. Put simply, the branch or bud of one plant is grafted onto another plant with a root system; after the two heal together, they become an independent new plant. The branch or bud that is grafted is called the scion, and the plant that bears the scion is called the rootstock. The stock plant from which the scion is collected should be of a superior variety, grow vigorously, be physiologically mature, and be disease-free, while the rootstock is required to be a wild or semi-wild species with a strong root system, a robust tree habit, and strong adaptability. "Hua Jing" once used vivid language to explain the advantages of grafting: "Small flowers can be made large, single petals can be made double, red can be made purple, small fruits can be made huge, sour and bitter can be made sweet, foul and evil can be made fragrant." Because grafting propagation has outstanding advantages, it is therefore widely used in flower gardening and fruit tree horticulture.

The time for grafting varies with the grafting method. For branch grafting, it is generally suitable 2-3 weeks before spring sprouting, that is, from late February to mid-March. At this time, the cambium of the rootstock has begun to be active and can supply water and nutrients to the scion, promoting the formation of callus tissue, while the buds of the scion have just begun to swell, which is very favorable for graft survival. Autumn grafting is carried out from about October to late November. After grafting, the wound heals first, and after winter the scion sprouts again the following spring, but autumn grafting is generally not used much. Budding is mostly carried out in late summer and early autumn, generally from early July to early September. At this time, the young branches are in a period of full, vigorous development, and the bark of the rootstock is easy to peel, making it the best time for budding.

Grafting methods

(1) Cut grafting (2) Approach grafting (3) Cleft grafting (4) Budding

(1)    Cut grafting: This is a commonly used grafting method when propagating woody flowers (see Figure 1). It is best carried out in early spring when the terminal buds are just about to begin swelling but have not yet extended shoots and leaves. At this time, the cuts are most likely to unite, and the graft survival rate is high.

Select one-year-old, fully developed vegetative branches as the scion; do not use flowering branches that bear flower buds. Cut them into 6-10 cm long segments, each of which should carry two plump, full axillary buds. First use a grafting knife to cut two symmetrical slanted surfaces of different sizes at the base of the scion, one side 1.5-2 cm long and the other 0.8-1 cm long. The cut surfaces must be smooth, and it is best to make them with a single cut. At the same time, cut off the rootstock about 20 cm above the ground, and according to the thickness of the scion, cut a downward slit 2-2.4 cm deep on the north side of the rootstock cross-section. Then insert the scion with its long cut surface facing inward into the rootstock slit, and the cambium on both sides must align with the cambium on both sides of the rootstock slit. Finally, bind them tightly with plastic strips.

(2)    Cleft grafting: When the rootstock is relatively thick and strong, a large knife is used to split the rootstock open to make a slit for inserting the scion. Its difference from cut grafting is that the slit on the rootstock does not deviate to one side but is located in the center of the cross-section; the cut surfaces on both sides of the scion are of equal length and shaped like a duck bill, but the two end edges of the cut surface should be wider on one side and carry a strip of cortex, while the other side is extremely narrow and blade-like, without cortex; one scion is inserted on each side of the rootstock slit, and the cambium of the wide cut surface of the scion is aligned with the cambium of the rootstock, and finally

bound (see Figure 1).

When grafting by cleft grafting, two scions can be inserted at the same time. If one fails to take, there is still the other, which is safer. In cleft grafting, the cross-section on the rootstock is very large, and the slit in the center of the split is not easy to close. After being exposed to rain, the cut is prone to mold and the survival rate is reduced. Therefore, when binding, plastic strips must be wound around above and below to completely seal the cut surface.

(3) Approach grafting: It is mostly used when propagating potted evergreen flowering trees that are difficult to propagate by cut grafting and cleft grafting, such as using privet as rootstock to approach-graft osmanthus, using common camellia to approach-graft Yunnan camellia, and so on. The survival rate of approach grafting is highest during the peak growing season, but the rainy season and the dog days should be avoided; it is best carried out in May-June or August-September.

Before approach grafting, first plant the rootstock seedlings in flower pots in advance for cultivation. After new roots have grown, place the potted rootstock on the fork of the scion mother plant, or place it on a stool so that it is close to a branch on the scion mother plant. Therefore, some people also call approach grafting stool grafting (see Figure 1).

The selected scion branch should be close in thickness to the main trunk of the rootstock. Then cut a 3-5 cm long spindle-shaped cut surface on the parts where they are close, reaching deep into the xylem. The length and width of the cuts should be consistent. Then pull the scion branch on the mother plant toward the rootstock in the pot, let their cut surfaces fit together, align the cambium, and immediately bind and fix them tightly.

