How to Propagate Wintersweet? Three Methods and Precautions
Many people call wintersweet "Lamei" (winter plum) because wintersweet often blooms in the cold depths of winter, which is why this name came about. As people's affection for wintersweet has grown, many flower enthusiasts have carried out breeding improvements on wintersweet, resulting in more and more varieties that are increasingly easy to grow. Some flower enthusiasts who want to propagate wintersweet themselves can use the methods of sowing, division and grafting.
Wintersweet
I. Sowing Method
1. Autumn sowing: Harvest after the fruit ripens in July to August, remove the seeds from the fruit receptacle, and sow them at once. Seedlings emerge about 10 days after sowing, and the seedlings of that year can grow up to 20 cm tall.
2. Spring sowing: Mostly carried out in March to April (the seeds are harvested and stored from the previous year). Before sowing, the seeds need to be soaked in warm water at 30-40°C for 12 hours to promote germination, then sown in rows in sandy loam, watered thoroughly. Seedlings emerge in 15-20 days, and after transplanting and growing for 3-4 years they can bloom.
II. Division Method
This can be done when the leaf buds just begin to swell (March to April). The plant being divided should be at least 20-30 cm above ground, and it is best to cut back the top at the end of the previous year so that the mother plant can accumulate more nutrients. When dividing, first dig out the soil around the mother plant, then use a sharp knife to split off a portion so it can be removed and planted separately.
III. Grafting Method:Cut grafting is the main method, with approach grafting secondary.
1. Cut grafting: This should be done in March to April each year, when the wintersweet buds begin to swell (buds the size of wheat grains). The scion should be collected 1 month in advance, selecting vigorous one-year-old branches from 2-3 year old wintersweet trees and taking the middle section of the branch. The rootstock should be a 4-5 year old wintersweet seedling or dog-tooth wintersweet. Cut grafting procedure: the scion is 6-7 cm long, retain 1-2 pairs of buds, peel off the bark on both sides of the scion to slightly expose the xylem, with the slanted cut surface 3-4 cm long. Cut off the rootstock 3-6 cm above ground, make a downward cut at 1/3 of the diameter surface of the rootstock, splitting it 4-5 cm, insert the scion into the rootstock so that the cambium layers of the scion and rootstock align, and tie the joint tightly with plastic tape, apply 2 grams of prepared wet mud, then mound soil up to the top of the scion to retain moisture.
2. Approach grafting: Approach grafting procedure: it is best to carry out approach grafting between May 6 and 21 each year. Place the rootstock beside a superior wintersweet variety, and select a branch of basically the same thickness as the scion. Use a sharp knife to cut a 3-9 cm incision on both the rootstock and scion branches, taking care to slightly include the xylem. The incision position on the rootstock should not be too high; below 20 cm is best. After cutting the incisions, place the wound of the rootstock against the wound of the scion, especially ensuring that the cambium layers of both sides are pressed tightly together, then tie slightly tight with string, apply wet mud at the joint, and wrap it tightly with plastic film. Then lightly prune the branches on the rootstock as appropriate, but do not cut off the top, so that it can continue to grow and supply water and nutrients to the scion. After 40 days, when new leaves and new branches grow on the wintersweet scion, the scion branch can be cut off from below the incision, and all branches and leaves above the rootstock incision should be cut off, thus forming an independent plant.
Wintersweet Seed Planting Methods and Precautions
Wintersweet has a very long history and is much loved by everyone. Wintersweet not only has high ornamental value, but its flowers can also be used as medicine. Wintersweet propagation is generally mainly by grafting, and division, sowing, cutting and layering can also be used. Today Xiao Qi wants to tell everyone about sowing propagation, so how do you plant wintersweet seeds? Let's learn about it together.
Wintersweet seed picture
I. How to Plant Wintersweet Seeds
If you want to know how to plant wintersweet seeds, you first need to understand what environment it likes to grow in so it can be planted well. Wintersweet likes sunlight and can tolerate shade, cold and drought, but dislikes waterlogging. Wintersweet flowers bloom proudly in frost and snow, with yellow flowers like wax and a rich fragrance, and are a major flowering shrub for winter viewing. Lamei fears wind and is relatively cold-tolerant, able to overwinter safely at no lower than -15°C. It can be cultivated in the open ground in areas south of Beijing. It grows best in deep, fertile, loose, well-drained slightly acidic sandy loam, and grows poorly on saline-alkali soil.
Wintersweet picture
II. Wintersweet Seed Planting Methods
1. Watering: Wintersweet likes sunlight but is also slightly shade-tolerant, cold-tolerant and drought-tolerant. Hence the saying "wintersweet won't die of drought, citrus won't die of flooding." It is best to choose slightly fertile, well-drained light loam. Potted wintersweet requires careful management, and is generally grown in fertile sandy loam. The soil should be kept dry rather than wet; too much watering can cause physiological leaf drop.
