Detailed Introduction to the Grafting Methods for Golden Privet
Golden privet (detailed introduction) is a fairly common foliage plant, often used as an accent in green-space flower beds or planted along both sides of roads, with very good results. Generally, golden privet can be trained into spherical, cloud-like, or tiered layered forms through grafting. Let me introduce the grafting methods for golden privet.
Golden Privet (Detailed Introduction)
I. Grafting time.Spring and autumn are the best seasons.
1. Spring grafting: When sap begins to flow in March to April, the time from grafting to survival is the shortest, and the survival rate is high. Cleft grafting, cut grafting, side grafting, and bark grafting can be used. Bark grafting is fast and has a high survival rate, and is a commonly used grafting method in nurseries in recent years.
2. Autumn grafting: Bud grafting is generally used. T-shaped budding is carried out from June to August, while patch budding is carried out in late summer and early autumn, from August to September. T-shaped budding is simple to perform and has a very high survival rate, and is the most commonly used budding method.
II. Scion.Choose vigorous branches from the outer part of the canopy that are fine, uniform, and free of pests and diseases as scions. It is best to collect and graft immediately, as this is more conducive to survival. If you cannot graft immediately after collection, store the scions in a low-temperature place with relatively high humidity after collecting them, cut off the leaves, and leave only the petioles.
III. Grafting.Two commonly used grafting methods are introduced here: bark grafting and T-shaped budding.
1. Bark grafting: (1) Cutting the rootstock. Cut off the trunk of the rootstock, smooth the cut surface, and use a knife to make a slanted cut at the edge of the cross-section, reaching the xylem. The cut surface should be smooth, flat, and made quickly. Below the cut, make a vertical cut through the bark reaching the xylem; the cut surface should be shorter than the cut surface of the scion. (2) Preparing the scion. Make a cut on one side of the lower end of the scion, about 3 to 4 cm, then make another cut on the side, about 2 cm. Peel open the bark of the rootstock, face the larger cut surface of the scion toward the xylem of the rootstock, and insert it between the bark layers. Leave about 0.5 cm of the scion exposed, align the cambium layers, and apply hand oil to the grafted area and the top of the scion. Tie tightly with plastic film to prevent rainwater from seeping in.
2. T-shaped budding: (1) Cutting the rootstock. At a suitable height on the rootstock where the bark is smooth, make a T-shaped cut reaching the xylem, with the horizontal cut 1 cm and the vertical cut 3 cm. (2) Preparing the bud: When cutting the bud, it is best to hold the branch sideways so the bud faces downward, choose a vigorous bud in the middle of the branch, and starting 1 cm from the bud, cut slightly into the wood from top to bottom (for the bud, this means from below the bud upward) until 2 cm from the other end of the bud, then make a horizontal cut to form a shield-shaped bud piece. Pry open the newly cut T-shaped opening on the rootstock, insert the bud piece of the scion so that the upper horizontal cut of the bud piece aligns closely with the upper horizontal cut of the rootstock, and then tie it. Bud grafting generally heals and survives after about one month.
Grafting and Management of Shaped Golden Privet
Golden privet has golden leaves and bright young foliage, and is excellent for arranging pattern flower beds and large color-block landscape groupings. To improve the ornamental value of golden privet, you can try using large-leaf privet as the rootstock and train it through grafting into spherical, cloud-like, or tiered layered forms. Planted as accents in green-space flower beds or along both sides of roads, the effect is very good. I. Grafting time. Spring and autumn are the best seasons for grafting.1. Spring grafting: When sap begins to flow in March to April, the time from grafting to survival is the shortest, and the survival rate is high. Cleft grafting, cut grafting, side grafting, and bark grafting can be used. Bark grafting is fast and has a high survival rate, and is a commonly used grafting method in nurseries in recent years.
2. Autumn grafting: Bud grafting is generally used. T-shaped budding is carried out from June to August, while patch budding is carried out in late summer and early autumn, from August to September. T-shaped budding is simple to perform and has a very high survival rate, and is the most commonly used budding method.
II. Rootstock. For golden privet, it is best to use large-leaf privet with a diameter at breast height of more than 3 cm as the rootstock. Larger rootstocks accumulate more nutrients, have a higher grafting survival rate, and the grafted seedlings grow rapidly, which is more conducive to rapid shaping. According to the shaping requirements, choose rootstocks of different specifications and different grafting heights. Rootstocks with a diameter at breast height of 3 to 4 cm can be trunk-cut at 1 m for grafting, while large-specification rootstocks can be trunk-cut at about 2 m. Shapes at different heights suit different landscaping requirements.
