How to Improve the Survival Rate of Red-Leaf Cherry Blossom Cuttings
The most effective method for rapid propagation of red-leaf cherry blossom is to use grafting propagation techniques. If larger specimens of mountain cherry, downy cherry, or cherry trees are used for scion grafting or bud grafting, only two to three years of cultivation are needed for them to take shape and achieve a good landscape effect. The best time for grafting red-leaf cherry blossom in regions south of the Yangtze River Basin is from December of each year to before February of the following year.
1. Preparation of Grafting Materials
(1) Binding strips: Select plastic film of suitable thickness and strong elasticity (able to gradually contract and recover after being stretched). Roll it into more than ten layers, then cut it into strips with trimming scissors, with a width of about 0.8 cm. After cutting, cut them into small segments about 10 cm long, and bundle them into small bundles for later use.
(2) Other supplies: ① Wet cloth: used to cover, transport, and temporarily store scions. ② Small bottles or jars: used to temporarily hold scions during grafting to prevent them from losing water, so they can be taken and used as needed.
2. Preparation of Scion Materials
(1) Scion collection: Select current-year shoots with pure variety, robust growth, bright color, and no pest or disease damage. The best collection time is early morning. When cutting the scions, the cut should be smooth, and care should be taken not to damage the scion bark. The collected scions should immediately be wrapped in a wet cloth. During bundling and transport, care should be taken to avoid bruising and scratching the scions.
(2) Scion storage: ① Place bundles of scions with the tips facing upward in woven bags, tie a rope to the bag, and hang it in a water well. First dip the base of the scions in water, then lift them above the water surface. Generally, they can be stored for about one week. ② Dig a pit in a shaded area, with length and width sufficient to hold the scions. Bury them with moist soil and cover the top with weeds for shade. They can also be stored for about one week. ③ When there are few scions, a basin can be filled with half a basin of clean water, and the bases of the scions can be immersed in the water and stored in a cool place. Change the water once every 1 to 2 days, and they can be stored for several days.
3. Bud Grafting
(1) Select a plump, fresh bud in the middle of the scion. Make a horizontal cut 0.5 cm above the bud (when cutting, use the blade to roll slightly less than half a turn around the scion), deep enough to reach the xylem. Then, starting from about 0.8 cm below the bud, cut diagonally upward, gradually deepening the cut together with the xylem, and stop the knife when reaching the upper horizontal cut above the bud (during operation, do not grip the stick too tightly to avoid damaging other buds). Gently pinch both sides of the bud with the thumb and index finger, and slowly pry off the bud bark, taking care not to pinch or damage the bud body. The removed bud body is shield-shaped, about 1.2 to 1.5 cm long and about 0.5 to 0.7 cm wide. On the inner side of the bud piece, two points can be clearly seen: the lower one is the petiole attachment point, and the upper one is the bud growth point. Any bud whose growth point has turned black, brown, or yellow, or has fallen off or been scratched, cannot be used.
(2) Rootstock: When using a large-sized plant as the rootstock, it must be pruned as a whole before grafting according to the desired shape. The pruning cuts should be wrapped with film to prevent water evaporation. After pruning and shaping, select the grafting site according to actual needs, and then carry out the specific grafting operation. The specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Select a smooth, node-free area 10 to 15 cm below the pruning cut and make a horizontal cut (roll the blade slightly less than half a turn), just deep enough to cut through the bark without damaging the xylem. Then make a vertical cut downward from the horizontal cut, 1.5 cm long (slightly longer than the bud), with the same depth as the horizontal cut, forming a T shape. Then use the knife to twist left and right along the vertical cut to pry open the bark.
Step 2: While using the knife to pry open the bark, hold the bud with the left hand, gently press the rootstock down to an angle, and insert the bud while prying with the knife. When inserting the bud, do not rub it against the rootstock, so as to protect the growth point and make the upper surface of the bud fit tightly with the upper surface of the T-shaped opening on the rootstock.
Step 3: After grafting is completed, wrap it with plastic strips. Requirements: First, tie it tightly so that the bud and rootstock are closely combined with no gaps. Second, wrap it securely; the T-shaped opening must be tightly covered and not exposed. This not only prevents water evaporation and helps the bud survive, but also prevents pests from laying eggs in the wound, whose hatched larvae bore and cause damage, leading to the death of the bud. Third, be quick; this is the key to graft survival. The exposure time of the bud should be minimized as much as possible, and the operation technique should be skilled to increase grafting speed. When tying, hold one end of the binding strip with the left hand, wrap two or three turns downward from the upper end of the T-shaped opening to cover the lower cut, then wind upward in a spiral so that the upper and lower layers overlap, and finally cross the two ends of the binding strip upward, pull tight, and tie a knot. The advantage of this binding method is that it can prevent rainwater from entering and causing bud rot. It can also be combined with pruning the rootstock to cut the knot of the binding strip, so no special unbinding is needed, saving time and labor.
