Key Techniques for Raising Rose of Sharon Seedlings by Softwood Cuttings in Summer
Rose of Sharon is cultivated throughout China from southern Northeast China to South China, but mostly in the Yangtze River Basin. Rose of Sharon can bloom continuously for more than 3 months, flowering in the summer and autumn when few other plants bloom. It has a long flowering period, large flowers, and rich variation, with various flower forms and colors, making it an excellent ornamental flowering tree for gardens. Because of its strong suckering ability and tolerance to pruning, it is often planted in groups as flowering hedges, or used as a background for other low shrubs, or planted in clusters on lawns, in highway greenbelt medians, or at forest edges. Below, let us look at the cutting propagation techniques for Rose of Sharon.
Cutting propagation is one of the most commonly used propagation methods for Rose of Sharon. It has the advantages of simple operation, fast seedling growth, a high propagation coefficient, and low cost. Especially for some superior cultivars, cutting propagation ensures that their superior characteristics are not lost.
Environmental Conditions
The cutting site is a seedbed inside a greenhouse at the production base. The cutting container is a 72-cell tray, filled with a cutting substrate of vermiculite and perlite mixed at a 1:3 ratio. Before cutting, the substrate should be disinfected about 3 days in advance with a 1000-fold dilution of carbendazim, then covered with plastic film.
Cutting Time and Cuttings
The optimal time for softwood cuttings should be June to July, during the plant's vigorous growth period. Select healthy mother plants free of pests and diseases, and cut from the outer part of the plant one-year-old, vigorously growing, well-developed branches free of pests and diseases as cuttings. Using different growth positions or different branch segments of the same branch as cuttings will produce certain differences in rooting rate and rooting quality. Generally speaking, suckering branches from the base of the mother plant survive more easily and have better rooting quality than upper branches, and the upper segment of the same branch roots better than the lower segment. Cuttings should be taken and inserted promptly to prevent water loss and wilting. When preparing cuttings, cut the branches into 10-15 cm segments, leaving 2 plump buds and two small leaves per cutting. Cut the lower end into a horseshoe shape with the cut near a bud, and cut the upper end flat, with the cut about 1 cm from the lateral bud.
Cutting Method and Post-Cutting Management
Before cutting, uncover the plastic film covering the substrate and water thoroughly. Soak the cuttings in a 1000-fold dilution of carbendazim for 20 minutes for disinfection, then treat the lower portion with a 1000-fold dilution of Guoguang naphthaleneacetic acid for 30 seconds. Make holes with a small wooden stick and insert the cuttings to 1/3 of the substrate depth. To ensure humidity, after cutting, build an arched frame with steel wire, cover it with film, and put up a shade net. During the rooting process, observe the temperature inside the frame. The temperature for softwood cuttings should be maintained at 25°C-28°C, with 25°C being optimal, and humidity at 70%-80%. When the temperature exceeds 28°C, uncover the film for ventilation. Mist at regular times every day: every half hour during the midday high-temperature period, and once every hour at other times. To prevent summer rot, spray carbendazim once every 3-4 days within two weeks after cutting. Rooting begins 14-16 days after cutting. After rooting, increase light intensity and ventilation time, on the one hand to help them adapt to the external environment, and on the other hand to prevent leaves from becoming diseased under high temperature and high humidity. About 30 days after inserting the cuttings, the small seedlings can be moved into nutrient pots filled with nutrient substrate for cultivation.
Transplanting and Potting
When the roots of the cuttings have grown enough to be visible at the bottom of the tray, choose a cloudy day for transplanting. Preparation of the growing substrate: mix perlite and peat at a 1:3 ratio. After potting, water thoroughly, place in the greenhouse, and spray foliar fertilizer once every 10 days for 3 consecutive times, so the seedlings safely pass through the seedling recovery period.
Post-Planting Management
Softwood cuttings coincide with the summer high-temperature season. Because the nutrient pots have a small capacity, the potting soil dries out very easily, and the roots of newly potted seedlings are rather fragile. Therefore, water and fertilizer management after potting is very important. Within two weeks after potting, water once every 1-2 days; afterward, water once every 3 days until repotting. At the same time, do not water too frequently, to prevent root rot. Generally follow the principle of watering when dry and stopping when wet. Nutrient solution should be applied regularly. Generally, they can bloom in the same year, and after hardening off, they can be transplanted outdoors.
