Grafting or sticking is a technique for reproducing plants by taking one bud from a plant and attaching it to another plant. Actually, roses are easier to propagate by cuttings. However, you can also propagate it by grafting, especially if you have a rose variety that has beautiful flowers but weak root tissue. One of the most popular ways to graft roses is the T-slice method, but this method requires practice and patience to achieve perfection.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Preparing the Rose Plant
Step 1. Choose the right time
Do grafting in mid-summer, because at this time the sap in the plant will flow. If the sap and nutrients flow, the graft has a better chance of growing and a new rose plant will develop.
The best time for grafting is after the flowering cycle ends in mid-summer, which usually occurs in August
Step 2. Select the shoots
The bud or eye is the part of the plant that you will attach to another plant. In roses, buds are usually chosen because of their beautiful flowers, and the flowers will continue to grow and bloom after being grafted.
- The best choice of shoots is from a young stem. These stems should have mature leaves, have just flowered, and should have started to form hardwood.
- For best results, choose stems whose flowers have just withered.
Step 3. Select the rootstock of the plant
The rootstock is the plant to which the shoots will be attached. Rootstock is generally chosen because the plant is healthy and strong, but the flowers are not very pretty. For this grafting to be successful, the rootstock must be selected from another rose plant.
The two most popular rose varieties for rootstock are Dr. Huey and Fortunena
Step 4. Water the plants well before grafting
Roses need a lot of water to thrive, and new plants will have a better chance of growing if both plants to be grafted are watered adequately before this procedure is performed. Ideally, water both plants daily for two weeks before grafting.
Water both plants thoroughly two days and overnight before grafting
Part 2 of 3: Grafting the Roses
Step 1. Sterilize the knife
Plants are susceptible to viruses, bacteria, and fungi, just as humans are. Prevent the spread of disease by sterilizing garden tools, especially if you are performing a complex procedure such as grafting. Sterilization will ensure that the grafting process is successful and the plant can grow properly.
- The easiest way to sterilize a knife is with ethanol or isopropyl alcohol.
- Take a clean rag or cloth and wet it with rubbing alcohol. Scrub the blade thoroughly, making sure you reach all the edges, sides, and base of the blade. Be careful not to scratch your hands while doing this. Allow the knife to air dry for a few minutes.
Step 2. Prune the rootstock
Use shears and trim the rootstock to remove dead leaves, flowers, and stems. Choose a healthy stem with lush foliage to serve as a grafting rootstock. Use a small knife such as a Swiss Army penknife to remove any shoots and thorns in the center of the stem.
- You don't have to remove the rose thorns, but this will prevent your hands from being pricked while grafting.
- You must remove the shoots because the only shoots that are allowed to grow are the ones that will be grafted.
- When pruning or trimming plant parts, cut at a 45-degree angle to reduce damage and increase circulation.
Step 3. Slice into a T shape on the rootstock
Make a 2.5 cm long T-shape cut into the rootstock using a penknife. The knife slices should not penetrate the cambium layer, which is a layer that is wet and pale green in color. Use the tip of a knife to gently unfold the bark on the stem.
The best place to make a T-slice is near the center of the stem, between the two knuckles. The book is where the leaves and shoots grow out of the stem
Step 4. Cut and trim the stems
Cut the stems that will be attached to grafting shoots. Cut the shoots and the base of the stem, leaving the middle 5 cm high. This part of the stem must have at least one bud, where new leaves will grow.
- Use a penknife to cut the spines, shoots, and leaves from the rootstock.
- Slice the stem about 2.5 cm below the eye of the lowest shoot.
Step 5. Prepare shoots from other plants to be grafted
Slice the knife into the bark above the bud. Cut the knife deep enough to remove the bark and cambium from the stem. The cambium layer is a layer that distributes nutrients, which is just behind the bark.
Peel the buds off and make sure the bark and cambium layers are carried away
Step 6. Insert the buds into the skin slices on the rootstock as soon as possible
Make sure the buds are facing up, meaning the stems that will grow later will be facing the right direction. When you insert the buds into the rootstock, the bark around the buds will open. Push the bud all the way down to the base of the T slice, and keep the bud exposed at the top of the skin.
The cambium layer on the shoot and rootstock will now touch, and this is what allows the graft to grow properly
Step 7. Tie grafting with special grafting duct tape
Cover the skin around the buds. Wrap several layers of grafting tape around the stem. Cover the area above and below the buds, but keep the buds exposed.
Tie tightly enough to keep the cambium layers of the two grafted plants in contact
Part 3 of 3: Caring for Grafting Roses
Step 1. Water the plant with plenty of water
Grafting plants need a lot of water. For the next two weeks, water the rootstock daily to keep the soil moist. The soil should not become muddy, but should remain wet.
Step 2. Prune the first flower that grows from the grafted bud
Once the shoots grow on the rootstock, the plant will start producing flowers. But if the buds have not attached and grow strongly, these flower buds will weigh and damage the grafting patch. To reduce pressure on the grafting patch, trim the first three or four buds that appear until the grafting shoots really grow strong.
- Prune the flower buds with a sharp knife or scissors as soon as they appear.
- In order for new plants to have a greater chance of survival, also trim the flower buds that grow on the main stem above the grafting bud.
Step 3. Let the duct tape peel off and fall off on its own
Grafting duct tape is a special kind of tape that will naturally decompose over time and fall off on its own. Do not remove the duct tape from the stem of the plant. Over time, the duct tape will unravel and open on its own and this will be enough time for the grafting shoot to stick firmly and heal.
