How to propagate Acer palmatum

1. Grafting

Choose to graft when the rootstock grows fastest, which is around March in the spring. Generally, three-year-old seedlings are chosen as rootstocks. It is best to cut them 50 cm to 80 cm above the ground and then graft them high, so as to ensure better growth in the year of grafting. After planting, quick-acting fertilizer needs to be applied twice in spring and summer. In summer, the soil must be kept properly moist, but starting from autumn, the soil still needs to be a little dry.

2. Cutting

1. Five days before taking the branches, the top buds must be cut off. After the branches are cut, the base must be soaked in water immediately, and the soaking length needs to be 3 cm. The ears should be cut into small sections of 10 cm, with at least 3 nodes on them. The upper wound should be cut neatly 1.5 cm away from the leaf buds, and the lower wound should be 3 cm away from the branch nodes. The wound must be smooth. Leave 3 leaves on each ear and cut the leaves in half.

2. Soil can be river sand or vermiculite, spray it with potassium permanganate and cover it with a film for two days before use. The spikes should be soaked in running water for a day and a night, then soaked in 50-degree warm water for twelve hours and then dried before use.

3. When cutting, the row spacing needs to be kept at 5 cm x 10 cm, insert it vertically into the soil, and then water it thoroughly once.

4. Pay attention to the daily management afterwards, ensure that the temperature is around 28 degrees, the relative humidity needs to be maintained at 85%, spray water twice a day, be sure to keep the leaves fresh and the soil moist, and apply urea solution once every half a month in the form of spraying to fertilize.

three. Seed propagation

After harvesting the seeds in October every year, they can be sown. After sowing, they need to be covered with two centimeters of soil and watered thoroughly. They also need to be covered with a layer of straw. After the seeds germinate and grow into seedlings, the straw should be removed. The row spacing for sowing is 15 cm to 20 cm, and the amount of sowing per acre of land is 4 to 5 kilograms. It should be noted that their seedlings cannot withstand the sun, so they must be properly shaded. Also, when the seedlings grow to a height of 30 cm to 50 cm, they can be transplanted. Be sure to bring soil with them for transplanting to ensure a high survival rate!

The above is the method of propagating Acer palmatum. That’s all for today.