1. Tiered shaping: The rootstock should be selected from large-leaf privet with a good trunk form, straight and smooth, and a high branching point. Graft in layers at different heights. The first layer is about 40 cm from the ground, and the remaining layers are spaced 50 to 60 cm apart. The spacing of the top few layers can be appropriately reduced, and 3 to 4 branches are grafted at each layer. This makes it more conducive to rapid shaping after grafting.
2. Cloud-like shaping: The rootstock is required to have a naturally curved trunk form, and grafting is carried out at each bend point. After survival, it is pruned into layered pads, which is full of natural charm. For budding, large-leaf privet is required to be at a suitable height, with 4 to 5 branches retained as the rootstock. Evenly distributed, grafting on each branch is conducive to shaping.
III. Scion. Choose vigorous branches from the outer part of the canopy that are fine, uniform, and free of pests and diseases as scions. It is best to collect and graft immediately, as this is more conducive to survival. If you cannot graft immediately after collection, store the scions in a low-temperature place with relatively high humidity after collecting them, cut off the leaves, and leave only the petioles.
IV. Grafting. Two commonly used grafting methods are introduced here: bark grafting and T-shaped budding.
1. Bark grafting: (1) Cutting the rootstock. Cut off the trunk of the rootstock, smooth the cut surface, and use a knife to make a slanted cut at the edge of the cross-section, reaching the xylem. The cut surface should be smooth, flat, and made quickly. Below the cut, make a vertical cut through the bark reaching the xylem; the cut surface should be shorter than the cut surface of the scion. (2) Preparing the scion. Make a cut on one side of the lower end of the scion, about 3 to 4 cm, then make another cut on the side, about 2 cm. Peel open the bark of the rootstock, face the larger cut surface of the scion toward the xylem of the rootstock, and insert it between the bark layers. Leave about 0.5 cm of the scion exposed, align the cambium layers, and apply hand oil to the grafted area and the top of the scion. Tie tightly with plastic film to prevent rainwater from seeping in.
2. T-shaped budding: (1) Cutting the rootstock. At a suitable height on the rootstock where the bark is smooth, make a T-shaped cut reaching the xylem, with the horizontal cut 1 cm and the vertical cut 3 cm. (2) Preparing the bud: When cutting the bud, it is best to hold the branch sideways so the bud faces downward, choose a vigorous bud in the middle of the branch, and starting 1 cm from the bud, cut slightly into the wood from top to bottom (for the bud, this means from below the bud upward) until 2 cm from the other end of the bud, then make a horizontal cut to form a shield-shaped bud piece. Pry open the newly cut T-shaped opening on the rootstock, insert the bud piece of the scion so that the upper horizontal cut of the bud piece aligns closely with the upper horizontal cut of the rootstock, and then tie it. Bud grafting generally heals and survives after about one month.
V. Management after grafting
1. Check survival: For bud grafting, check survival about 15 days after grafting. If the petiole falls off at a light touch of the hand, it has survived; if the bud body turns black and the petiole does not easily fall off, it has not survived. For those that did not take, regraft immediately. For those that did not survive in branch grafting, select and retain one vigorous branch from the rootstock sprouts for cultivation, to be used for regrafting, and cut off all the remaining sprouts.
2. Remove sprouts: To concentrate nutrients for the healing of the graft union and to promote the vigorous growth of the new shoots that have taken, timely cut off the buds and sprouting shoots on the rootstock.
3. Remove the binding material: Once the graft is confirmed to have survived, remove the binding material promptly to avoid it constricting into the bark as the plant thickens, which would affect growth. For bud grafting, the binding material can generally be removed after about 20 days. Do not remove the binding too early, as this helps the grafted bud overwinter. For branch grafting, it is best to remove the binding material when the new shoot has grown to more than 20 cm. Removing the binding too early will cause the graft union to lose water and affect survival. If plastic bags are used to retain moisture, open them in time to ventilate and lower the temperature, then gradually remove them.
4. Cut the rootstock: After the bud graft has survived, cutting off the rootstock trunk and branches above the grafted bud is called cutting the rootstock. For bud grafting done in summer and autumn, the rootstock should be cut before sprouting the following spring. For early bud grafting in spring and summer, the rootstock can be cut at the time of grafting or immediately after the grafted bud survives. The cut for cutting the rootstock should be 0.3 to 0.5 cm above the grafted bud, and slightly slanted toward the back of the bud. If the cut is too high, it affects the healing of the cut surface; if too low, it damages the grafted bud and is not conducive to sprouting and new shoot growth.
