How to propagate purple leaf plum

Purple Leaf Plum Propagation Method: Bud Grafting

To choose a suitable rootstock, you can use the seedlings of purple-leaf plum or peach, wild peach, hairy peach, apricot, wild apricot, plum, plum, etc. In comparison, peach rootstock has strong growth momentum and its leaves are purple-green in color, but it is afraid of waterlogging; apricot and plum have a long lifespan, but are also afraid of waterlogging; plum as a rootstock is more resistant to waterlogging. Apricot, peach and wild peach are the most common rootstocks in North China. The rootstock for grafting is generally a two-year-old seedling, preferably one specially cultivated for rootstock. It should be pruned before grafting, leaving only a 5 to 7 cm stump above the ground. In mid-to-late June, the bud position is determined on the branch selected for the scion. The grafted bud should be full, without dry tips and diseases and insect pests. Use a sterilized knife to cut into the wood at a 30-degree angle 2 cm below the bud until 1 cm above the bud. Then make a horizontal cut 1 cm above the bud, gently remove the grafted bud, and then cut a "T"-shaped incision on the bark 3 cm from the ground to allow the rootstock and grafted bud to fit tightly together. Then tie them up with a plastic tape. If the grafted bud does not wilt after about 7 days, it means it has survived and the plastic tape can be removed after about 25 days.

Purple-leaf plum propagation method: cutting method

1. Preparation of cuttings

In late autumn, cut disease-free and insect-free branches of the current year from healthy trees. You can also combine shaping and pruning to cut branches with full and thick buds, free of disease, insect pests and mechanical damage into 10 to 12 cm segments as cuttings, with 3 to 5 buds being best.

2. Nursery site selection and land preparation

The nursery site should be selected in a place with convenient irrigation and drainage and transportation, and the soil should be fertile, loose, deep sandy loam. Before land preparation, fertilizer should be applied and the soil should be sterilized. Then deep plowing, fine harrowing and leveling of the land are carried out, followed by removal of weeds, waste agricultural film and other debris, and ridges are made.

3. Cutting time

Late November to mid-December.

4. Cutting method

Cut the bottom of the cuttings close to the bud into a smooth slope, and insert the cuttings into the soil with the slope facing downward. Water the plants immediately after cuttings. When the soil is slightly dry, cover it with a double layer of mulch to keep it warm. At the same time, in order to keep warm, a 1-meter-high plastic arch shed needs to be built on the bed surface to wait for the purple-leaf plum seedlings to emerge.

Propagation method of purple-leaf plum: high-altitude layering method

1. Branch selection

The branches should be selected from plants with strong vigor and no diseases or insect pests. The branch diameter is usually 1 to 2 cm, and 2 to 4 year old branches are preferred.

2. Layering operation

Layering is carried out in spring from mid-April to mid-May. Choose a suitable position on the layering strip and use a grafting knife to make two notches with an interval of about 1.5 cm. Then ring the epidermis between the notches. Put on a plastic bag immediately after ringing and tie the plastic bag at the bottom of the lower notch. Then put the prepared sandy loam mud into the bag and pinch it into a ball. The mud ball needs to wrap the ringed part and make it in the middle of the mud ball, and tie the top of the plastic bag.

3. Post-management

After sealing the plastic bag, you should often check whether the mud ball is dry and hard. If the mud ball is soft, it means the wrapping effect is good and the soil moisture content is high. After about 45 days, the wound heals and begins to take root. In late autumn, cut the layering strip at the bottom of the mud ball for transplanting. If the soil ball is dry and hard, it means that the plastic bag is leaking. Immediately inject water with a syringe and then put another plastic bag outside the plastic bag.

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