What are the propagation methods for Chinese fringetree (Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum)?

Chinese fringetree has fairly strong adaptability, tolerating cold, drought and pruning, and it is also very well suited to wiring and shaping. Many plant enthusiasts now grow Chinese fringetree as potted plants indoors, which has a distinctive charm. Growing Chinese fringetree is not difficult, and it can be propagated by sowing, cuttings, grafting and air layering, all with very high survival rates.

Chinese fringetree

I. Seed propagation of Chinese fringetree:Select vigorous 9-10 year old mature plants, and from late September to early October, before the capsules have split open, pick them in batches; after harvesting, remove the husks, take the seeds and sow. Autumn-winter sowing is carried out in November-December, while spring sowing is best done in early March. Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water for 1-2 days, or soak them in 500 ppm gibberellin for 30 minutes. Choose well-drained, fertile, loose sandy loam or yellow loam for the seedbed, with a bed width of 1.2 m and a bed height of 15 cm, and sow in spots at a spacing of 5 cm x 10 cm. After sowing, cover with fine yellow soil or sand to a thickness of 1.5 cm, then cover with cogon grass. Seedlings generally emerge in about 25 days, during which attention should be paid to the prevention and control of damping-off. When the seedlings grow to about 15 cm, they can be transplanted. They bloom after 2-3 years of growth and bear fruit after 5-6 years. Seedling leaves show a serious reversion to green, so they are mostly not used for nursery stock production but mainly for variety breeding.

II. Cutting propagation of Chinese fringetree:Choose well-drained, sunny field soil or dryland soil with deep, fertile layers, and make a cutting bed 1.5 m wide, 10 cm high, with length following the terrain. The substrate is best mixed with 50% fine yellow mud, 10% damp sandy mud and 40% rice-husk ash. From vigorous mother plants, select thick, plump, well-developed branches with raised nodes and clearly prominent buds. According to the degree of lignification of the branches, cuttings can be divided into three types: softwood cuttings (or greenwood cuttings), hardwood cuttings and old-wood cuttings. Cuttings generally have 4-5 nodes and are about 10 cm long, retaining 1-2 upper leaves, with the base cut into a horse-ear shape. Then treat them for 5-30 minutes in a rooting agent such as 300 ppm naphthaleneacetic acid, 200-300 ppm ABT or 300-500 ppm indoleacetic acid, and immediately insert them into the moist substrate, with the insertion depth being 1/2-2/3 of the cutting length. After insertion, water thoroughly with a fine-hole watering can, then cover and seal with plastic film to maintain high temperature, high humidity and appropriate light and ventilation inside the frame. After 20-30 days, callus tissue forms from the wound at the lower end of the cutting, on which a large number of small roots sprout, and shoots and leaves emerge inside the frame; after 50 days more than 90% have rooted, at which point the film can be removed. Generally, the seedlings reach 15-20 cm in height in the same year and have 2-3 branches, and can be transplanted.

