Grafting Propagation and Domestication Cultivation Key Points for Golden Persimmon Ornamental Fruit Bonsai
Golden Persimmon, also known as Thorn Persimmon, Black Persimmon, or Bottle Orchid Flower, belongs to the Ebenaceae family, Diospyros genus, an evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub plant, reaching 10 m in height, with breast-height diameter of 30-80 cm, flowering from April to May, and fruiting from August to October. Today, the editor will specifically explain the grafting propagation techniques and domestication cultivation key points for Golden Persimmon ornamental fruit bonsai.
1 Biological Characteristics
1.1 Branch and Leaf Growth Characteristics
In March, Golden Persimmon buds begin to sprout; mid-April is the leaf unfolding stage; mid-to-late April is the leaf growth stage; mid-April is the leaf color change stage; mid-April is when new shoots begin to grow.
1.2 Requirements for Environmental Conditions
Golden Persimmon prefers a mild environment with ample sunlight. It has some cold tolerance but is not drought-tolerant. It has wide adaptability to soil and can grow in acidic, alkaline, and neutral soils.
2 Grafting Seedling Technology
2.1 Grafting Period
Due to different varieties and regions, grafting times vary. Generally, early spring before bud break is the most suitable.
2.2 Grafting Methods
Grafting methods: approach grafting, branch grafting, and bud grafting - 3 types, generally with branch grafting as the main method.
2.3 Grafting Techniques and Steps
2.3.1 Rootstock selection: Select 1-2 year old branches that grow upright, are full and solid, with a thickness of 0.5-2.5 cm as rootstock.
2.3.2 Scion selection: Select branches from the outer canopy that are robust, free of pests and diseases, with plump buds, upright, with a thickness of 0.3-1.2 cm, from the middle and middle-upper parts.
2.3.3 Cutting the rootstock: From 3-10 cm above the base, cut flat, then use a sharp knife to select a smooth surface and make a vertical cut downward, separating the cortex from the xylem. The cut surface should be 1.5-3.0 cm long, slightly longer than the scion surface, and remove 1/3 of the cortex.
2.3.4 Cutting the scion: On an upright branch, at 1.5 cm below a plump bud in the middle or middle-upper part, make a 45°-50° cut reaching deep into the xylem, then cut from 0.5-0.8 cm above the bud.
2.3.5 Inserting the scion: Insert the prepared scion into the rootstock cut with the cambium layers aligned. If the rootstock cut surface is wide, just align one side of the cambium. There must be no gap at the union surface between rootstock and scion. Wrap the retained cortex around the outer side of the lower end of the scion.
2.3.6 Wrapping: When wrapping, pay attention to the direction of the film. If the scion is aligned to the left side of the cut, wrap the film clockwise; if the scion is aligned to the right side of the cut, wrap counterclockwise. After wrapping, put a small transparent bag over it to help retain moisture and prevent rain.
2.4 Management After Grafting
Promptly remove sprouts on the rootstock; when the grafted bud grows 1-2.5 cm, remove the bag; when new shoots reach 10-20 cm, pinch the tips; after branching, continue pinching or cutting back at 10-20 cm. Generally, 3-4 pinchings are needed, which helps the Golden Persimmon plant bloom and fruit the following year; remove the film only after new shoots have grown for 4-5 months.
3 Cultivation of Wild Golden Persimmon Ancient Tree Stumps
3.1 Preparing Planting Soil
Planting soil configuration: Mix mountain forest peat soil or garden soil, rotted sawdust, and fine river sand in a ratio of 3:(0.8-1.2):(1.8-2.2). At the same time, an appropriate amount of fungicide can be added to the planting soil.
3.2 Cultivation Time
Cultivation time: From November to April of the following year. Note that the excavation time should not be too long, and the freshness of the tree stump must be maintained.
3.3 Cultivation Methods
3.3.1 Pruning: For ancient tree stumps, keep or remove stems according to the target shape. When pruning, minimize the cut surface as much as possible, and apply preservative or bandage the cut. Root pruning should remove split roots, roots with overly large wound surfaces, and overly long roots. It is best to retain fibrous roots. Pruning cuts should be smooth, and after pruning, apply rooting agent.
3.3.2 Tree body treatment: Spray the entire plant with 0.128%-0.167% concentration carbendazim 2 times. After the water evaporates, wrap the trunk and branches entirely with film to retain moisture. For the roots, mix yellow subsoil:water:rooting powder in a mass ratio of 5:(0.8-2.2):(0.03-0.1) into yellow mud slurry and attach it tightly. Fill the inner cavity of the tree roots with yellow mud slurry to prevent the roots from being hollow inside when filling soil during planting, and to prevent poor contact between roots and soil, which would affect the survival rate.