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Raising Rose of Sharon Seedlings by Softwood Cuttings in Summer
Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is a deciduous flowering shrub or small shrub of the genus Hibiscus in the Malvaceae family, with a plant height of 3-5 m. Flowers are borne on current-year branches, solitary in leaf axils, with a corolla diameter of 5-8 cm, trumpet-shaped or pinwheel-shaped, single, semi-double, or double, with flower colors including pale purple, purple-red, deep red, pink, red, white, blue, etc. The flowering period is June to October.
Rose of Sharon is cultivated throughout China from southern Northeast China to South China, but mostly in the Yangtze River Basin. Rose of Sharon can bloom continuously for more than 3 months, flowering in the summer and autumn when few other plants bloom. It has a long flowering period, large flowers, and rich variation, with various flower forms and colors, making it an excellent ornamental flowering tree for gardens. Because of its strong suckering ability and tolerance to pruning, it is often planted in groups as flowering hedges, or used as a background for other low shrubs, or planted in clusters on lawns, in highway greenbelt medians, or at forest edges.
Cutting propagation is one of the most commonly used propagation methods for Rose of Sharon. It has the advantages of simple operation, fast seedling growth, a high propagation coefficient, and low cost. Especially for some superior cultivars, cutting propagation ensures that their superior characteristics are not lost.
Environmental Conditions
The cutting site is a seedbed inside a greenhouse at the production base. The cutting container is a 72-cell tray, filled with a cutting substrate of vermiculite and perlite mixed at a 1:3 ratio. Before cutting, the substrate should be disinfected about 3 days in advance with a 1000-fold dilution of carbendazim, then covered with plastic film.
Cutting Time and Cuttings
The optimal time for softwood cuttings should be June to July, during the plant's vigorous growth period. Select healthy mother plants free of pests and diseases, and cut from the outer part of the plant one-year-old, vigorously growing, well-developed branches free of pests and diseases as cuttings. Using different growth positions or different branch segments of the same branch as cuttings will produce certain differences in rooting rate and rooting quality. Generally speaking, suckering branches from the base of the mother plant survive more easily and have better rooting quality than upper branches, and the upper segment of the same branch roots better than the lower segment. Cuttings should be taken and inserted promptly to prevent water loss and wilting. When preparing cuttings, cut the branches into 10-15 cm segments, leaving 2 plump buds and two small leaves per cutting. Cut the lower end into a horseshoe shape with the cut near a bud, and cut the upper end flat, with the cut about 1 cm from the lateral bud.
Cutting Method and Post-Cutting Management
Before cutting, uncover the plastic film covering the substrate and water thoroughly. Soak the cuttings in a 1000-fold dilution of carbendazim for 20 minutes for disinfection, then treat the lower portion with a 1000-fold dilution of Guoguang naphthaleneacetic acid for 30 seconds. Make holes with a small wooden stick and insert the cuttings to 1/3 of the substrate depth. To ensure humidity, after cutting, build an arched frame with steel wire, cover it with film, and put up a shade net. During the rooting process, observe the temperature inside the frame. The temperature for softwood cuttings should be maintained at 25°C-28°C, with 25°C being optimal, and humidity at 70%-80%. When the temperature exceeds 28°C, uncover the film for ventilation. Mist at regular times every day: every half hour during the midday high-temperature period, and once every hour at other times. To prevent summer rot, spray carbendazim once every 3-4 days within two weeks after cutting. Rooting begins 14-16 days after cutting. After rooting, increase light intensity and ventilation time, on the one hand to help them adapt to the external environment, and on the other hand to prevent leaves from becoming diseased under high temperature and high humidity. About 30 days after inserting the cuttings, the small seedlings can be moved into nutrient pots filled with nutrient substrate for cultivation.
Transplanting and Potting
When the roots of the cuttings have grown enough to be visible at the bottom of the tray, choose a cloudy day for transplanting. Preparation of the growing substrate: mix perlite and peat at a 1:3 ratio. After potting, water thoroughly, place in the greenhouse, and spray foliar fertilizer once every 10 days for 3 consecutive times, so the seedlings safely pass through the seedling recovery period.
Post-Planting Management
Softwood cuttings coincide with the summer high-temperature season. Because the nutrient pots have a small capacity, the potting soil dries out very easily, and the roots of newly potted seedlings are rather fragile. Therefore, water and fertilizer management after potting is very important. Within two weeks after potting, water once every 1-2 days; afterward, water once every 3 days until repotting. At the same time, do not water too frequently, to prevent root rot. Generally follow the principle of watering when dry and stopping when wet. Nutrient solution should be applied regularly. Generally, they can bloom in the same year, and after hardening off, they can be transplanted outdoors.
