Detailed Explanation of Kapok Grafting Propagation Methods and Precautions
Kapok (Bombax ceiba) is native to India and is a representative tree species of tropical monsoon forests. It grows rapidly and has relatively strong wind resistance, and is commonly used as a street tree and courtyard tree. Generally, kapok is commonly propagated by sowing, cuttings, division and grafting. The editor will introduce the grafting methods and precautions for kapok, and interested friends can learn about them together.
Kapok
I. Cultivation of Rootstock
In the Panzhihua City area, kapok seeds mature in April to May and can be harvested then. Because the seeds have a high oil content and easily deteriorate and lose their germination capacity, it is generally required to sow them promptly in the same year after collection. For seedling bed raising, drilling and broadcasting are used. For drilling, the row spacing is 20cm and the depth is 5cm, and seeds are sown in the furrows. Cover with 2cm of soil, cover the surface soil with grass; germination begins 6 to 7d after sowing, and seedlings basically emerge completely in 13 to 15d. After the seedlings emerge, loosen the soil and weed promptly, and thin and weed appropriately, paying attention to pest and disease control. When the seedlings are 4 to 5cm tall and have more than 2 primary leaves, they can be moved into nutrient bags. When the seedlings are about 40cm tall, they can be transplanted to cultivate large seedlings. When the seedling trunk diameter is 1m to 115cm, grafting can be carried out.
II. Grafting Time
In the Panzhihua area, kapok should be grafted in February to March and June to July. In February to March, the temperature rises quickly, and kapok begins to sprout and shoot, so grafting at this time is easy to survive. In April to May, the temperature is high, which easily causes the scion to dry up. June to July is the period when the rainy season is more concentrated in the Panzhihua area, and the temperature drops somewhat, so rainy days should be avoided when grafting.
III. Selecting Scions
From kapok mother trees that have already flowered, select two-year-old current-year non-flowering branches that are robust, plump, have full buds and are free of pests and diseases as scions. The selected scions are required to have a diameter between 0.17cm and 1.2cm, with bud eye spacing of 1 to 2cm. After collecting the scion branches, the leaves must be cut off immediately to reduce water loss from the branches, and the branches should be wrapped in a wet towel and placed in a cool place, preferably used as soon as they are collected. When the scions need to be stored for several days, both ends can be sealed with paraffin and buried in a sand bed, covering with a sand layer 4cm to 6cm thick, and attention should be paid to moisture retention and ventilation.
IV. Grafting Method
For kapok grafting, single-bud cut grafting is better. Experiments have found that no matter how many buds are left on the scion, after the first bud sprouts and shoots, the germination of the remaining bud eyes is inhibited. When grafting, first cut the scion. The method is: select a plump bud on the scion, and at 0.15cm from the lower end on the opposite side, start the knife to cut a flat surface 1.5 to 2cm long with slight or no xylem, cut a 45 degree slanted cross-section on the opposite side, and cut off 1cm above the bud, with the scion length being 4cm. For the rootstock seedlings, it is required to cut the stock at 15 cm above the ground, make a longitudinal cut on the smooth surface of the rootstock, with a length of 115cm to 2m, preferably with slight xylem, insert the prepared scion into the grafting incision, align and closely join the cambium on both sides, and leave the upper end of the scion exposed. Finally, tie it tightly with a plastic film strip from bottom to top, and wrap only one layer of grafting film at the bud eye of the scion, so that it is easy to automatically break the film after the graft survives.
