Method for grafting onto Artemisia annua rootstock to cultivate tall, shaped chrysanthemums

  Artemisia annua can also be called cao hao, lin hao, yinchen hao, xie hao, and xiang hao. It mainly grows in low-altitude, moist riverside sandy areas, valleys, forest edges and other places. It has strong resistance to drought, waterlogging and disease, and strong stress resistance and adaptability. Today, what the editor mainly wants to talk about is not Artemisia annua, but the key points for grafting onto Artemisia annua rootstock to cultivate tall, shaped chrysanthemums.

  I. Cultivation of chrysanthemum mother plants

  1. Mother plant cultivation: In December of the first year and January of the second year, select robust, pest-free potted chrysanthemums (including tall-grafted chrysanthemums, large standing chrysanthemums, cliff chrysanthemums, and artistic chrysanthemums) as mother plants, and plant the perennial roots into prepared nursery land. The number of mother plants depends on the production demand for the coming year. Apply decomposed organic fertilizer or inorganic compound fertilizer to the nursery land.

  2. Labeling: Make variety labels and mark the mother plants by variety.

  3. Fertilizer and water management: After the mother plants sprout new buds at the Beginning of Spring in the second year, carry out good water and fertilizer management to promote their growth. For the mother plants of tall-grafted chrysanthemums, cliff chrysanthemums, and large standing chrysanthemums, during the growth period, spray 20 ppm of 920 auxin on evenings without rain each week to promote growth.

  II. Rootstock cultivation

  1. Sowing: After Artemisia annua seeds mature in mid-October of the first year, they can be collected and sown. Of course, Artemisia annua seedlings can also be dug from the wild in November-December of the second year. Which method to choose can be decided according to one's actual situation.

  2. Transplanting: Transplant Artemisia annua seedlings grown from sowing or dug from the wild into round clay pots with a diameter of 10-12 cm in November-December for cultivation, and strengthen fertilizer and water management. During cold, low-temperature weather, move the potted plants into a warm shed or set up a plastic arched shed to prevent freezing.

  3. Rootstock classification: In March-April of the second year, classify according to individual differences in Artemisia annua, and use them respectively for grafting tall-grafted chrysanthemums, large standing chrysanthemums, cliff chrysanthemums, and artistic chrysanthemums. For rootstocks used to graft tall-grafted chrysanthemums, select Artemisia annua individuals that are tall, have no tillering or few tillers at the root, and have strong apical growth dominance. For rootstocks used to graft large standing chrysanthemums, select Artemisia annua individuals with moderate height and many root tillers. For rootstocks used to graft cliff chrysanthemums, select Artemisia annua individuals that are tall, have no tillering or few tillers at the root, and have strong apical growth dominance. For rootstocks used to graft artistic chrysanthemums, select Artemisia annua individuals with a short, sturdy plant type and many branches. Rootstock classification can be based on the shaping design of each potted chrysanthemum, shaping the main stem and side branches of the rootstock.

  III. Grafting

  1. Selection of mother plants: For layered tall-grafted chrysanthemums, large-flowered varieties with a flower diameter >10 cm or medium-flowered varieties with a flower diameter of 6-10 cm should be selected; for non-layered tall-grafted chrysanthemums, small-flowered varieties with a flower diameter <6 cm should be selected. For large standing chrysanthemum mother plants, select varieties with long, soft branches and pure flower color, such as Tianjiale and Mohe. For cliff chrysanthemum and artistic chrysanthemum mother plants, select varieties with short branches and small but abundant flowers, such as Mantianxing.

  2. Grafting: The grafting time is based on when the number of scions meets the grafting needs of each potted chrysanthemum. For tall-grafted chrysanthemums and cliff chrysanthemums, start as early as possible from the end of March; for large standing chrysanthemums, wait until the tiller branches grow to about 60 cm before starting. Artistic chrysanthemums can be grafted earlier or later, but no later than the beginning of August. Scions should be selected from robust, pest-free, semi-lignified young chrysanthemum shoots, generally when the young shoots have unfolded 3-4 leaves. Use the cleft grafting method during grafting. Cut off the top of the Artemisia annua rootstock branch, split downward about 1 cm from the exact center of the branch, and make symmetrical slanted cuts on both sides of the chrysanthemum scion. For tall-grafted chrysanthemums, cut the top 3-5 cm from the top of the side branch of the Artemisia annua main stem, then insert the scion into the rootstock. After inserting the scion into the rootstock, wrap tightly with plastic film and observe the survival situation. For those that do not survive, regraft them.

  IV. Cultivation

  After grafting, cultivate according to the normal cultivation methods for each potted chrysanthemum until the chrysanthemums wither. Among them, tall-grafted chrysanthemums can be cultivated to a height of 500-700 cm, cliff chrysanthemums can be cultivated to a height of 200 cm-400 cm, and large standing chrysanthemums can be cultivated to a height of 200 cm-300 cm. They can be used for celebrations or exhibitions to create a festive, lively, tall, and spectacular scene and atmosphere.

Grafting time for potted chrysanthemums and grafting methods for potted chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemum is a perennial herbaceous plant with extremely varied varieties and brilliant, beautiful colors. None of that is the main point. The most important thing is that it can actually still bloom in winter. Using Artemisia annua to graft chrysanthemums can not only solve the problems of chrysanthemums being prone to lodging and excessive vegetative growth, but also change the traits of chrysanthemums, increasing the flower diameter by 70%-75% compared with before grafting, thickening the flower stem by 20%-35%, and reducing the height of the chrysanthemum by 20%-30%, thereby improving the commercial value and ornamental value of chrysanthemums. So how are potted chrysanthemums grafted? Today we will introduce the method for grafting potted chrysanthemums.

