Budding and Grafting Garden Plants
A polythene sleeve, made by slitting a suitably sized bag along the bottom, is then slipped over to enclose the wound and firmly bound at the base with electricians’ tape. Pack moist sphagnum around the wound then seal the top of the bag. By moist I mean that a handful of the moss when squeezed just oozes water. To make certain the weakened stem does not break I tie the whole contraption firmly to a cane.
Not all are so obliging and must be helped in a small way. This process is known as layering and the main requirements are patience and a soil in good physical condition. A few weeks prior to layering work in a liberal quantity of peat and sharp sand around the selected plant.
Where only a few cuttings are required which do not justify the expense of a small propagating unit, a polythene bag and a 5-in. pot will provide an alternative. I use pumice or sand as the rooting medium, filling the pot to within i in. of the rim.
I prefer a straight blade and handle for all grafting work. The tying materials used are very much a matter of personal choice, but of the products available, a wide-ribboned soft raffia is my first choice. Grafting tape or ready- made ties are effective alternatives. Cold wax is less trouble to use than the limp wax which needs heating over a fire.
Odd though it may seem there are shrubs which lend themselves with a little gentle persuasion to propagation by means of division, a perfectly legitimate short cut in my opinion for those possessed of sufficient confidence. In fact, when considering further plantings of romneya, pernettya, spiraea, even fuchsia.
Make a cut half Way through the stem beginning an inch below where the leaf was removed and continuing up to approximately half an inch above. Insert a twist of sphagnum moss to hold the cut open then paint the exposed surfaces with rooting powder.
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