III. Grafting propagation of Chinese fringetree:The compatibility between red fringetree and fringetree is especially strong. Grafting is often used to make red fringetree bonsai and large-sized red fringetree landscaping nursery stock. Commonly used methods include: 1. Cleft grafting: grafting is best done in spring and autumn. From the middle and upper parts of vigorous mother trees, select one-year-old or current-year shoots with plump, well-filled buds and a certain thickness; each scion generally has 2-3 buds depending on internode length, with a total length of 2-2.5 cm being best. Choose the flat side as the long cut surface, cutting away the cortex with a slight bit of wood, with a length of 1.5-1.6 cm and a slant of about 15 degrees. The short cut surface is on the opposite side of the long cut surface, with a length one third of the long cut surface and a slant of about 60 degrees. The rootstock branch should be cut with a smooth cut surface, slanting slightly to one side. First make an angled cut upward on the lower sloping side, then cut straight down along the wood for 1.5-1.6 cm, and insert the prepared scion with its long cut surface facing inward and aligned with the cambium; if the size difference between rootstock and scion is large, it must be aligned with the cambium on one side. Then wrap and tie with a strip of plastic film, and put a plastic bag over the upper part of the scion. When the rootstock is many times larger than the scion, the mud-ball method can be used to seal the opening, that is, after grafting, wrap with a plastic strip but do not seal the top, then at the junction of rootstock and scion pinch moist fine yellow soil into a long oval mud ball, wrap it tightly with a 5 cun long, 4 cun wide plastic film, and tie it with string, leaving only a few leaves exposed outside the mud ball. This isolates the scion in the mud ball from the hot, dry external climate, increases the survival rate and extends the grafting period. 2. Bud grafting: this method is often carried out in summer and autumn, and common bud grafting includes the T-shape and H-shape. At the selected bud grafting site, cut a T or H shape deep to the wood, gently pry open the cortex to separate it from the wood, then on the scion branch cut off the leaf below that bud, leaving only the petiole, cut the bud into a shield-shaped bud piece with a little wood, about 1-1.2 cm long, then insert it into the T-shaped or H-shaped cut on the rootstock, leaving the petiole outside when wrapping. After 7-8 days, lightly touch the petiole with a finger; if it falls off immediately, it indicates that the grafting has survived. Management of grafted seedlings: after survival, untie the wrapping film, promptly remove sprouts and cut off the rootstock, strengthen loosening of the soil and weeding management, pay attention to drainage and irrigation in dry seasons, apply fertilizer appropriately in a timely manner, and carry out initial pinching and shaping as needed.

IV. Air layering propagation of Chinese fringetree:When a bud sport is found on a red fringetree plant, or when using thick red fringetree branches to cultivate small stock for miniature and mini bonsai, the mud-bag plus ABT(2) girdling air layering method is often used. In mid-April, the girdling width is 3-5 times the diameter of the layered branch, the ABT(2) concentration is 50 ppm, and the diameter of the plastic film mud bag used is 3-5 times the diameter of the layered branch, with a height 6-8 cm longer than the girdling width; the upper part of the bag is tied tightly to strictly prevent rain from seeping in. Cut it off in October of the same year and plant it in the nursery, with a survival rate of 80%-90%.

How to grow Chinese fringetree

Chinese fringetree, scientific name: Lorpetalum chindense var. rubrum, also known as red fringetree and red fringeflower. It is an evergreen shrub or small tree of the witch hazel family. It is mainly distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and areas to the south, and in northern India.

Chinese fringetree likes light and tolerates slight shade, but in shade the leaf color tends to turn green. It has strong adaptability and tolerates drought. It likes warmth and tolerates cold. It has strong sprouting and branching ability and tolerates pruning. It tolerates poor soil, but is suitable for growing in fertile, moist, slightly acidic soil. http://www.yuhuagu.com

During the growing season, apply a neutral foliar fertilizer diluted 800-1000 times as a foliar top dressing to Chinese fringetree, spraying 2-3 times a month to promote new shoot growth. In the plum rain season in the south, attention should be paid to maintaining good drainage; in the hot, dry season, ensure watering once in the morning and once in the evening, and combine it with water spraying at noon to lower the temperature; in northern regions, because the soil and air are dry, water must be given promptly to keep the soil moist, and in autumn, winter and early spring pay attention to spraying water to keep the leaves clean and moist.

Pruning. Red fringetree has the characteristics of strong sprouting ability and tolerance to pruning. Carrying out light and moderate pruning in growing seasons such as early spring and early autumn, combined with normal water and fertilizer management, can bring it into bloom after about 1 month, with a concentrated flowering period. This method can promote new branches and new leaves, make the tree shape more beautiful, extend the red period of the leaves, and can promote and control the flowering period. It is especially suitable for red fringetree bonsai participating in flower exhibitions and trade fairs, enhancing the exhibition effect and promoting product sales.

Leaf removal and shoot pinching. During the growing season, remove the mature leaves and branch tips of red fringetree; after about 10 days of normal management, tender shoots can be produced again and fresh red new leaves can grow.

Choose a sunny environment for cultivating Chinese fringetree, or thin out plants arranged to the southeast of and above the red fringetree, so that the red fringetree grows healthily in sufficient sunlight, making the flower color and leaf color more brilliant and thereby enhancing ornamental value.

Propagation methods for Chinese fringetree