Cultivation Methods and Precautions for Kapok Flower
Chinese scientific name: Kapok FlowerLatin scientific name: Bombax ceibaLinnaeus; Bombax malabaricumDC.Other names: Banzhishu, Yingxiongshu, Panzhihua, Jibei, FenghuoBinomial name: Bombax ceiba Linnaeus; Bombax malabaricumDC.Kingdom: PlantaeDivision: AngiospermsClass: DicotyledonsOrder: MalvalesFamily: BombacaceaeGenus: BombaxSpecies: Kapok B. ceibaEnglish name: KapokKapok flower (kapok) is a specialty of the south and is the city flower of Guangzhou City, Kaohsiung City and Panzhihua City. Five petals with strong curves surround a bundle of dense yellow stamens, gathered in a firm receptacle. Each flower is as large as a rice bowl, spreading downward from the top of the tree in the warm spring. Kapok flower is also called hero flower, and even its fall is extraordinarily heroic. When it falls from the tree, it still maintains its original shape in the air, spinning downward all the way, and then lands on the ground with a "pat". Under the tree, fallen flowers lie in profusion, the flowers do not fade or wilt, bidding farewell to the mortal world in a very heroic way. Why is kapok flower called "hero flower"? Because it blooms red and brilliant yet not vulgar, its sturdy trunk is strong, its posture stands upright between heaven and earth, heroic and spectacular, and the color of the flower is as red as the character of a brave warrior, its color like the blood of heroes dyeing the treetops red.1. Morphological Characteristics
Deciduous large tree, up to 25m tall. The trunk is upright with obvious tumor-like thorns; palmately compound leaves are alternate, with very long petioles; it flowers before leaves in early spring, flowers are clustered at the branch ends, the corolla is red or orange-red, about 12cm in diameter, with 5 petals, fleshy, elliptic-obovate, about 9cm long, curved outward, with margins rolled inward, both sides covered with stellate pubescence; stamens numerous, united into a tube, arranged in 3 whorls, the outermost whorl gathered into 5 bundles; the capsule is very large, woody, oblong, up to 15cm, and splits open automatically after maturity, filled with cotton-like fluff inside. The cotton hairs can be used as filling materials for pillows, cotton quilts, cross-stitch cotton, etc. Seeds numerous, obovate, black, smooth, hidden within the white hairs. Kapok appearance varies greatly: in spring, the whole tree is orange-red; in summer, green leaves form shade; in autumn, branches and leaves are bleak; in winter, bare branches stand in the cold, showing different charms in the four seasons, which is admirable. The flowers are orange-red, entering the flowering period after the leaves fall completely each year in February to March, and then leaves grow.2. Growth Habits
It is a tropical tree species, fond of high-temperature and high-humidity climate environments, with relatively low cold resistance. When exposed to long-term low temperatures of 5 to 8 degrees C, the branches suffer cold damage, and it is averse to frost. In Guangzhou, Nanning and other places in southern South China, it can safely overwinter in the open field in normal years, but in cold years there is frost damage. In the vast areas from northern South China to North China, it can only be potted, moved into a greenhouse or indoors in winter, and the room temperature should not be lower than 10 degrees C. It likes light and cannot tolerate shade, tolerates intense sunlight and high temperature, and should be planted in a place with sufficient sunlight.It is not demanding regarding soil, and both sandy soil and heavy clay soil are suitable. It prefers acidic soil, is relatively drought-tolerant, and also slightly tolerant of waterlogging. It is not very demanding regarding fertility. Generally, in soil with medium fertility and relatively high phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, flowering is luxuriant and the color is also bright. In soil with sufficient moisture and relatively high nitrogen fertilizer, branches and leaves are luxuriant and flowering is also more abundant, but the color is less bright. When planting, it is suitable to apply decomposed cake fertilizer or garbage as base fertilizer, and before flowering and during the peak flowering period, apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer as topdressing. The tree shape is not very attractive, but it has sprouting ability. In management, trunk cutting or branch pruning and shaping can be used to promote a full crown. It can also be planted 3 to 5 plants in one place to improve the ornamental effect.
3. Species Distribution
The original place of the tree is unknown, but it very likely originated in India. It has been widely planted with migrants in South China, Taiwan, China, the Indochina Peninsula and the South Seas Islands. According to ancient Chinese records, Zhao Tuo, King of Nanyue, once presented one kapok tree to the Han imperial court in the 2nd century BC. Kapok flowers are also divided into white kapok flowers and red kapok flowers.In China, it is cultivated in Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Kunming, Shenzhen, Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen and other places. In particular, in Guangzhou and Xiamen, kapok is planted as a street tree all along the streets. Every year just after the Lantern Festival, kapok trees begin to bloom.
4. Cultivation Techniques
Cultivation Methods
Propagate by sowing, cuttings and division. Collect the capsules before they split open. The seed germination capacity has a short storage period, so it is mostly sown as soon as collected, or it can be stored short-term in wet sand. Drill sowing, cover with 2cm of soil, and when the average temperature is above 20 degrees C, seedlings generally emerge completely in 4 to 5d; cuttings are mostly carried out in February to March or in the rainy season, using large branches 80 to 100cm long and 1 to 2cm in transverse diameter; insert them 10 to 15cm deep into the seedling bed, and keep the bed moist regularly; division is done by taking suckers from the base of the mother plant, cutting them off together with a section of the mother root and fibrous roots and planting them separately, which makes survival easier.
