How to propagate Four-Season Osmanthus? Comparison of three methods, spring is the right time for flower lovers to get started

Four-Season Osmanthus is the variety best suited for potted ornamental display among all osmanthus cultivars. Its crown is elliptical, its branches develop robustly, the plant is relatively short with many branches and green or green-yellow leaves, and the flowers are lemon-yellow or yellowish-white with a long blooming period. It can bloom in other seasons apart from severe cold and extreme heat, but it blooms most profusely in autumn. There are two cultivated types: Large-Leaf Four-Season Osmanthus and Sand-Leaf Four-Season Osmanthus.

Four-Season Osmanthus can be propagated by cuttings, air layering, and grafting. But in recent years, cutting propagation has been the most commonly used.

Osmanthus: Several key steps should be mastered for potted osmanthus

1. Cutting method

Before spring sprouting, cut one-year-old well-developed branches into 5 cm long cuttings, keeping only the upper two or three green leaves, then insert them into a bed (or pot) of river sand or vermiculite, with shading above.

It can also be done in summer after new shoot growth stops, by taking green branches of the current year and inserting them in the same way. If the base of the cuttings is soaked in butyric acid solution for about 5 minutes, dried, and then inserted, the survival rate can be improved and rooting can be greatly accelerated.

Leaf cuttings in a Four-Season Osmanthus nursery

After cutting, water promptly and cover with plastic film and a sunshade net or straw curtain. If no water droplets are found inside the film and the bed surface is dry with the topsoil turning grayish-white, spray water promptly to maintain moisture. Water thoroughly, but not excessively, otherwise the soil easily becomes compacted and bacteria breed, causing the cuttings to rot. After insertion, uncover the film every 5-6 days to replenish water, and combine this with spraying 0.1% thiophanate-methyl or carbendazim. Spray 2000 times diluted carbendazim solution once every 7 days to prevent the cuttings from being infected by bacteria and causing cortex rot. Always maintain the permeability of the nursery site to prevent the young roots of the cuttings from rotting due to lack of oxygen; loosen the soil promptly after rain to ensure the soil is loose and breathable, which helps rooting, but be careful not to touch the cuttings. Spray 0.2% urea or potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution once every 10 days to promote root and new shoot growth of the cuttings. For one- to two-year-old branches, notch or girdle them, then enclose the notched area with a split bamboo tube, flower pot, thick paper tube, or plastic film, filling the gap inside with rice husk ash, moss, potting soil, perlite, and other materials, keeping it moist frequently, but water should not be excessive. After rooting, it can be cut away from the mother plant. The high-pressure bag made of plastic film generally has an inner diameter of 4-5 cm and a length of 8-10 cm. The notch and girdling site is below the node, where rooting is easy, and the width of the phloem stripped is 1-2 cm.

2. Air layering method

It is mostly carried out before spring sprouting, and can also be done during summer growth; doing it during the plum rain season also gives good results. According to experiments, wintersweet roots in 40-50 days, and rose in 20-30 days. During air layering propagation, rooting generally takes a long time, about 3-4 months. After cutting away from the mother plant, it must be placed in a shady and cool place and cared for for a period before transplanting.

Note that the soil used for layering must be loose, moist, and rich in organic matter, and must be pressed firmly against the layered branch. After layering, keep it moist frequently; the soil must not be short of water or dry, otherwise survival and rooting will be affected. In severe cold winter areas, it must be wrapped with straw, cotton, etc. for cold protection, and the layered branch must not be frozen. The rootstocks mainly used for grafting Four-Season Osmanthus include privet, ash, lilac, and fringetree. The disadvantage of privet as a rootstock is that its root system is too developed, making it unsuitable for potting, and it blooms late. The disadvantage of ash as a rootstock is its short lifespan, and it easily sheds leaves in winter and blooms less. With lilac as a rootstock, the trunk is thick on top and thin at the bottom, giving the tree a top-heavy form. Fringetree as a rootstock has good compatibility, drought and cold resistance, strong adaptability, and a long lifespan, with trees living over a hundred years. Therefore, the most suitable rootstock for grafting potted osmanthus is fringetree.

3. Grafting techniques

1. Bud grafting

This method is especially suitable when the rootstock is thick and both the rootstock and scion are not easy to peel.

2. Branch grafting

Branch grafting can be done during the dormant period, but is usually done in spring and autumn, mostly using cut grafting and cleft grafting. According to the different grafting positions, it can be divided into soil grafting (basal grafting) and side grafting.

3. Approach grafting

Bring the main trunk of the rootstock close to a suitable osmanthus branch for grafting, and cut a smooth cut surface of about 3 cm on each at suitable positions, reaching a depth of about 1/3 of the diameter. Bring the two cut surfaces together, with at least one side of the cambium aligned, and bind firmly with plastic film strips. This method is suitable during the peak growth season, generally from June to July. After grafting, it can heal in about 30 days, but it is best to separate it from the mother plant after the flower buds are plump.

Approach grafting of Four-Season Osmanthus

4. Management and care

For potted Four-Season Osmanthus, it is best to use dried fishpond mud crushed into a granular structure as the potting soil. When planting, it is best to apply some dried chicken manure as base fertilizer and water thoroughly to settle the roots.

In management and care, accumulated water in the pot should be poured out promptly during the rainy season. During the blooming season, do not water too much, otherwise the flowers easily drop. Usually, adhere to the principle of "water when dry, stop when wet," and in winter appropriately control watering to keep it merely moist. In addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer, regular topdressing should be applied; usually a liquid fertilizer mainly based on nitrogen fertilizer can be used as topdressing.

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