Grafting time for potted chrysanthemums

Grafting time for potted chrysanthemums: After the rootstock is transplanted into the pot and the rootstock seedlings have recovered, let them grow for 20-25 days before grafting. Grafting must be carried out on sunny days from 9:00 to 16:00, when the survival rate of grafting is high.

Grafting methods for potted chrysanthemums

1. Preparation before grafting

1.1 Preparation of rootstock: From the end of May to the beginning of June, transplant robust, pest-free wild Artemisia annua or wild mugwort with soil into flower pots so that they grow normally.

1.2 Preparation of scions: Select current-year young shoots of chrysanthemums that are robust, have similar flowering periods, and full flower shapes as scions. The thickness of the scion should be similar to that of the rootstock. The scion is about 8-10 cm long and has 3-4 buds.

After the scions are collected, prune them immediately, remove the basal side branches and leaves, cut them into scions according to specifications, and then graft. Scions that are not all used for grafting should be immediately soaked in water, or they can be grafted as they are collected.

2. Grafting methods

2.1 Grafting method: Use the cleft grafting method. Cut the lower part of the scion into a wedge shape 2-3 cm long, with a smooth, flat cut surface. Cut off the main stem of the rootstock at a height of 8-12 cm, then make a vertical cut in the center of the rootstock main stem to form a slit 2-3 cm long. Then quickly dip the prepared wedge-shaped scion and rootstock in 100 ml/L No. 7 GGR (Shuangjier), immediately insert the scion into the rootstock main stem, align the cambium, quickly tie it tightly and firmly with plastic film from top to bottom, and then cut off the sprouts and leaves at the base of the rootstock branches.

The shape of the chrysanthemum after grafting can be adjusted according to actual needs. If a spherical flower is needed, first cut off the main top of the rootstock to promote a large number of side branches. When the side branches grow to a certain extent, graft all at once according to the spherical surface. If a pagoda-shaped flower is needed, graft in layers, grafting 1 layer about every 10 days until grafting is complete.

3. Management after grafting

3.1 Bagging: After grafting is completed, to improve the survival rate of grafting, put the prepared plastic film bag over the entire grafted seedling to protect the grafted plant from losing too much water and to facilitate healing of the graft union.

3.2 Removing sprouts: After grafting, as the temperature rises, the rootstock is very likely to grow sprouting branches and buds. To avoid the rootstock competing with the scion for nutrients and water and affecting the survival of the scion, all rootstock sprouts must be removed to improve the grafting survival rate.

3.3 Watering: After grafting, water thoroughly immediately before bagging. Water again when the soil in the pot turns yellow. Do not cause root rot of the scion or physiological drought and death due to too much or too little watering.

3.4 Untying: 20-30 days after grafting, for scions that have survived, the tightly tied plastic film can be loosened. Remember, only loosen the tightly tied plastic film slightly; do not untie it. This prevents the graft union from splitting due to incomplete healing from untying too early, thereby reducing the grafting survival rate. When the new branches grow to 15-18 cm, they can be untied.

3.5 Thinning branches and buds: After the grafted seedlings survive, they will grow many side branches. Therefore, weak or excessive side branches should be removed to avoid competing for nutrients and affecting flower quality. Generally, keep 3-4 robust side branches. After the chrysanthemum forms buds, keep 1-2 flower buds with vigorous growth at the top of each branch, and remove excess flower buds. For grafted chrysanthemums used for shaping, attention should be paid to the order of grafting.

To make the flowering period uniform, after the earlier grafted ones survive, immediately pinch them to promote side branches, and then pinch them together with those grafted later. After the flowers form buds, use wire or bamboo branches as supports, put on wire rings and fix them to the rings, and then shaped chrysanthemums with different flower colors can be made.

Chrysanthemum is a typical short-day flower, and the flowering period can be adjusted by increasing or reducing sunshine duration. To make it bloom earlier, control light during the growth period, with 8-10 hours of sunshine per day, but shading must be strict and cannot be interrupted. To delay flowering, add electric light in August-September to extend the daily light period. When flowering is needed, stop lighting and it will slowly form buds and bloom.

3.6 Fertilizer and water management: Mix loess with sawdust, leaves, rapeseed cake, stove ash, etc. in proportion, then compost. After composting and decomposition, spray with 0.2% potassium permanganate solution to moisten and disinfect. Add 0.5 kg of diammonium phosphate to 100 kg of nutrient soil, mix thoroughly, and put it into flower pots as a cultivation substrate. If this nutrient soil is used as the substrate, no nutrient management is needed during the chrysanthemum growth period, and only watering is needed for regulation.

3.7 Pest control: After the chrysanthemum forms buds and until the flowering period, aphids are very likely to occur. Move the flower pots outdoors and spray with DDV 1500 times solution, which has a short residual period and low toxicity, for the best effect. Indoors, use nicotine solution from soaked cigarettes for control, but the cigarette nicotine solution should not be too concentrated, otherwise it will harm the flowers. This method is both environmentally friendly and effective.

How to graft chrysanthemums