Farmers and plant lovers gathered at the University of Hawaii Experiment Station in Kainaliu last Sunday to learn and review grafting and air layering techniques. These techniques provide a way to clone your favorite plants, vegetatively.
Farmers and plant lovers gathered at the University of Hawaii Experiment Station in Kainaliu last Sunday to learn and review grafting and air layering techniques. These techniques provide a way to clone your favorite plants, vegetatively.
Watching and listening to experts like Sunao Kadooka from the Young Farmers Association and Brian Lievens from Hawaii Tropical Fruit we learned basic techniques, as well as some tricks that can make the process more successful.
Kadooka has years of experience grafting and teaching others. While he has been a member of the local chapter of the Young Farmers Association for nearly 50 years, he says he is still refining his skills. He offered a demonstration and some guidelines.
First, you need to select good rootstock and compatible scions (cuttings). Avocado seedling trees seem to provide good rootstock to use for scions from more desirable avocado varieties. Citrus grafts are often performed on Kona lime rootstock, which is a proven hardy variety.
Quality supplies aid success. A very sharp knife is essential to making cuts in the rootstock and scion so the cambium layers will match and the circulation of water and food from the rootstock moves easily into the grafted wood. Nursery tape and parafilm or electrical tape and Elmer’s glue were recommended to create pressure and hold the two together.
After several demon-strations, Kadooka shared some of his experiences and the lessons learned. One story included his discovery of the importance of having both the rootstock and scion in active growth periods so the circulatory systems of both rootstock and scion are working and will connect. Watering the rootstock before starting can help ensure the free flow of water and nutrients from the rootstock into the scion.
He also advised participants to think like a plant. Understanding how plants are structured and what their needs are enables you better to help them thrive and make your interactions with them more successful.
Several demonstrations of grafting techniques are available online, but hands-on experience is invaluable in the learning process.
Local horticulturist and tropical exotics nurseryman Lievens gave a demonstration of air layering. This technique consists of several easy-to-describe steps. Of course, viewing the process in person or online can help and hands-on practice is invaluable in becoming successful. Contact the local Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers chapter for information on joining and learning about similar events. Contact Ken Love at kenlove@hawaiiantel.net to get the chapter’s email list.
Many plants that do not grow well from cuttings or don’t grow true from seed can be propagated well by layering. Lievens’ air layering demonstration began with trimming the bark off of a lychee tree branch after selecting one that would make a good tree once removed from the mother.
He used a very sharp knife to peel the bark from the mother tree in a girdle 3 to 6 inches long. Once the cambium layer was exposed and all the bark from the area was removed, Lievens applied dry root tone powder to the cut area to encourage rooting. He then covered the area with damp sphagnum moss (often available at plant or hardware stores) and wrapped the moss. Several wrapping methods to protect the layered branch will work, using a combination of plastic wrap, tin foil and twist ties.
After several months, you should see roots developing when you open the foil or you can feel the area getting firmer as roots fill the moss. When the roots are sufficiently developed, you can cut the branch off the main plant just below the rooted area and plant it in a pot filled with a mix of organic matter and native soil. Be sure the pot has adequate soil below and around the root zone to allow the roots to spread, forming a firm base for your tree before you plant it in the landscape or move it to a much larger pot. Your new tree should be as productive as it was when attached to the main plant.
You can view a variety of layering techniques on the Web by searching for air layering videos. A short and simple one is available at videosurf.com/video/air-layering-143281260.
Tropical
gardening helpline
Mr. P. asks: My tomatoes are starting to ripen but some of them look rotten on the bottom. What’s the problem?
Answer: It sounds like you have blossom end rot, which is a somewhat common problem with tomatoes. It can also occur on peppers, squash and other fruiting vegetables.
Despite the name, it is not really a disease. It is caused by a calcium deficiency coupled with fluctuations in the plant’s water supply. Calcium is required for normal cell growth. When fruit gets insufficient calcium, the tissue breaks down, causing the lesion you see at the blossom end of the fruit.
Prevention is the key to avoiding blossom end rot. Before planting, do a soil test. Ideally you want to plant in soils with a pH between 6.5 and 6.8. Liming the soil can help adjust the pH and add calcium. Apply as recommended by the soil test. Applying gypsum (calcium sulfate) at a rate of about 1/2 cup per plant at initial planting can also help. Use mulch to retain moisture in the root zone and to amend the soil. Avoid excessive nitrogen fertilization, which causes rapid growth and overactive calcium uptake.
Once the problem develops it is difficult to treat. It may be possible to reverse the problem by stabilizing the moisture level and feeding with manure or compost tea. Some positive results have been reported from foliar applications of magnesium (epsom salts), which can help with calcium uptake. Other suggestions to slow down the problem once it starts include applications of powdered milk, crushed eggshell tea, bone meal tea and Tums tablets in the root zone. Each of these has some anecdotal reports of success. Try them if you like.
You can also just let the fruit develop on the plant and cut the damaged part off when you are ready to eat it. Some advise removing the affected fruit, hoping the problem does not develop on new fruit. Blossom end rot is not contagious and will probably not affect all of the fruit on the plant.
Email plant questions to konamg@ctahr.hawaii.edu for answers by certified master gardeners.Some questions will be chosen for inclusion in this column.
Diana Duff is a plant adviser, educator and consultant with an organic farm in Captain Cook.