the rough-barked black pine (nishiki), which cannot be bred successfully by other means, first-quality bonsai can never be created by grafting. The method is often used, however, in the interest of speed, particularly in the case of the cheaper commercial bonsai; it may be readily detected by the unsightly scar which the graft leaves on the trunk. It is fairly common to find a five-needle pine grafted onto an ordinary black pine as the latter quickly produces a handsome trunk.
Grafting should be done in early spring. It is important to choose the right moment. The accompanying Table of Graftings indicates the appropriate times for the Tokyo area only, but the general rule is that the scion must still be dormant, with no sap yet rising in it, while in the stock the sap has already begun to rise. The shoot from which the scions are taken will have been cut from its tree, to a length of less than a yard and with winter buds on it, in the late autumn of the previous year and kept buried up to two-thirds of its length in the ground (see Fig. 5). Now, depending upon the thickness of the scion required for a particular grafting, all but the upper and lower few inches of this shoot may be cut into sections to make a number of scions; each should be between an inch and a half and two inches long with one or two strong buds on it (see Fig. 5). The stock should be a seedling about two or three years old and in vigorous condition.
TABLE OF GRAFTINGS
| Stock | Scion | Tokyo Grafting Season |
| Apple Wild crab-apple | Apple | Mid-March |
| Wild crab-apple | Crab apple | Mid-March |
| Oshima cherry | Cherry | Late February to mid-March |
| Trifoliata citron | Citrus family | Late April to early May |
| Black pine | Five-needle pine | Late February to early March |
| Peach Plum | Peach | Mid-March |
| Pear | Pear | Early March |
| Persimmon Dwarf persimmon | Persimmon | Late March to early April |
| Japanese flowering apricot (ume) | Japanese flowering apricot | Early to mid-March |
| Wisteria | Wisteria | Early to mid-March |
Fig. 3. — Top grafting (five-needle pine onto black pine). A) Prepared scion, 2 views. 1) Knife-cut stem. 2) Knife-cut needles. 3) Knife-trim stem. B) Preparing stock. 4) First scissor-cut and then knife-cut smooth. 5) Knife-cut cleft. C) Inserting scion in stock, 3 views. D) Bound graft. E) After 2-3 mos.
There are a number of grafting methods. Two principal methods-top and side grafting-are described below in detail. See also Figs. 3-7 and Plates 18-25.
Top grafting (Fig. 3). This method is particularly suitable for pines and is the easier of the two. The stock should not be thicker than a pencil and the top is cut off straight across, leaving four or five bunches of needles adhering to the stem. The stock is then split down the middle with a sharp knife to the depth of about half an inch. The scion should be about an inch long and, if possible, of the same thickness as the stock. The lower end is cut into a wedge which will fit into the split in the stock, approximately a third of an inch each of bare stem and needles remaining above this point. If, when the scion is inserted into the stock, it is found to be slightly smaller, it must be placed to one side so that one edge of the bark of the scion is flush with the bark of the stock. The needles are all gathered up together and the graft bound with raffia (this must be removed at the end of the year) or rice straw (this need not be removed, as it will decay naturally). The plant is then put in a shady place, protected from the wind, for two weeks, after which its care is the same as for ordinary bonsai.
Fig. 4. — Side grafting (five-needle pine onto black pine). A) Scion, 3 views. 1) Scissor-cut. 2) Long cut. 3) Short cut. B) Inserting scion in stock. C) Sectional views. 4) Knife-cut stack. 5) Scion inserted. D) Finishing. 6) Scissor-cut top of stock. 7) Bind graft. E) After 6 mos. 8) Scissor-cut stock above graft.
Side grafting (Fig. 4). This method may be used for all types of trees, including pines. It requires a rather heavier stock. A slanting cut is made in the trunk, about two-thirds of an inch deep. The scion is trimmed so that the inner side has a long cut and the outer side a short one. In the case of a needle tree, if the needles of the scion are too long, they should be trimmed back to about one inch. The scion is inserted and bound into place and cared for in the same way as in the case of top grafting. After about six months the stock extending above the joint is cut off.
Cleft grafting. See Figs. 5 & 6.
Inarching grafting. See Fig. 7.
Fig. 5. — Cleft grafting, preparation. A) Parent tree showing scissor-cutting points. B) Dormant shoots buried in mound of earth. C) Cutting shoot into scions. 1) Portions discorded. 2) Portion used. 3) Scissor cuts, leaving 1-2 nodes on each scion. 0) Trimming scion, 3 views. 4) Long cut. 5) Short cut. E) Stock trimming. F) Trimmed stock. 6) Slightly bevel entire circumference. 7) Slice off a segment. G) Single-cut cleft for thin scion. 8) Knife-cut downward. 9) Cut through cambium. H) Double-cut cleft for heavy scion. 10) Knife cuts. 11) Remove section from cut.
BONSAI BY LAYERING AND DIVIDING
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