3.3.3 Planting: When planting, choose a well-drained area for mound planting. The soil around the tree stump should be firmed. When filling soil, use a wooden stick to poke the soil tight and firm. When the mound is 2/3 filled, water thoroughly, then fill with soil and water thoroughly again. Finally, cover with a layer of dry soil about 0.6-0.7 cm thick to retain moisture.
3.4 Management After Cultivation
After planting, observe soil moisture at all times and keep the soil moist. During continuous high temperatures, spray water on the trunk in the morning and evening to cool it down and increase air humidity. When new branches are about 18-22 cm long, pinch the tips 3-4 times. In late May when temperatures rise, provide shade treatment.
Grafting Techniques for Golden Persimmon
Grafting Techniques for Golden Persimmon
Golden Persimmon, scientific name Diospyros armata, also known as Bottle Orchid, Thorn Persimmon, Bottle Orchid Flower, is a semi-evergreen or evergreen shrub of the Ebenaceae family, Diospyros genus. The stems of Golden Persimmon are sturdy and upright, naturally twisted, with a color like iron, suitable for making tree stump bonsai. Golden Persimmon blooms pale yellow flowers in April, with flower shapes resembling bottles and fragrance like orchids, hence also called "Bottle Orchid Flower"; after flowering, fruits set in May, and after October, green fruits turn orange-red or orange-yellow, shaped like pellets, hence called "Golden Persimmon". The fruits persist through the following spring without falling; the leaf surface is dark green, leathery and glossy: it is an ornamental flower beauty in fruit, flower, and leaf. The tree stump bonsai of Golden Persimmon has high economic value.
I. Origin and Variety Differences of Golden Persimmon
Golden Persimmon is distributed and cultivated in East China, South China, and Central China. Currently, those marketed and exhibited are mainly from Sichuan, Hunan, and Hubei, but the Golden Persimmons from the two lakes (Hunan and Hubei) differ. Sichuan Golden Persimmons have small leaves and many fruits; as long as they reach the cultivation age, very small stumps (small and miniature bonsai) can also bear fruit in pots. Golden Persimmons from the two lakes are divided into three types: large-leaf, medium-leaf, and small-leaf. Large-leaf has small fruits, medium-leaf has large fruits, and small-leaf has medium fruits. Some small stumps cultivated for many years rarely bloom and fruit. The biggest characteristic of two-lake Golden Persimmons is that they do not shed leaves in winter. From New Year's Day to Spring Festival each year, fruiting Golden Persimmons change from green to red among the green leaves, with red and green contrasting, iron-like trunks and twisted branches, full of vitality.
II. How to Identify Male and Female Dioecious Golden Persimmon
Because Golden Persimmon is dioecious, potted Golden Persimmons have two types: those that bear fruit and those that do not. After years of observation and research, the author found that from tree shape, trunk bark color, leaf shape, leaf color, and leaf vein analysis, the sex of the tree stump cannot be accurately determined. Only by observing the flowers of Golden Persimmon can male and female be accurately distinguished. Male plants have two or more flowers under each leaf bud, with flower shapes like small lanterns, flower bases without claws, and when the flowers open, male stamens and pollen are visible. Female plants have only one to two flowers under each leaf bud, larger in size than male flowers, with four leaf-like flower claws wrapping the flower center in a triangular shape. After blooming, the flower claws open like persimmon flowers, and young fruits are visible inside the flowers.
III. Propagation, Cultivation, and Management of Golden Persimmon
1. Seed propagation: After the 15th day of the first lunar month, pick mature fruits, extract the seeds, wash them clean and dry them. In early April, soak them in hot water at about 30°C for 48 hours, then remove and place in a container that can drain water, cover with two layers of gauze, like making bean sprouts, and pour clean water over the seeds once a day until the seeds open and sprout, then sow them in a prepared seedbed. After conventional management, after three years, the seedling plants can be used to make small bonsai.
2. Cutting propagation using female plant branches: Whether current-year new branches or old branches, both can root. The key to successful rooting is paying attention to the season, which is mid-April each year. Secondly, ensure the cutting bed environment is humid and the cuttings are fresh. If conditions permit, place the cutting bed in full sun, spray the cutting bed during the day, and stop at night. If conditions do not permit, place the cutting bed in a bright, ventilated, half-shade half-sun location. Spraying four times a day with a sprayer can ensure the survival rate of Golden Persimmon cuttings. Using cutting branches to make small bonsai, they can bear fruit after three years.