5. Set up supports: In windy areas in spring, to prevent the new shoots that have taken from being broken by the wind, when the new shoots grow to 20 to 30 cm, set up supports and tie and secure them with rope. Note that the new shoots should not be tied too tightly, to avoid constricting and injuring them.
6. Other management: Mainly includes pest and disease control, fertilization and irrigation, and cold protection for the grafted seedlings, and can refer to the management techniques for field seedlings.
Method for Grafting Golden Privet onto Privet
Golden privet generally forms a ball at ground level. To improve its ornamental value, grafting can be used to raise itGolden privet ball. After experimentation, the author succeeded using large-leaf privet as the rootstock.
Grafting time: Carry out grafting in autumn when the weather is slightly cool and before the plant's second growth season arrives. Material selection for grafting: Select vigorous, pest-free tall-trunk large-leaf privet plants, and choose 4-5 branches per plant as rootstocks. On thicker branches of pest-free golden privet, select well-developed, plump buds as graft buds. Use the shield budding method, budding with wood. After grafting, wrap the entire wound layer by layer with plastic film to prevent infection. Generally, graft 8-10 bud points per large-leaf privet plant.
Management: After grafting is completed, manage normally, and the wound will begin to heal in about one month. In early April of the second year, after watering spring water, remove the wrapped plastic film and cut off the large-leaf privet branches 2 cm above the grafted buds. A few days later, the surviving golden privet buds begin to sprout. When the branches grow to about 10 cm, pinch off 2-3 cm from the tips.
Large-leaf privet and golden privet both belong to the Oleaceae family and the Ligustrum genus. The former is a very good landscaping sub-tree, but because it is common, it is often not valued. The latter belongs to the colored tree species and has been widely used by people in recent years. Because golden privet is a shrub, this limits its practicality. To expand the landscaping functions of both, the author uses the method of high grafting to make up for each other's shortcomings and achieve this goal. The steps are as follows:
In spring, branch grafting or bud grafting can be used (the sap has already begun to flow; before budding is best). Use large-leaf privet with a diameter at breast height of 3 cm to 4 cm as the rootstock, and golden privet as the scion. First, choose the height of the rootstock and the angle of the branches. On the inner side of the base of the rootstock branch, use a sharp knife to cut a slit about 2 cm long; it is best if the slit just reaches the xylem. The scion can be 3 cm to 5 cm long, cut with a knife into a regular wedge shape of about 2 cm. The slit on the rootstock should be slightly longer than the cut on the scion. Next, quickly and accurately align the cambium layers of the two. If the rootstock slit is too wide, two scions can be placed side by side. Then, use a plastic strip of moderate thickness and flexibility to wrap upward from the lower part of the rootstock slit. When wrapping the joint of the two, you can use a little more force; when wrapping up to the upper part of the scion where there is no slit, wrap it onto the rootstock with even pressure. At this time, be sure to wrap the scion tightly and securely, otherwise the scion is prone to drying out or healing incompletely. After grafting is completed, appropriately thin out some branches and leaves of the rootstock; this work can also be done before grafting.
For spring budding, use a knife to cut a slit about 2 cm long at a suitable position on the rootstock. When cutting the scion, bring along a certain amount of wood (not too thick), then align the cambium layers of the two and wrap upward from the lower part with a plastic strip. When wrapping around the bud point, use a little less force to avoid damaging the bud. Whether the bud point is exposed depends on the weather.
After about a week, you can tell whether it has survived. If it fails, you can start over. If the grafting succeeds, you can remove the plastic strip, then gently wrap it again. For branch grafting, the upper part may not be wrapped; for bud grafting, the bud point can be exposed to facilitate sprouting. Before the scion has sprouted, do not cut off all the branches and leaves of the rootstock, otherwise it will cause the rootstock to "smother its buds" or even die. At this time, retain a little more than 1/3 of the branches and leaves of the rootstock to help maintain physiological balance between the canopy and root system. When the scion buds grow to 1 cm to 2 cm, you can cut off all the branches of the rootstock and remove the plastic strip. In subsequent management, the main task is to remove sprouts on the rootstock. Some sprouts on the rootstock trunk can be retained, and their growth controlled by pinching, which also lays the foundation for future shaping. Sprouts at the roots and around the scion should be removed to avoid competing for nutrients and disrupting the tree shape.
The two have strong compatibility, the cuts heal well, and the grafted seedlings grow vigorously. If water and fertilizer are supplied and management is proper, the crown diameter can reach about 2 m in two years, with golden branches naturally drooping. The sprouts emerging from the middle and lower parts of the rootstock can be used for artificial shaping, either flat or spherical.