What is the purpose of grafting hibiscus?

(Karen) Frankston, TX(Zone 8a)

I know zilch about grafting, but have seen it referenced concerning hibs....I tried to Google grafting, and came up with lots of info on propagation.......I don't understand how adding a branch to an existing bush is making more, so why would you want to graft? ....boy I am stupid sometimes, lol! Can't you just root hibiscus cuttings to propogate? I am learning slowly, and think I understand that you can propagate hardy hibs and the Texas Stars by seeds, but not the tropicals or cajuns....thanks for any help

Emerald Hills, CA(Zone 9b)

By pruning an existing plant and grafting the cuttings onto sturdy rootstock, you can create many more plants with the same characteristics in a hurry. The benefits are that the cuttings don't have to root themselves and as long as your grafts are successful the grafted plants can be more productive earlier. Also, reportedly, cuttings of some hibiscus hybrids do not root well so by grafting you increase your success rate of getting a viable plant. Basically you are sacrificing the root stock plants to create multiples of the hybrid you just pruned and grafted. On the down side, I've heard that grafted plants may not live as long as an own root plant but I don't have personal experience to prove that one way or another.

You can propagate tropicals (Cajuns are a subset of tropicals hybridized by Dupont) by seed but you are not guaranteed an exact match of the parent plants. But that is how so many beautiful hybrids came to be. Growing from seed may take a couple of years to see the flowers bloom to see if you like them enough to propagate.

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(Karen) Frankston, TX(Zone 8a)

Thank you very much for the excellent and informative answer. I finally understand grafting after all these years! Thanks again

There is a plant seller here who graft a completely droopy hib plant with a big floppy flower onto a straight, upright growing root stock. It makes a weird sort of little tree.

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