There are several methods commonly used to propagate citrus trees, including:
1. Seed Propagation:
- Collect seeds from ripe citrus fruits and plant them in a well-draining potting mix.
- Seeds should be planted immediately after extraction as they lose viability quickly.
- Seed-grown trees may not produce fruit true to the parent; hence, they’re primarily used for rootstock.
2. Grafting:
- Budding and grafting are the most common methods for citrus propagation.
- T-budding and shield budding are techniques used to graft citrus trees onto rootstocks. These methods involve joining a bud or a shoot (scion) from a desired citrus variety onto a compatible rootstock.
- Cleft grafting and side-veneer grafting are also used for propagating citrus.
3. Air Layering:
- Select a healthy, young stem and wound a section by removing a ring of bark.
- Enclose the wounded area with a moist medium like sphagnum moss or peat moss and wrap it with plastic to create a moist environment.
- After roots form, the rooted portion can be cut from the parent tree and potted.
4. Cuttings:
- Take semi-hardwood cuttings (4-6 inches long) from healthy, disease-free branches.
- Remove leaves from the lower portion of the cutting and dip it in rooting hormone.
- Plant the cutting in a rooting medium, maintain humidity, and keep it in a warm, bright location until roots form.
5. Tissue Culture:
- This method involves growing new citrus plants from small sections of plant tissue in a sterile laboratory environment.
- It’s a more advanced and precise technique used for mass production of disease-free citrus plants.
6. Layering:
- In this method, a low branch is partially buried in the soil while still attached to the parent tree.
- Once roots develop at the buried portion, it can be separated from the parent and potted.
Each propagation method has its own requirements and success rates. Grafting, particularly budding and air layering, are the preferred methods for propagating citrus for home gardeners due to higher success rates and the ability to produce trees that resemble the parent plant. Experimenting with different methods can help in achieving successful propagation results with citrus trees.