Tree Propagation Methods

There are two basic ways of tree propagation- the asexual and sexual way. Sexual propagation is almost a natural process where male pollen fertilizes the ovules of another plant, encouraging fruit development. This kind of propagation is undesired as there is mixture of genetic traits and the type of tree produced is usually not of pure variety. For purity, asexual propagation, better known as vegetative propagation is sort.

The easiest method of asexual propagation is stem cutting. This is where you take a branch from the desired woody perennial that you want to grow, and then plant it in well balanced soil. It should be aerated, and with good water retention ability, together with having the required nutrients. Depending on the type of tree in discussion, stems or leaves can be used. The guarantee of blossoming is not always given as this method is limited to only certain kinds of trees like olives and figs. Layering is sometimes used where a piece of branch is immersed into the soil at different points to encourage rooting. Once that has been a success, it is separated from a mother plant and grown as an individual. But then again, this method has limits in usage when it comes to the variety of plants.

The most common method of propagation employed by most tree farmers is grafting. It is a little complicated than the other methods, though it is the one that is most successful. By description grafting is the introduction of living tissue from one plant to another of a different plant. The common methods employed are tongue grafting and bud grafting. For bud grafting, a piece of bud and bark are removed from the mother tree and introduced to the rootstock at a severed point in the bark. The two are then bound together until growth is observed. For whip or tongue grafting, a wedge cut is made in the rootstock. A scion with a severed part matching the cut made is affixed into the wedge and the two are bound together. The trick is in matching the cambium layers together as that will facilitate transport of water and mineral salts to the new introduced part. These methods of grafting are mainly done on fruit trees as it enables production of different fruits from just one kind of tree. The process is best carried out in the spring, when other buds from the rootstock start exhibiting signs of life.