Cultivation of Rootstock
In the Panzhihua City area, kapok seeds mature in April to May and can be harvested then. Because the seeds have a high oil content and easily deteriorate and lose their germination capacity, it is generally required to sow them promptly in the same year after collection. For seedling bed raising, drilling and broadcasting are used. For drilling, the row spacing is 20cm and the depth is 5cm, and seeds are sown in the furrows. Cover with 2cm of soil, cover the surface soil with grass; germination begins 6 to 7d after sowing, and seedlings basically emerge completely in 13 to 15d. After the seedlings emerge, loosen the soil and weed promptly, and thin and weed appropriately, paying attention to pest and disease control. When the seedlings are 4 to 5cm tall and have more than 2 primary leaves; they can be moved into nutrient bags. When the seedlings are about 40cm tall, they can be transplanted to cultivate large seedlings. When the seedling trunk diameter is 1m to 115cm, grafting can be carried out.Grafting Time
In the Panzhihua area, kapok should be grafted in February to March and June to July. In February to March, the temperature rises quickly, and kapok begins to sprout and shoot, so grafting at this time is easy to survive. In April to May, the temperature is high, which easily causes the scion to dry up. June to July is the period when the rainy season is more concentrated in the Panzhihua area, and the temperature drops somewhat, so rainy days should be avoided when grafting.Kapok Tree Grafting Techniques, Kapok Flower Propagation Methods
Image: Kapok Flower
[Common Questions] Kapok Tree Grafting Techniques, Kapok Flower Propagation Methods
[Expert Answer]
Cultivation of Rootstock
In the Panzhihua City area, kapok seeds mature in April to May and can be harvested then. Because the seeds have a high oil content and easily deteriorate and lose their germination capacity, it is generally required to sow them promptly in the same year after collection. For seedling bed raising, drilling and broadcasting are used. For drilling, the row spacing is 20cm and the depth is 5cm, and seeds are sown in the furrows. Cover with 2cm of soil, cover the surface soil with grass; germination begins 6 to 7d after sowing, and seedlings basically emerge completely in 13 to 15d. After the seedlings emerge, loosen the soil and weed promptly, and thin and weed appropriately, paying attention to pest and disease control. When the seedlings are 4 to 5cm tall and have more than 2 primary leaves; they can be moved into nutrient bags. When the seedlings are about 40cm tall, they can be transplanted to cultivate large seedlings. When the seedling trunk diameter is 1m to 115cm, grafting can be carried out.
Grafting Time
In the Panzhihua area, kapok should be grafted in February to March and June to July. In February to March, the temperature rises quickly, and kapok begins to sprout and shoot, so grafting at this time is easy to survive. In April to May, the temperature is high, which easily causes the scion to dry up. June to July is the period when the rainy season is more concentrated in the Panzhihua area, and the temperature drops somewhat, so rainy days should be avoided when grafting.
Selecting Scions
From kapok mother trees that have already flowered, select two-year-old current-year non-flowering branches that are robust, plump, have full buds and are free of pests and diseases as scions. The selected scions are required to have a diameter between 0.17cm and 1.2cm, with bud eye spacing of 1 to 2cm. After collecting the scion branches, the leaves must be cut off immediately to reduce water loss from the branches, and the branches should be wrapped in a wet towel and placed in a cool place, preferably used as soon as they are collected. When the scions need to be stored for several days, both ends can be sealed with paraffin and buried in a sand bed, covering with a sand layer 4cm to 6cm thick, and attention should be paid to moisture retention and ventilation.
Grafting Method
For kapok grafting, single-bud cut grafting is better. Experiments have found that no matter how many buds are left on the scion, after the first bud sprouts and shoots, the germination of the remaining bud eyes is inhibited. When grafting, first cut the scion. The method is: select a plump bud on the scion, and at 0.15cm from the lower end on the opposite side, start the knife to cut a flat surface 1.5 to 2cm long with slight or no xylem, cut a 45° slanted cross-section on the opposite side, and cut off 1cm above the bud, with the scion length being 4cm. For the rootstock seedlings, it is required to cut the stock at 15 cm above the ground, make a longitudinal cut on the smooth surface of the rootstock, with a length of 115cm to 2m, preferably with slight xylem, insert the prepared scion into the grafting incision, align and closely join the cambium on both sides, and leave the upper end of the scion exposed. Finally, tie it tightly with a plastic film strip from bottom to top, and wrap only one layer of grafting film at the bud eye of the scion, so that it is easy to automatically break the film after the graft survives.
[Editor's Comments] Kapok flower propagation has three methods: sowing, cuttings and division. The above is the kapok tree grafting and kapok flower propagation methods introduced to you by the editor of First Agricultural Economics. For more related materials, such as"How to Sow and Raise Kapok Flower Seedlings" and "Common Pest and Disease Control of Kapok Flower", please pay attention to the relevant columns or special topic channels of First Agricultural Economics. We will wholeheartedly provide you with more comprehensive and more professional materials!