How to improve the survival rate of flower cuttings? These methods you need to master
Choosing cutting branches
The mother plant from which cuttings are taken should have good quality, grow vigorously, and be free of pests and diseases. On the same plant, choose current-year branches from the middle to upper part that face the sun, with shorter internodes, thick and strong stems and leaves, and plump buds. Do not use branches that are about to flower or leggy growth. On the same branch, hardwood cuttings should use the middle to lower part, while for chrysanthemums and similar plants the tender tip should be used.
Choosing cutting medium
This medium should have characteristics such as being easy to warm up, retaining water, and allowing airflow.
The cutting medium used for most types requires being loose and airy, free of undecomposed organic matter, and also free of salts. Commonly used ones include river sand, vermiculite, perlite, plain sandy soil, peat soil, rotten moss, rice husk ash, and sawdust. Whichever medium is used, it should be clean, with uniform, medium-sized particles. The medium in the cutting bed generally should not be spread too thick, otherwise it is not conducive to raising the medium temperature and affects rooting. After the scion of a grafted plant has taken shape, it sometimes needs to be taken off the rootstock and rooted as a cutting; a pot slightly larger than the plant can be used to root a single cutting directly.
Treating the cuttings
Treating with chemicals before cutting has the effect of promoting rooting. Softwood cuttings are generally cut into sections 8 cm to 12 cm long, bearing 2 to 3 buds, and the cut at the lower part of the cutting should be 0.5 cm below a node. The cut should be smooth; remove the lower leaves, keeping only 2 to 3 leaves at the top. The insertion depth is generally 3 cm.
Creating a rooting environment
The suitable temperature for rooting of most flowers is 20°C to 25°C; flowers native to the tropics require 25°C to 30°C or above, and generally soil temperature being 3°C to 5°C higher than air temperature is favorable for rooting. A relative air humidity of 80% to 90% in the cutting bed is favorable for rooting. Softwood cuttings require about 30% light. Moisture should be moderate, slightly greater at the early stage of cutting and slightly drier later.
Therefore, the suitable period for outdoor softwood cuttings in North China and other places is from mid-to-late June to mid-August. This period coincides with the rainy season in North China, which can better satisfy the temperature and humidity conditions needed for cutting rooting and is favorable for the survival rate of cuttings.
Management after cutting
Water after inserting, cover with plastic film, and place in a fairly shaded spot to prevent direct sunlight; but increasing light at night is favorable for cutting survival. Open the plastic film 1 to 2 times a day (if small holes have already been made in the film, it need not be opened), to replenish the needed oxygen and prevent disease.
Spray water frequently to keep the cutting bed moderately moist, but do not spray too much, otherwise the cutting bed will be too wet, affecting callusing and rooting of the cuttings; when the new roots of the cuttings have grown to 2 cm to 3 cm, they can be transplanted into pots at the right time.