Seedling raising method for the Chinese medicinal herb Schisandra chinensis: hardwood cleft grafting propagation

Schisandra chinensisAfter leaf fall and before bud break, collect 1-year-old branches as scions; before the ground freezes, lift 1- to 2-year-old seedling plants as rootstock, and store them at low temperature for cleft grafting during the following year's bud break period (or graft in place without lifting the seedlings).

Before grafting, soak the scions and rootstock in clean water for 12 hours. At the hypocotyl of the rootstock, cut off the portion with buds. For scions, choose fully mature branches with a diameter greater than 0.4 cm, cut them to a length of 4-5 cm, keep 1 bud eye, leave 1.5 cm above the bud, and keep about 3 cm below the bud; use a grafting knife to make cuts on both sides below the bud eye of the scion, with the cut surface shaped into a wedge about 1-1.5 cm long. Wrap the prepared scions in a clean wet towel to prevent water loss.

According to the length of the scion's cut surface, make a cleft about 2 cm deep at the center of the rootstock, select a scion of roughly equal thickness and insert it into the cleft, ensuring that the cambium aligns on one side. Generally leave 1-2 mm of the scion's cut surface "exposed white", then tie the entire union tightly with plastic film. Transplant the grafted seedlings into the nursery at a spacing of 5 cm x 20 cm. To prevent the scions from losing water and drying out, the upper cut end of the scion can be sealed with lead paint

. After transplanting, callus tissue forms in 10-15 days, and sprouting can occur after 30 days. When about 30% of the grafted seedlings have sprouted, shade should be provided, because at this time the callus tissue of the scion and rootstock has not yet fully joined, and the water absorbed by the root system cannot well supply the needs of the scion. This can prevent massive water loss and death of scions caused by high temperature and sunlight. When the sprouted new shoots begin elongating growth, pinching treatment is needed, generally leaving 2-3 leaves is more appropriate. When the temperature exceeds 30°C, water can be sprayed on the leaves to lower leaf temperature and reduce transpiration. When the new shoots sprout secondary shoots and begin a second growth period, it indicates that the grafting has survived, and the shading material can be removed.