"Angus White" wrote in message
...

"martin froggatt" wrote in message
...

"Angus White" wrote in message
...
We have a very large Daphne bush and we would like to take cuttings.
My wife is the gardener and doesn't usually have any trouble with
cuttings.


The most successful method is to graft cuttings onto D. mezereum
rootstock
or to grow from seed.

Martin Froggatt.


Thanks a lot Martin but what do you mean by graft cuttings. Is that where
you propagate
them along the ground? And what is D.mezereum rootstock. Is it the same
as rooting powder?
I told you that my wife was the gardener. :-)
I would like these answers before she comes home so that I sound as if I
knoiw what I'm on about!
Thanks a lot
Angus

Angus,

Where you propagate along the ground is called layering. Grafting is done by
taking a cutting of your Daphne, technically this is called a scion, and
grafting it onto a two year old Daphne mezereum. Other species of Daphne can
be used but I use mezereum as they are easy to grow from seed. What happens
is that you take your cutting and trim the base into two slanting cuts, like
an elongated wedge shape (Apical wedge graft). The plant being used for the
rootstock has all the top growth cut away leaving you with approx 1" of
stem. A vertical cut is made into the top of the stem. Your cutting (scion)
is pushed into this.A rubber band cut in half is then used to secure the
graft by wrapping it from the top of the rootstock to just below the graft.
The top of the graft is sealed with melted wax.
It sounds far more complicated that it actually is. Do you know which Daphne
you have ?

Regards

Martin.