How to Improve the Survival Rate of Red-Leaf Cherry Blossom Cuttings
Red-leaf cherry blossom is a variety of the magnificent cherry blossom, belonging to the Rosaceae family. It is a deciduous small tree with purple-red leaves for three seasons and large pink double flowers. In early spring, the emerging leaves are dark red; from May to July, the leaves are bright red; later the old leaves gradually turn dark purple; and in late autumn during the frost season, the leaves turn orange-red. Cherry blossom is a famous ornamental plant. Red-leaf cherry blossom can be enjoyed both for its flowers and its leaves, and is a valuable ornamental colored-leaf tree species used in landscape gardens and urban greening to replace purple-leaf sand cherry and red-leaf plum. It is distributed across North China, East China, South China, the Central Plains region, and most areas of Northeast and Northwest China, where it has a wide tradition of cultivation. Answer from the Technical Department of Hangzhou Xiaoshan Lvyuan Nursery Stock Delivery Co., Ltd.: The most effective method for rapid propagation of red-leaf cherry blossom is to use grafting cultivation techniques. If larger specimens of mountain cherry, downy cherry, or cherry trees are used for scion grafting or bud grafting, only two to three years of cultivation are needed for them to take shape and achieve a good landscape effect. The grafting time for red-leaf cherry blossom varies according to the method used. Under normal circumstances, when the scion method is used, the best time in regions south of the Yangtze River Basin is from December of each year to before February of the following year. The grafting technique is briefly introduced below.1. Preparation of grafting materials (1) Binding strips: Select plastic film of suitable thickness and strong elasticity (able to gradually contract and recover after being stretched). Roll it into more than ten layers, then cut it into strips with trimming scissors, with a width of about 0.8 cm. After cutting, cut them into small segments about 10 cm long, and bundle them into small bundles for later use. (2) Other supplies: ① Wet cloth: used to cover, transport, and temporarily store scions. ② Small bottles or jars: used to temporarily hold scions during grafting to prevent them from losing water, so they can be taken and used as needed.
2. Preparation of scion materials (1) Scion collection: Select current-year shoots with pure variety, robust growth, bright color, and no pest or disease damage. The best collection time is early morning. When cutting the scions, the cut should be smooth, and care should be taken not to damage the scion bark. The collected scions should immediately be wrapped in a wet cloth. During bundling and transport, care should be taken to avoid bruising and scratching the scions.
(2) Scion storage: ① Place bundles of scions with the tips facing upward in woven bags, tie a rope to the bag, and hang it in a water well. First dip the base of the scions in water, then lift them above the water surface. Generally, they can be stored for about one week. ② Dig a pit in a shaded area, with length and width sufficient to hold the scions. Bury them with moist soil and cover the top with weeds for shade. They can also be stored for about one week. ③ When there are few scions, a basin can be filled with half a basin of clean water, and the bases of the scions can be immersed in the water and stored in a cool place. Change the water once every 1 to 2 days, and they can be stored for several days.
3. Bud grafting (1) Select a plump, fresh bud in the middle of the scion. Make a horizontal cut 0.5 cm above the bud (when cutting, use the blade to roll slightly less than half a turn around the scion), deep enough to reach the xylem. Then, starting from about 0.8 cm below the bud, cut diagonally upward, gradually deepening the cut together with the xylem, and stop the knife when reaching the upper horizontal cut above the bud (during operation, do not grip the stick too tightly to avoid damaging other buds). Gently pinch both sides of the bud with the thumb and index finger, and slowly pry off the bud bark, taking care not to pinch or damage the bud body. The removed bud body is shield-shaped, about 1.2 to 1.5 cm long and about 0.5 to 0.7 cm wide. On the inner side of the bud piece, two points can be clearly seen: the lower one is the petiole attachment point, and the upper one is the bud growth point. Any bud whose growth point has turned black, brown, or yellow, or has fallen off or been scratched, cannot be used. (2) Rootstock: When using a large-sized plant as the rootstock, it must be pruned as a whole before grafting according to the desired shape. The pruning cuts should be wrapped with film to prevent water evaporation. After pruning and shaping, select the grafting site according to actual needs, and then carry out the specific grafting operation. The specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Select a smooth, node-free area 10 to 15 cm below the pruning cut and make a horizontal cut (roll the blade slightly less than half a turn), just deep enough to cut through the bark without damaging the xylem. Then make a vertical cut downward from the horizontal cut, 1.5 cm long (slightly longer than the bud), with the same depth as the horizontal cut, forming a T shape. Then use the knife to twist left and right along the vertical cut to pry open the bark.
