How to Propagate Osmanthus? Detailed Guide to Common Propagation Methods and Techniques
When cultivating osmanthus, if pruning and shaping are neglected over a long period, the tree will grow deformed. For such trees, targeted pruning should be carried out. (1) For plants that have grown very tall with sparse branches and leaves on the lower part, the upper 2/3 or 3/4 of the main trunk can be cut off to encourage the lower trunk to send out new branches. In the following year, if water sprouts and mispositioned...
There are many propagation methods for osmanthus; the commonly used ones include grafting, layering and cuttings.Grafting propagation: Rootstocks can be glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum), Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), Chinese ash (Fraxinus chinensis) and fringetree (Chionanthus retusus), etc. For mass propagation, Chinese privet is mostly used in the north. Before bud break in spring, cut off the rootstock 5 cm above the ground, take 1- to 2-year-old strong osmanthus branches 10 to 12 cm long, and cut both sides of the base into 45-degree slants. Make a vertical cut about one third of the way along one side of the rootstock, 2 to 3 cm deep. Insert the scion into the cut, align the cambium layers, tie tightly with a plastic bag, and bury in soil for cultivation. Grafting with Chinese privet as rootstock gives a high survival rate and fast growth, but tends to form a "small foot" condition.
Potted osmanthus is mostly propagated by approach grafting, using fringetree as the rootstock. Approach grafting should be carried out during the growing season; select a scion and rootstock of similar branch thickness, cut a prism-shaped notch on a suitable part of the scion, reaching deep into the xylem. Cut a notch on the rootstock matching the size of the scion, bring the two cut surfaces together, fit the cambium layers closely, and tie tightly with plastic strips. After healing, cut off the rootstock above the graft union and the scion below it.
Cutting propagation: Before bud break in spring, select well-developed one-year-old branches and cut them into 5 to 10 cm lengths. Remove the lower leaves, keep 2 to 3 leaves at the top, and insert into a river sand or loess seedbed at a plant-to-row spacing of 3 x 20 cm. After insertion, water promptly and shade, maintaining a temperature of 20°C to 25°C and a relative humidity of 85% to 90%; roots will form in 2 months.
Layering propagation: It is divided into two types, simple layering and air layering. Simple layering requires selecting a low-branching or clumping osmanthus mother plant; from spring to early summer, cut or girdle the lower 1- to 2-year-old easily bendable branches with a sharp knife, reaching deep into the xylem, press them into a 3 to 5 cm deep trench, and fix them with wooden sticks. For the air layering method, in spring select 1- to 2-year-old branches from the mother tree, girdle them, then wrap the wound with growing medium and tie a plastic bag tightly around it. During the cultivation process, keep the medium moist at all times; after roots form in autumn, cut the layer away from the mother plant.
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