Key Points for Raising Spring Flowering Shrub Seedlings by Cuttings
Early March to mid-April is the suitable time for spring cutting propagation. In spring there is more rain, the air humidity is high, and the temperature is moderate, which is especially suitable for the formation of callus tissue at the cutting wound and for root differentiation; spring cuttings have a longer growing period, so seedlings meeting a certain specification can be produced in the same year. The key points for cutting propagation of several common flowering shrubs are introduced below:
Gardenia can be propagated in spring, summer, or autumn, but the survival rate is higher when cuttings are taken from March to April in spring. When cutting, cut one- to two-year-old tender branches from healthy mother plants, cut them into cuttings about 20 cm long, with more than 3 nodes per segment, remove the lower leaves, then place the lower cut end into a 500 ppm rooting powder solution for a quick dip of 15 seconds. Take them out, let the solution dry slightly, and then insert immediately. Before inserting, draw lines and mark points on the prepared seedbed at a row spacing of 10 cm × 7 cm, make holes at the points with a small wooden stick, then insert 2/3 of the cutting into the hole, press the surrounding soil firm, and water to retain moisture. After they survive, carry out weeding and topdressing management. When the seedlings grow to about 50 cm, they can be lifted from the nursery and planted out.
The suitable time for camellia cuttings is from early April to May. Choose current-year semi-lignified, brown branches, cut them into 10 cm to 15 cm cuttings with 3 buds, and cut the base below a node. Keep 1-2 leaves on the cutting. After cutting, immediately place the base in clean water to keep the cutting moist. Then tie every 50 to 100 cuttings into a bundle, soak the base in a 100 ppm naphthaleneacetic acid solution for about 24 hours, then take them out, rinse with clean water, and insert.
For rhododendron, select one-year-old branches as cuttings in spring, 4 cm to 12 cm long, and no longer than 20 cm at most. Keep the upper leaves of the cutting and remove the lower half of the leaves. Soak the lower half of the cutting in dilute sucrose water for 8 to 12 hours, then wash and insert; this can promote rooting. Soaking cuttings in a low concentration of 10 ppm to 20 ppm indolebutyric acid promotes rooting in species that root with difficulty. Insertion depth: insert shorter cuttings to 1/2, and longer cuttings to 2/3. After inserting, water thoroughly, then mist frequently to keep the cutting bed substrate moist.
Rose of Sharon is generally propagated by spring cuttings. When the temperature stabilizes above 15°C, select one- to two-year-old healthy branches that have not yet sprouted, and cut them into 15 cm to 20 cm segments. When cutting, prepare a small wooden stick, pre-make small holes according to the plant and row spacing, then insert the Rose of Sharon branches, with a burial depth of 10 cm to 15 cm, that is, a burial depth of 2/3 of the cutting; firm the soil, and water thoroughly immediately after inserting. Note that no base fertilizer should be applied when cutting.
Crape myrtle is propagated by hardwood cuttings from February to March. Select one-year-old strong branches as cuttings, 12 cm to 15 cm long, inserted 2/3 into the soil. They can root and survive by May, with a survival rate of more than 90%, and one-year-old seedlings can reach about 50 cm in height.
Osmanthus cuttings are mostly taken in February. To promote rooting and prevent disease, spray the mother trees with an 800-fold to 1000-fold trichlorfon solution 1 month before cutting, and disinfect with lime water 10 to 15 days before cutting. Before cutting, soak the base of the cuttings in a 10 ppm naphthaleneacetic acid solution for 8 to 10 hours. After cutting, water thoroughly immediately and maintain a certain humidity; a shade net can also be set up over the seedbed, and roots will form after about 2 months. Transplant once the second year, and lift from the nursery the third year.
For goji berry, from late March to early April, take healthy branches 0.4 cm to 0.6 cm in diameter or water sprouts from superior plants and cut them into 12 cm to 15 cm lengths as cuttings. Before cutting, soak the cuttings in naphthaleneacetic acid solutions of different concentrations; note that the cutting should not be immersed more than 3 cm above its base. Insert into the substrate at a plant and row spacing of 5 cm × 10 cm, with 1-2 upper nodes of the cutting exposed above the bed surface. After inserting, cover with plastic film to raise soil temperature and promote sprouting.