About 45-60 days after approach grafting, most of the unions will have healed. At this time, first cut off the scion below the union to separate them from the mother plant, and move the flower pot down from the mother plant. One month later, if the scion is growing normally, cut off the rootstock branch tip above the union, and remove the binding strips the following year.

(4) Budding: It is suitable for Rosaceae flowers such as Chinese rose, peach blossom, plum blossom, and cherry blossom. Such flowers are easiest to peel in late summer and early autumn, the sap flow in the plant is also relatively vigorous at this time, and they have plump, full axillary buds, so the survival rate is high.

The scion for budding should be selected from fully developed, plump branches of the current year, and the axillary buds on them must be mature and in a dormant state. After collecting the branches, first cut off the leaves one by one, but the petioles must be retained, then wrap them in a wet gunny sack ready for grafting.    .

When grafting, select an axillary bud in the middle of the branch as the graft bud. First make a horizontal cut about 3-4 mm above the axillary bud, reaching 1.5-2 mm into the xylem. Then, from about 5-6 mm below the petiole, push the knife upward, stopping at the horizontal cut above the axillary bud. Then remove this shield-shaped bud piece and use a fingernail to pinch off the remaining xylem on the inner side of the bud piece. Next, make a T-shaped cut on the north side of the main branch of the rootstock seedling at 10-15 cm above the ground. The size of the cut should basically match the size of the bud piece. Insert the shield-shaped bud piece from top to bottom into the T-shaped cut so that the bud piece is contained within the cortex of the rootstock, and let the horizontal cuts on their upper sides fit together. Finally, bind with plastic strips (see Figure 1).

(5) Flat grafting: It is generally used for grafting cacti. The most suitable grafting time is when the temperature is 18-25°C. Indoors, it can be carried out in spring, summer, and autumn, but July-August is hot and rainy, which easily causes rot.

When grafting, cut the rootstock horizontally at an appropriate height, and be sure to cut off the growing point. This is one of the keys to success or failure. Then also cut the bottom of the scion horizontally, align the pith centers of the rootstock and scion, and bind them longitudinally with thread or plastic film strips. The tightness should be moderate: small balls should be loose, and larger balls can be slightly tighter. Make the two cuts fit closely, and they will heal in 5-10 days.

After grafting, to promote healing of the union, maintain a relatively high humidity at the union. For this purpose, in addition to wrapping and moisturizing the union with plastic film strips when tying, the method of burying fine soil can also be used to cover the union, especially for grafting during the dormant period. If the grafted seedling is small, the scion together with the grafting site can also be covered with a small plastic bag, or a small plastic shed can be built with a support frame to maintain the relative humidity of the micro-environment, appropriately raise the soil temperature, and promote healing. Once the temperature rises, the covering can be removed, because excessively high temperatures are also unfavorable for survival. After the graft has taken, when the buds begin to sprout, the covering should be removed immediately, so that the sprouting buds do not turn yellow and weak due to not receiving light in time or receiving insufficient light. The binding material should also be removed in good time, so as not to affect the normal growth of the rootstock and scion. After budding has taken, the top of the rootstock tree can be cut off before sprouting in early spring the following year. After the scion bud sprouts, it can become a seedling in the same year. For approach-grafted plants, the binding material can be removed in autumn of the same year. When checking shows that the union has healed, the scion can be cut from the mother plant below the union, becoming a new seedling. If the approach graft has not taken, the rootstock and scion should also be separated and grafted again the following year. For new shoots drawn out after survival, support stakes should be set up for protection in the first year. The rootstock suckers must be cut off in time.

Propagation Methods and Pest and Disease Control for Ornamental Peach Blossom

Propagation methods:
     Ornamental peach blossom can be propagated by sowing and grafting. Sowing propagation is mostly used to cultivate rootstock seedling peaches. Grafting is generally mostly used for propagation. Among grafting methods, budding is mostly used, because budding easily takes.

    Budding can be carried out from July to September, with mid-August to early September being the best time. The rootstock is generally a one-year-old peach tree seedling, and one-year-old apricot or plum seedlings can also be used. For the graft bud, select the leaf bud or compound bud on a vigorous branch of a superior ornamental peach blossom mother plant; flower buds or latent buds must not be used. The budding site should be at 60-80 cm high on the rootstock, using “T” shaped budding. After the graft bud has taken, when it grows to 12-18 cm long, pinch off the growing tip to promote lateral buds. Generally, grafted seedlings can flower in 3 years. Branch grafting is best carried out in March, mostly used as a supplementary grafting method after budding fails.

Pests and diseases:
The most serious damage to ornamental peach blossom is caused by various aphids, mostly occurring in May. They can be controlled by spraying with 40% omethoate 1000-1500 times solution or 80% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate 1500 times solution.