Improved Cuttage Propagation of "Geranium"

In cuttage propagation of geraniums, because their stems are semi-succulent and contain a lot of water, rot often occurs and affects survival. For this reason, over the past few years the author has made certain improvements in combination with heavy pruning after flowering, so that when cuttings are taken at that time, the survival rate can be markedly increased. The specific method is as follows:

Select thick, strong branches on the plant, and from the top tip downward, at intervals of every 4 to 6 true leaves, or cut sections 7 to 10 cm long, until reaching the height of the usual heavy pruning of the plant after flowering, and plan in advance to divide them into several cuttings. Then, at 0.5 cm below the stem node, carefully use scissors to make a ring cut or peel off the bark layer, with a width of 0.2 to 0.4 cm, taking care that the branch and leaves can still stand upright on the plant as usual. In this way, one branch, without being detached from the mother plant, can form 2 to 4 cuttings to be cut. Because the ring wound regulates nutrients and hormones, after 2 to 3 weeks of routine management, it can be seen that the terminal axillary buds of most cuttings below the top tip have been stimulated to sprout, and the ring wound has also dried, formed a callus, and healed on the mother plant. At this time, cutting can be carried out, and then the cuttings can be separated one by one, placed in a cool, ventilated place to dry for several hours, and after the cut surface of the cuttings has dried and formed a membrane, they can be inserted into pots prepared in advance with growing medium. After insertion, water thoroughly with clear water, and afterward water by the principle of drying before wetting again; then after three weeks all can root, and the survival rate can reach 100%. Such improved cuttage measures are of great practical significance for propagating excellent varieties and scarce varieties of geraniums, and for effectively utilizing the mother plant's branches.

The author's analysis suggests that the ring cutting and bark peeling before detachment, on the one hand, directly reduces the semi-succulent cut surface area of the cutting, and on the other hand, most importantly, blocks the polar flow of photosynthetic products from the leaves of the mother plant, so that the base of the cutting forms a valuable nutrient accumulation before being cut, or perhaps produces callus tissue along the edge of the wound, protecting the wound from infection and thereby promoting rapid rooting, playing an important role in its internal nutritional status.