Resource Book on Horticulture Nursery Management

tightly to the wood, budding is usually successful. In successful cases, about one-third
shoot of the rootstock can be removed for forcing the growth of buds. The remaining
two-thirds can be removed after three weeks of the first cutting, leaving about 2-3 cm
above the bud. The best time for budding is from May to August in different parts of the
country.
Stooling: Stooling is the easiest and cheapest method of guava propagation. This
method can be used for quick multiplication of desired varieties and also rootstocks. In
this method, self-rooted plants (cuttings and layers) are planted 0.5m apart in the
stooling bed. These are allowed to grow for about three years. Then these are cut down
at the ground level in March. New shoots emerge on the beheaded stumps. A 30 cm
wide ring of bark is removed from the base of each shoot rubbing the cambium of the
exposed portion in May. All the shoots are mounted with the soil to a height of 30 cm.
The soil is covered with mulch to conserve the moisture. After a period of two months
of the onset of monsoon, the shoots are detached from the mother plant at ringed
portion and planted in the nursery. The shoots are headed back to maintain the root and
shoot balance before planting in the nursery by following the technique of ringing and
mounding of the shoots, second time stooling is done on the same mother shoot in the
first week of September. The rooted shoot layers are detached in the first week of
November. Thus, stooling is done twice on the same mother stool in a year. The stooling
of a mother stool can be done for many years. With the advancement of its age, the
number of stool layers also increases every year. The growth and development of a stool
layers are better than seedlings. The application of rooting hormone is not required.
Air Layering
Propagation of Guavas by Air Layering
Air layering is one of the most important commercial methods in practice for
guava propagation. Rainy season (preferably July-August) is the most suitable period
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