How to propagate potted plum blossoms by grafting? Detailed methods and precautions
How to grow potted plum blossoms? How to graft potted plum blossoms? How to manage them after grafting? Plum grafting is a commonly used breeding method in gardens. Wild apricot can be used as the rootstock and Saint Rose plum as the interstock to graft plum blossoms. The main technical points are introduced below.
1. Time
It is advisable to graft in mid-March of spring when the temperature rises, the plant sap flows, and the temperature is 8-15°C.
1.1 Scion selection
① Selection of the rootstock. Choose 3-year-old wild apricot with a ground diameter of about 5 cm, robust growth, and no pests or diseases as the rootstock.
② For the interstock, select 1-year-old Saint Rose plum wood as the interstock scion.
③ For the plum scion, select 1-year-old Feng Hou Mei wood with strong cold resistance.
2. Grafting methods
2.1 Use the cleft grafting method
① Cut off the wild apricot rootstock horizontally at 20 cm above the ground, split the middle of the smooth surface, and form a 3.5 cm long slit.
② Cut 1-year-old Saint Rose plum wood into 15 cm sections as the interstock scion, sharpen one end into a double-sided horseshoe-shaped slant, insert it into the rootstock slit, align the cambium of the interstock scion with the cambium of the rootstock, and tie it tightly with plastic strips as the interstock scion.
③ Then split the upper end of the interstock scion to form a 3.5 cm long slit.
④ Finally, cut 1-year-old Feng Hou Mei wood into 10 cm sections as the scion, sharpen the lower end into a double-sided horseshoe-shaped slant, insert it into the interstock slit, align the cambium of both, and finally tie and wrap it tightly with plastic strips.
3. Management after grafting
After the graft survives, promptly remove buds and pinch off growing tips to encourage branching, increase growth, and promote flower bud differentiation, so that flower buds form in the same year and abundant flowering occurs the next year; apply base fertilizer or foliar fertilizer, mainly topdressing phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, so that the plant concentrates fertility, promotes nutrient absorption, promotes maturity, and enhances overwintering ability; pest and disease control, routine production management, etc.
Using wild apricot as the rootstock has the advantages of a well-developed root system, fast growth, robust growth, strong resistance, and resistance to pests and diseases. Using Saint Rose plum wood as the interstock has the advantages of robust growth, fast growth, strong resistance, frost resistance, and abundant flowering. Using Feng Hou Mei wood as the scion has the characteristics of strong cold resistance, early flowering, beautiful flower shape, and high ornamental value. In one season, the rootstock, interstock, and scion are connected in a one-time "double" linkage, improving breeding efficiency.
The above is all the content about plum grafting today. If you also grow plum blossoms at home, then you must master the knowledge and take good care of them!
How to grow wintersweet? Wintersweet growing methods and precautions
[Common questions] How to grow wintersweet? Wintersweet growing methods and precautions
[Expert answer]
Wintersweet planting
(1) Field planting.For field planting of wintersweet, choose a sheltered and sunny location. Transplanting is mostly done in winter and spring, and the roots of the seedlings must be kept with a soil ball. Before planting, apply sufficient manure, barnyard manure, or decomposed soybean cake, etc. in the planting hole as base fertilizer. After applying the base fertilizer, cover it with a thin layer of soil to separate it, then place the seedling and fill with soil. After planting, water promptly and prune appropriately.
(2) Pot planting.For potted wintersweet, the growing medium should be loose, fertile, humus-rich sandy loam. After potting, water thoroughly promptly, place it under a shade shed to recover for about one month, then place it in a courtyard or on a balcony in a sunny place for care.
Care points:
1. Fertilization
Field-planted wintersweet can be managed somewhat extensively. Generally, from June to September each year, apply liquid fertilizer once every 20 days (bone meal and cake fertilizer can be soaked in water and fully decomposed before use), which can ensure good development of branches, leaves, and flower buds.
For potted wintersweet, topdressing should be done frequently to promote the formation of a large number of flower buds; otherwise, flowering will be sparse. Generally, from May to June each year, apply decomposed cake fertilizer water once every 7 days, with a fertilizer-to-water ratio of 3:10. From July to August is the flower bud formation period of wintersweet, and fertilization can be done once every 15-20 days, and the concentration of the fertilizer water should be thinner, with a fertilizer-to-water ratio of 1:5 being best. This helps flower bud differentiation. The fertilizer applied must be fully decomposed, otherwise it will cause root rot. After autumn, apply dry cake fertilizer once more to meet the nutrient needs during flowering. After entering winter, keep the potting soil somewhat dry and stop fertilizing, otherwise the flowering period will be shortened.
2. Watering
For field-planted wintersweet, water once before early winter, apply fertilizer once after the flowers fade, and water once. Normally, do not water, and only water moderately when the weather is too dry.
For potted wintersweet, watering should follow the principle of watering only after the soil has dried thoroughly. Do not water too much, and the potting soil should not be too wet; but it should not be too dry either, because if it is too dry, flowering will be uneven.
3. Temperature and light
For potted wintersweet, move it indoors in December. If the room temperature is high, it can bloom before New Year's Day; but if the room temperature is low, the flowering period can be delayed until around the Spring Festival. After flowering, move it to a cool place to prevent premature sprouting of new shoots and leaves, which would affect flower bud differentiation and be unfavorable for flowering the following year.
