Essay On Dogwood

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The beautiful white bloom of a dogwood tree compliments any landscape, making it a Flowering dogwood bernheim.org Flowering dogwood bernheim.org popular ornamental tree in America. Because of the large range of species of dogwood, it is easy to grow them almost anywhere in the US. Today, dogwoods are cultivated with primarily horticultural purposes, however history shows that they have more than just aesthetic value. Dogwood bark was used during the civil war by confederates as an ingredient in tea to treat pain and fevers. Not only has the dogwood been used as a remedy during the civil war, it has even been proven to halt the spread of malaria. Cornus florida have a bark that is enriched in tannin which has been used as a substitute for quinine because they both have antimalarial properties. Other unique uses of dogwood include their berries. The dogwood provides food for many animals and the Cornus mas is commonly cultivated in Southeastern Europe for its berries. These berries can either be eaten raw, turned into jam, or fermented into wine. The composition of dogwood timber is very fine-grained and dense. This makes dogwood timber ideal for items that require a strong wood, such as tool handles. Budding or Grafting? Flowering dogwoods (Cornus florida) and Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) can easily be grown from seeds, however budding has more advantages. Budding is quicker and usually gives a much better yield than propagating from seeds. And if you propagate a flowering dogwood using seeds, the plant will almost always be white, even if you plant a pink or red dogwood seed. Grafting is done to get the pink or red coloring by grafting the variety Cornus florida rubra onto a Cornus florida stock. Budding is usually preferred o... ... middle of paper ... ...ted into the “T” cut of the rootstock. McGroarty Enterprises Inc. the shield of the bud down under the two flaps in the rootstock. Push the bud into the rootstock until the horizontal cut of the shield is in line with the horizontal cut of the rootstock. Finally, use the parafilm and then the budding rubber to secure the bud in place. Be extremely careful to not let the bud more or shift as you apply the parafilm and budding rubber because the graft will not take if the cambium layer doesn’t line up. As the bud comes out of dormancy, it will grow into a new branch just as if it is part of the rootstock. Conclusion Dogwoods are widely embodied in American landscapes today because of their attractive flowers and bracts. And with about 60 species, you are bound to find one that catches your eye. Thanks to the use of grafting and budding, you can create your very own.

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