2. Fertilizing: Fertilizing depends on the plant's growth condition; generally applying some dilute manure water each month is sufficient. In September, when temperatures turn lower, apply a heavy fertilizing once and add phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, which helps flowering.
Management during the flowering period. To force wintersweet to bloom, use the following treatment: in early June, select a potted wintersweet with thick, strong branches and stems and apply chicken manure. After about 10 days, flower buds emerge, the size of rapeseeds. In late June, apply chicken manure once more, and the flower buds gradually enlarge. By mid-July, the leaves fall one after another, and begin spraying water 4 times a day. In mid-July, set up a shade shed for covering, and uncover it at 5 p.m. In late August, carry out low-temperature treatment, with the temperature gradually dropping from 12°C to 4°C, then rising from 4°C back to between 12-18°C. After 16 days of low-temperature treatment, the flower buds develop into round shapes and appear greenish-yellow. In mid-September, remove them from the cold storage. Place 1 pot at between 28-30°C.
3. Pruning: To form a good branch structure, attention should be paid to pruning and shaping so that it branches more. After the flowers fade, prune promptly, leaving only 15-20 cm at most on each branch, so the branches grow thick and strong. The saying "wintersweet has no shortage of branches" means that wintersweet should be heavily pruned. If leaves still have not fallen by October, they can be removed by hand to reduce nutrient consumption and promote earlier flowering. At the same time, to ensure abundant flowering the next year and reduce nutrient consumption, the flowers are often removed before they wither so they do not set seed.
4. Pest and disease control: Wintersweet pests and diseases are mainly longhorn beetle damage. Control methods: according to the activity habits of adult longhorn beetles, carry out manual capture, and cut off damaged branch tips early; around the summer solstice, eliminate eggs and newly hatched larvae; hook and kill larvae and use medicine to plug the insect holes to poison the larvae. Harvesting, processing and storage.
Wintersweet picture
The above iswintersweet seed planting methodsintroduced, hoping it is helpful to everyone. However, wintersweet is generally not propagated by sowing, because seedlings are hard to keep the excellent characteristics of the mother plant, and asexual propagation such as division and cutting is used more often.
Cultivation and Growing of American Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus)
American sweetshrub is a species in the genus Calycanthus of the family Calycanthaceae. Deciduous shrub. Prefers warm, humid and semi-shaded environments. Not tolerant of severe cold or drought, and fears strong light and flooding. Best in fertile, moist, sandy loam rich in organic matter. Suitable for cultivation in areas south of the Yangtze River basin. Can be grown as a potted ornamental, arranged on balconies, courtyards and other places. Growing MethodsAmerican sweetshrub can be grown by sowing, division, grafting and other methods. Sowing is carried out in spring in March to April. Division can be combined with spring transplanting; the method is to split the clustered plant with a sharp knife and then plant them separately. For grafting, wintersweet seedlings or strong-growing wintersweet varieties such as dog-tooth wintersweet can be used as rootstock, with cleft grafting in March and bud grafting in August.
Cultivation Management
American sweetshrub is native to the southeastern United States. It prefers a warm and humid environment and grows well in ample but soft sunlight, but fears scorching sun exposure and is cold-tolerant. It is suitable for planting under sparse woods or in other places without direct sunlight in summer. If the light is too strong, the petals will dry up and form unsightly scorched spots. In addition, dry hot winds during the flowering period can also cause petals to wither and scorch, so try not to plant it in windy gaps. Air that is too dry is also an important cause of petal scorching, so if the air is dry during the flowering period, water the plant and its surrounding environment promptly to increase air humidity and extend the flowering period. American sweetshrub is not strict about soil, but grows better in loose, fertile, well-drained soil. During the growing season, water thoroughly to keep the soil moist, but pay attention to drainage during continuous rainy days to avoid root rot caused by waterlogged soil. Before sprouting each spring, dig a trench and apply a once of decomposed organic fertilizer or compound fertilizer, and water thoroughly after fertilizing to help the plant absorb nutrients, promote sprouting and leaf development, and provide sufficient nutrients for flowering. After that, apply a phosphorus- and potassium-based fertilizer solution once a month to promote vigorous growth. Stop fertilizing after September to avoid overly vigorous growth and insufficiently ripened branches, which would affect overwintering. Before winter arrives, water once with antifreeze water.
Pruning of sweetshrub is best carried out during the dormant period from winter to before sprouting in early spring. Cut off dead branches, overlapping and crossing branches, and thin weak branches to renew the branches. After the flowering period, it can also be pruned appropriately by cutting off overly dense branches. During the growing season, it can also be lightly pruned to remove some branches that affect the appearance, so as to maintain a beautiful tree shape and increase ventilation and light penetration inside the canopy.