4. Shaping and pruning
Wintersweet has strong sprouting ability, so prune promptly after flowering. Generally, cut off the part of the flowering branch above 20 cm, and shorten the elongated branches from the previous year, leaving 1-2 pairs of buds. This allows nutrients to concentrate on producing new branches and creates favorable conditions for producing brightly colored, large flowers the next year.
5. Propagation
Wintersweet can be propagated by sowing, layering, grafting, division, and other methods. The sowing method is generally not used because it is difficult to maintain the original excellent characteristics of the flower. The grafting method is used more often, and grafting includes cut grafting and approach grafting, with cut grafting being the most commonly used.
The time for cut grafting is around mid-March, preferably when the leaf buds of wintersweet have just sprouted to the size of a grain of rice. If you wait until the leaf buds have grown too large or have already produced leaves before cut grafting, it will be difficult to survive. Cut grafting usually uses seedlings of dog-tooth wintersweet as the rootstock, and precious varieties such as Suxin or Pankou wintersweet as the scion. The scion should be selected one month in advance from 1-year-old stout and relatively long branches, and their tips should be cut off so that nutrients can concentrate on the buds in the middle section of the branch. The scion should be 7-8 cm long, retaining 1-2 pairs of buds. When cutting the scion, do not cut too deep; it is best to retain a little xylem. Cut the rootstock at 5-6 cm above the ground, cut downward from 1/3 of the rootstock diameter, splitting 4-5 cm, insert the wintersweet scion into the rootstock cut, and align the cambium. After joining, tie it firmly with soft hemp bark, then seal the rootstock and scion together with loose soil until the top of the scion is covered. After that, keep the soil moist. After 1 month, loosen the covering soil and check whether it has survived. If it has survived, remove other new buds on the rootstock to promote the growth of the grafted bud. Then still cover it with loose soil to prevent the newly grafted tender buds from dying due to wind and sun. After another month, gradually remove the soil and let the bud seedlings gradually receive sunlight. Wintersweet propagated by this method grows vigorously and can reach about 50 cm in the same year.
6. Pest and disease control
(1) Diseases.During conventional cultivation of wintersweet, high temperature and high humidity in summer make it prone to bacterial diseases such as brown spot disease and leaf spot disease. For control, spray with 500 times diluted carbendazim solution. In addition, strengthen daily management and do good prevention work.
(2) Insect pests.Pests that damage wintersweet include mites, leaf-eating insects, and trunk-boring insects.
Control methods:For trunk-boring pests, comprehensive control methods can be used. In early July, the newly hatched larvae have poor pesticide resistance, so 1000 times diluted 90% trichlorfon solution can be injected into the trunk borer holes to poison the larvae. For wintersweet with low pest density, insert poison sticks into the insect holes. In September, during the peak emergence period of adults, use light traps to kill adults.
[Editor's comments] Wintersweet is one of China's traditional precious ornamental flowers and trees. It originated in central China and is now cultivated in various places. It blooms in late winter. Nowadays, many people make it into bonsai to decorate their homes. I believe many friends also want to know how to grow wintersweet. The above is the wintersweet growing methods and precautions compiled for you by the First Agricultural Economics editor. I hope it is helpful to you.
Plum blossom planting methods
Flower Bonsai Network Flower Care Column: Plum blossom planting methods will introduce to you the cultivation methods of plum blossoms, how to grow plum blossoms well, and pest and disease control of plum blossoms
Plum blossom belongs to the Rosaceae family and is a tree-type flower
[Ornamental value of plum blossoms]
Flowers open before leaves, with a delicate fragrance. There are more than a hundred varieties, and flower colors include white, pink, red, and purple, among others. It is a traditional famous flower of China. The flowering period is 1-2 months. The leaves are elegant and the branches are beautiful, simple and refined, and it is often used as a potted stump bonsai.
[Plum blossom habits]
(1) It likes sunlight. If kept in a shady place for a long time, it will bloom sparsely.
(2) It is suitable for warm and humid conditions, and suffers cold damage below -18°C. It is sensitive to air pollution and grows poorly in urban environments.
(3) It likes moisture and fears waterlogging, and is suitable for well-drained sandy loam.
[Key cultivation points for plum blossoms]
(1) For propagation, graft good varieties onto peach rootstock.
(2) The potting soil uses 6-7 parts garden soil mixed with 3-4 parts charcoal ash.
(3) After sprouting, control potting soil by watering when dry and stopping when wet. In early summer during flower bud differentiation, watering should be temporarily delayed. In summer and autumn, keep the soil moist and not too dry. After leaf fall, if it is not too dry, no watering is needed. In deep winter and early spring during the flowering period, it should be slightly wetter than after leaf fall. In short, the potting soil should not be too wet, otherwise root rot is likely.
(4) Do not fertilize after leaf fall. Apply fertilizer once after flowering, and topdress appropriately once from late August to September. Fertilizer can be decomposed oil cake water or human feces and urine.
(5) Prune in winter or after flowering. For young trees, cut appropriately and leave longer branches to encourage more branches to grow. For old trees, prune somewhat heavily, and consider beautiful shape when deciding the length of retained branches and the direction of growth (see Q&A 69-70 for details).
(6) In spring, summer, and autumn, potted flowers should be placed in a sunny place to facilitate ventilation and light transmission and reduce pests and diseases.