3. Digging old stumps from the wild: From November of the previous year to April of the following year is suitable. Under the premise of protecting the natural ecological environment, professionals can plan to dig in the mountains. After bringing the old stump down the mountain, first soak it in clean water for two hours, then bury about 1/2 of the stump in sand and soil, water thoroughly to settle the roots. Afterward, as long as the environment is kept moist, the branches can grow to one meter in the same year. In March of the following year, it can be dug up for potting, pruning, and shaping. In three to four years, it can become a basically formed tree stump bonsai.
4. Routine maintenance and management. For shaping Golden Persimmon, metal wire can be used to set the main trunk and main branches. Subsequent management is mainly pruning with auxiliary wiring. For potting, use river sand, leaf mold, and loess in a 4:4:2 ratio. After planting, water thoroughly once, place in a cool place for half a month, then normal management can begin. After new buds emerge, apply decomposed fertilizer liquid once a month. The ratio of fertilizer liquid to water is 1:10. Apply more fertilizer in spring and autumn, less in summer, and none in winter. Watering should keep the potting soil on the moist side. In summer, water thoroughly every night. In spring, autumn, and winter, water only when the potting soil is dry, and water thoroughly when watering.
5. Fruit-bearing cultivation: Because Golden Persimmon is dioecious, during the flowering period of Golden Persimmon, try to ensure that there are male plants blooming near female plants to facilitate natural pollination and increase the fruit-bearing rate. If there are no male plants blooming near female plants, artificial pollination can be carried out. When the female flowers fall, the fruit is already attached to the flower base. At this time, spray 1:800 potassium dihydrogen phosphate twice at half-month intervals to improve fruit set rate. In the ninth lunar month, similarly spray 1:600 urea water twice, which can make the fruits large and glossy. Golden Persimmons cultivated and managed by this method, from October of the previous year to February of the following year, have lush branches and leaves, with red fruits covering the branches, giving people a feeling of harvest, joy, and peaceful beauty.
6. Grafting techniques for Golden Persimmon: Because the tree sap of Golden Persimmon oxidizes and turns black quickly, the season must be chosen well. April is better (may vary by region; the best is when the bud to be grafted is sprouting but has not yet leafed out). Choose a cloudy day just after rain (sap is sufficient, and the grafted bud will not dry out too quickly). The rootstock should be at least as thick as a little finger (if thicker, the union surface is larger and survival is easier, and the bud grows faster). The bud branch should be as thick as a chopstick, straight, 1-2 years old, with buds spaced about 4 cm apart. Old and tender ones will not survive, so do not use them. Take a section of bud, leave 0.5-1 cm above and about 3 cm below. Use a small knife (must be sharp) to cut downward straight along the xylem layer of the rootstock to separate the bark, with a distance equal to the grafted bud, leaving 1 cm of bark below. Also cut off the bark on the opposite side of the grafted bud with a straight knife. Cut the lower part and the broken surface into an angle less than 45 degrees. Insert the bud into the rootstock; there must be no gap at the union surface. Then wrap the retained bark around the lower part of the bud branch, and bind tightly with plastic strip (be careful not to damage the bud). The upper bud opening should be sealed to prevent water evaporation. After finishing, put a small transparent bag over it to prevent rain. Note the following: 1. Use the knife in one go; if a supplementary cut is needed, it must be flat, with no debris. 2. The knife must be sharp and disinfected; do not touch the cut with hands, as hands have sweat. 3. After grafting, if sunlight is strong, shade it to prevent it from dying from sun exposure. It must not contact water; contact with water means death, so a bag must be used.
How to Make Bonsai Golden Persimmon Bear More Fruit
In the spring of 1990, I bought a Golden Persimmon bonsai at a flower market. In early 1993, I temporarily placed it at a friend's house for cultivation. This bonsai, from 1992 to the present, has bloomed every year without bearing fruit. In the autumn of 1993, I bought another Golden Persimmon. In 1995 and 1996, it bloomed more but bore little fruit. At the end of 1996, I moved to a first-floor residence with a backyard and placed both pots of Golden Persimmon in the yard at the same time. In 1997, flowering and fruiting were noticeably more than in previous years. In 1998, I intentionally placed the two pots of Golden Persimmon 20 cm apart. During flowering, I counted the flowers of the fruiting bonsai at over 140, and the flowers of the non-fruiting bonsai at about 100. In summer, there were more than 100 green fruits, and by autumn when the fruit color was golden, there were still over 80.
After actual comparative observation of the two pots of Golden Persimmon bonsai, it is believed that:
1. When male and female Golden Persimmons are placed together, pollination is good and fruit bearing is also greater;
2. The leaf shapes of male and female Golden Persimmon plants differ, and their flower shapes have relatively large differences.