Step 2: While using the knife to pry open the bark, hold the bud with the left hand, gently press the rootstock down to an angle, and insert the bud while prying with the knife. When inserting the bud, do not rub it against the rootstock, so as to protect the growth point and make the upper surface of the bud fit tightly with the upper surface of the T-shaped opening on the rootstock.
Step 3: After grafting is completed, wrap it with plastic strips. Requirements: First, tie it tightly so that the bud and rootstock are closely combined with no gaps. Second, wrap it securely; the T-shaped opening must be tightly covered and not exposed. This not only prevents water evaporation and helps the bud survive, but also prevents pests from laying eggs in the wound, whose hatched larvae bore and cause damage, leading to the death of the bud. Third, be quick; this is the key to graft survival. The exposure time of the bud should be minimized as much as possible, and the operation technique should be skilled to increase grafting speed. When tying, hold one end of the binding strip with the left hand, wrap two or three turns downward from the upper end of the T-shaped opening to cover the lower cut, then wind upward in a spiral so that the upper and lower layers overlap, and finally cross the two ends of the binding strip upward, pull tight, and tie a knot. The advantage of this binding method is that it can prevent rainwater from entering and causing bud rot. It can also be combined with pruning the rootstock to cut the knot of the binding strip, so no special unbinding is needed, saving time and labor.
Key Points of Spring Flowering Plant Cutting Techniques
Gardenia can be propagated in spring, summer, or autumn, but cuttings taken in spring from March to April have a higher survival rate. When taking cuttings, cut 1- to 2-year-old branches from robust mother plants, cut them into cuttings about 20 cm long, each with more than 3 nodes, remove the lower leaves, then dip the lower cut end into a 500 ppm rooting powder solution for 15 seconds, take them out and let the solution dry slightly, then insert them immediately. Before inserting, draw lines and mark points on the prepared seedbed at a row spacing of 10 cm x 7 cm, make holes at the points with a small wooden stick, insert 2/3 of each cutting into the hole, press the surrounding soil firmly, and water to retain moisture. After survival, 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 best time for camellia cuttings is from early April to May. Select current-year semi-lignified, brown branches, cut them into 10 cm to 15 cm cuttings with 3 buds, and cut at the lower node. Keep 1 to 2 leaves on each cutting. After cutting, immediately place the base in clean water to keep the cuttings moist. Then bundle every 50 to 100 cuttings into a bundle, soak the bases in 100 ppm naphthaleneacetic acid solution for about 24 hours, then remove and wash with clean water before inserting.
For azaleas, select 1-year-old branches as cuttings in spring, 4 to 12 cm long, no longer than 20 cm. Keep the upper leaves of the cutting and remove the lower half of the leaves. Soak the lower half of the cuttings in dilute sucrose water for 8 to 12 hours, then wash and insert them to promote rooting. A low concentration of indolebutyric acid at 10 ppm to 20 ppm can also be used to soak the cuttings, which promotes rooting in varieties that are difficult to root. For insertion depth, shorter cuttings should be inserted 1/2 deep, and longer cuttings 2/3 deep. After insertion, water thoroughly, and then spray water frequently to keep the substrate moist.
Hibiscus is generally propagated by spring cuttings. When the temperature stabilizes above 15°C, select robust 1- to 2-year-old branches that have not yet sprouted, and cut them into small segments 15 to 20 cm long. When inserting, prepare a small wooden stick, pre-make small holes according to the plant and row spacing, then insert the hibiscus branches, with a soil insertion depth of 10 to 15 cm being best, and water thoroughly immediately after insertion. Note that no basal fertilizer should be applied when inserting.
Crape myrtle is propagated by hardwood cuttings from February to March. Select 1-year-old strong branches as cuttings, 12 to 15 cm long, insert them 2/3 deep into the soil. They can take root and survive by May, and 1-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 tree with 800 to 1000 times diluted trichlorfon solution 1 month before cutting, and disinfect with lime water 10 to 15 days before cutting. Before inserting, soak the bases of the cuttings in 10 ppm naphthaleneacetic acid solution for 8 to 10 hours. After inserting, water thoroughly immediately and maintain a certain humidity. A shade net can also be set up over the seedbed. They can take root after about 2 months. Transplant once the following year, and lift from the nursery in the third year.
For goji berry, from late March to early April, take robust branches 0.4 to 0.6 cm in diameter or water sprouts from superior plants, and cut them into 12 to 15 cm long cuttings. Before inserting, the cuttings can be soaked in naphthaleneacetic acid solution; note that the cutting should not be immersed more than 3 cm from its base. Insert into the substrate at a plant and row spacing of 5 cm x 10 cm, with 1 to 2 upper nodes of the cutting exposed above the bed surface. After inserting, plastic film can be used as mulch to raise soil temperature and promote sprouting.
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