Essay On Dogwood Tree

1021 Words3 Pages

Introduction

The flowering dogwood, Cornus florida, is an iconic spring flower with beautiful pink or white blooms. Commonly growing in zones 5 through 9 in the United States, the dogwood can grow 20 to 35 feet tall and spread 25 to 30 feet. This beautiful tree with glossy green leaves can act as a beautiful centerpiece to any

Flowering dogwood
Flowering Dogwood Blossom http://www.carolinanature.com/trees/cofl.html garden and gives optimal shade. In the garden, the Dogwood prefers slightly alkaline well-drained soil and can handle partial shade to full sun.

There are numerous ways to propagate dogwood trees including by seed, cuttings, micropropagation, and grafting. Dogwood trees propagated by seed should be planted in the fall. Planting a dogwood from seed takes time to reach full maturity. The seeds can be very temperature and water sensitive depending on the species.

Dogwood cuttings are an easy way to propagate the tree. Depending on location,

Flowering Dogwood Tree in Full Bloom http://www.clemson.edu/cafls/demo/plant_profiles/cornus_florida.html
Flowering Dogwood Tree in Full Bloom http://www.clemson.edu/cafls/demo/plant_profiles/cornus_florida.html the flowering dogwood can have new growth cuttings taken in the summer after the flowering has occurred. In May and August, semi-hardwood cuttings can be taken as well. To make sure that these cuttings survive, the cuttings must be in a heated area to ensure the temperature remains between 32°F and 45°F.

Micropropagation is not commonly used with flowering dogwood, but programs have been started to breed the dogwood for resistance to dogwood anthracnose and powdery mildew, common fungal pathogens of the tree.

Lastly, chip budding and T-budding are two common ways that the...

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Inserting the Scion- To insert the scion bud shield that was cut, carefully make sure that the flaps are slightly pulled back on the T-cut. Before sliding the shield into the T-cut, make sure that the bud is facing upward and the flat horizontal cut that was made on the scion bud cut is at the top. Gently slide the bud shield into the T-cut that you made. You want them to be touching snuggly to ensure that the cambiums touch. Wrap your cut with a banding rubber to hold the graft in place. Do not cover the bud with the banding rubber. Then cover the entire graft with parafilm, but ensure that only one layer covers the bud.
Conclusion

The flowering dogwood, Cornus florida, is a beautiful tree that can add color and shade to any landscape. With a steady hand, and lot of practice, the dogwood can be grafted to propagate and plant in various landscapes.

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