How to graft Shatang mandarin? A detailed explanation of the key grafting techniques

The best harvest time for Shatang mandarin is after October each year, which is why it is also called the October mandarin. The main production areas of Shatang mandarin are located in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions of China. It has a fresh, fragrant and delicious taste and is rich in vitamins, fructose and other nutrients as well as some elements essential to the human body. It is a fruit that is both tasty and highly nutritious. We usually grow Shatang mandarin by grafting. Although Shatang mandarin can also mature without grafting, after grafting its flowering period and fruiting period come earlier, and the fruit is also more stable. So how should Shatang mandarin be grafted? Below, Qinnong Web will introduce the grafting techniques for Shatang mandarin.

When we usually graft Shatang mandarin, the methods mainly adopted are single-bud cut grafting and single-bud side grafting. Qinnong Web will also mainly introduce these two methods here. Among them, cut grafting can usually only be carried out in spring, while side grafting has no specific seasonal restriction and can be carried out in any season of the year.

I. Single-bud cut grafting

1. Cutting the scion

For the scion, some well-growing autumn shoots are usually selected. When cutting the scion, first make the wider side of the branch face downward, cut away 1 to 2 plump buds near the branch portion, then choose a relatively plump bud, make a diagonal cut about 1 cm below it at an angle of 45°, then turn it over with the wider end of the branch facing upward, and starting from about 0.3 cm below the bud eye just selected, cut forward through the epidermal layer. Note that the cut surface should be flat and smooth, and must not carry epidermal woody layers. Finally, turn the scion sideways with the bud point facing upward, cut it off 0.2 cm above the bud eye, and place it in clean water to prepare for grafting.

2. Cutting the rootstock

Grafting can be carried out only when the diameter of the selected rootstock reaches 0.8 cm. Cut the rootstock off at 5-10 cm from the ground, and the cut position should preferably be chosen on a relatively smooth part. Then make a diagonal cut on the cut surface at an angle of 30° to 45° to the cut surface. On the lower side of the cut surface, at the junction between the epidermal layer and the xylem, make a vertical cut downward. The cut surface should also remain flat and smooth, and its length should be determined according to the scion made above, usually slightly shorter than the bud.

3. Grafting

When grafting, choose a rootstock and scion whose cut surfaces match relatively well in size and length. Place the scion into the bark layer cut open on the rootstock, and the cambium of the scion must be aligned with the cambium of the rootstock. If the cut surfaces of the rootstock and scion do not match in size, grafting is still possible, but at least one layer of the cambium of the rootstock must be kept tightly against the grafted bud of the scion, and the cuts of the scion and rootstock must also be kept tightly together.

II. Single-bud side grafting

Compared with single-bud cut grafting, single-bud side grafting is simpler to perform, is not limited by time, and has a higher survival rate. Moreover, even if one grafting fails, the side grafting method can still be used to supplement the grafting 1 to 2 times. The cutting method for the scion is roughly the same as that for single-bud cut grafting, and if it is cut into a through-head bud, it is even easier to keep tightly against the rootstock. The cutting method for the rootstock is also at 5-10 cm from the ground, using a grafting knife to gently push downward along the bark for 2 cm, with the depth just reaching the cambium and preferably exposing a little white. The cut surface is likewise required to be smooth and flat. Cut away a little more than half of the removed bark, place the grafted bud into the incision, match cut surface to cut surface, and finally fix it with string or plastic film.

The above is the introduction to Shatang mandarin grafting techniques prepared for you by Qinnong Web. As Qinnong Web has also introduced earlier, grafting Shatang mandarin has a certain beneficial effect on its flowering and fruiting, and the yield after grafting is also related to some extent to the quality of the rootstock. In China, red tangerine, sour tangerine, etc. are usually used as rootstock. Shatang mandarin grown this way bears early and has high yield, which is more conducive to improving the economic benefits of growers.