Variegated Holly Shoot?

I was on my way back from college the other day and I spotted a small variegated branch on a holly growing near the coppice I walk through to get home, and I was wondering what the likelihood was that it was a naturally occurring variation or if the plant had actually just mostly reverted back to green? Normally I'm not one for variations in plants as in my opinion some look horrendous (like that purple variegated ajuga!:euw although this one has quite a striking bright yellow variation down the middle of the leaves (from what I can remember) do you think it would take from cuttings? or maybe grafting?

Thanks in advance!

 

I would say a natural spontaneous mutation-or I would have thought there would be more than one branch, one that I would take a cutting from and growing a fully variegated bush-I don`t mind variegated leaves, although I can`t say I have room for the spotted laurel.

 

Agreed:hehe: Spotted Laurel is another reason I dislike variegated plants

 

If its a reverted plant there would be possibly other shoots showing the same variegation, also is it the kind of place that a variegated holly might be planted?

I'm not sure holly is that easy to root from cuttings, not impossible but not easy.
in this case you would want to be reasonably sure of success, thinking that you may only get the one chance, (not sure how big this branch is).

I'd say grafting is the best bet but you need to know what your doing, professionals seem to get a 99% success rate, I'm lucky if I get 40%.:D

 

well my grafting is rubbish at the best of times:hehe: I think I might take some un-variegated shoots off the plant and try different ways of propagating it and see what's most successful:thumb:

 

Grafting................an interesting topic, what do you say one of you does a thread about how to, and what issues there are to watch for, you know a step by step thing. There are loads of clever peeps on here can help.

 

I would not dare doing a thread on grafting, I've only dabbled, mostly budding and as I said earlier my success rate is awful.

But if there is anyone out there that has a fair bit of experience doing it, I'm sure lots of us would be interested, I know I would.:gnthb:

 

Agreed:thumb: I may know the very basic principals of grafting but that's about all:wink:

 

I am gonna bug you about it again-because the basics is where we all need to start, especially myself. Doesn`t Sam/Whiskey do grafting?

 

Claire,as Pete says grafting is a large topic to take on there are many different techniques,some plants more amenable to the different types of graft, I do grafting on my brugmansias and can show you the technique I use which in the majority of cases is successfull.
First of all why do we do grafting, basically some plants grow stronger than others they have vigorous roots but maybe the foliage, flowers or colour are not quite right so if we were to get the desirable plant traits and combine them with your vigorous roots we would achieve our goal.
Tools,you need a sharp knife,your knife should be sharp enough to shave hair from your arm (do not test a knife like this with your thumb - you might do serious damage). When grafting, you need a smooth cut, and one that is accomplished quickly. Before attempting to make a graft, be sure that your knife is properly sharpened. While it is possible to use just about any knife, there are knives made especially for grafting. They come in left or right handed models, so you can choose the type that works with your dominant hand.
Use clear polyethylene budding tape.
When wrapping the graft, use non-gummed polyethylene budding tape. It should be ½ an inch wide and firmly wrapped. Stretch the tape to the point at which it almost breaks. You will have to tie the tape at the end. Another wrap that can be used is called parafilm. It does not need to be unwrapped down the road (as tape does) and it adheres to itself so that you do not have to secure the wrap with a tie (this is the tape that I use). In warm weather a wrap should stay 3-6 weeks, and longer during cold weather. You can tell the graft is ready to be unwrapped when a small bit of spongy material appears on all cut surfaces (called the callus tissue)
Root stock
choose the root stock you are to use this can be in the garden or in a plant pot.
Scion
sometimes called the budding stick the bit you are to use to graft to the stock. Very young portions of the plant, those that are still green and not very woody, do not make good grafts. Likewise, you should not use very old stems. The stems used should be young and firm, and recently have been producing wood. Budsticks should be carefully attended to. In the case of roses these should be cut when the blossoms are beginning to drop from the bush and before new buds are swelling for the next growth. Recalcitrant woody plants should be cut when the buds are beginning to swell with new growth, and most fruit trees are at the ideal stage when the most recent flush has just hardened. Make sure that you remove leaves to forestall wilting and keep the budsticks moist in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel or some peat moss. Do not leave in the sun, or it will die within a few minutes. Set it down in a cool and shaded spot while you prepare the rest of the graft process.Be sure to cut the wood clean
How to cut and pair the two plants. As I have said this is the procedure I use and is called a saddle graft many will prefer other methods but Ihave found it very successfull.
Saddle grafting is a relatively easy technique to learn and once mastered can be performed quite rapidly. The stock may be either field-grown or potted. Both rootstock and scion should be the same diameter. For best results, use saddle grafting on dormant stock in mid- tolate winter. Stock should not be more than 1 inch in diameter.


Wrap the joint with polyethylene tape or parafilm stretching it to the point of breaking half an inch each side of the joint and secure the ends you should notice results within a couple of weeks.
This is only a brief outline of one technique I suggest you google around for further information and different ways of doing it, give it a go you have nothing to lose.

 

I most certainly will Walnut, thankyou for the informative post.

So in breif-to just make sure I have it correct, I have many dog roses around the place and will use these as the root stock, which shlud be no more than an inch in diameter, the thickness of the scion of course needs to be not too thin but can it be a little thinner?

 

Claire it is important to match the two up as closely as possible so the Cambian layers match.
This is a thin layer of cells between the bark and the wood of plant stems which divide to increase the strength and thickness of the stems. It is usually greenish in colour and when a plant is actively growing the bark can be easily peeled off the stem to expose the cambium layer, since this is where the cells are dividing and have no strong bonding tissues between the cells. When grafting it is important to get the cambium layers of both the rootstock and the scion variety as close together as possible so that when the cells start dividing the union heals quickly. To achieve this it is important to make all cuts as clean and straight as possible, and to tie the graft securely so that there is no movement in the graft union.
Roses are probably better grafted using a technique called T budding or shield budding it is a special grafting technique in which the scion piece is reduced to a single bud. As with other techniques of asexual propagation, the resulting plants are clones, or you can simply take cuttings quite successfully off your roses they may not grow with the vigour of your original which is probably grafted but you can get good results.

 

Thanks Walnut, the T bud-is that the one where you slip a bud just underneath the outer layer of skin? I saw that on telly and thought I could do that!

I am looking at an iceberg rose to do some work with at present, I have fallen for them.