Grafting wasn't Todd's major; it was a skill he acquired as an elective in his previous life at university. He hadn't chosen that course for academic purposes, but rather because of the beautiful female professor. Unexpectedly, this skill came in very handy after he transmigrated to another world.
Once all the materials are ready, before officially starting the 'rose grafting' process, Todd first needs to do some preparatory work.
First, disinfect. Disinfect the knife and your palm with 75% alcohol, and disinfect the wooden clips and binding wire with formaldehyde solution in a well-ventilated area.
Secondly, select scions, preferably those free from pests and diseases, root nodules, and one year or less of rose branches.
Third, treat the rootstock. Cut off the branches, leaves, and upper part of the stem of the wild rose, leaving the roots and lower part of the stem, with a smooth cross-section at the cut.
Next comes the formal grafting process.
Todd first made a horizontal cut, about 8 millimeters wide, about 6 centimeters from the soil on the rootstock, with the depth just enough to penetrate the bark and reach the trunk; then he made a vertical cut, about 2 centimeters long, below the middle of the horizontal cut. This left a T-shaped incision on the bark of the wild rose.
Next, select suitable scions from the rose bushes, remove the leaves and keep the petioles, choose a plump and full bud, and use a knife to make a diagonal cut on the branch.
Finally, use a knife to pry open the bark of the T-shaped incision on the rootstock and carefully insert the rose bud into the incision. Once in place, immediately secure it with a wooden clamp and tie it with rope.
Repeat the above process, and depending on the viability and vitality of the rootstock, up to a dozen or so rose scions can be inserted. A variety of colors and styles of roses can be selected to enhance the aesthetics and overall appearance.
The rose grafting process has reached this point, which means it's halfway to success. Todd kept explaining the important points of each step to the farmers around him.
Next, it's time to learn how to cultivate and maintain the grafted product.
First, there's temperature and sunlight. The temperature should be maintained within a relatively stable range, ideally between 22 and 30 degrees Celsius. And it's best to ensure at least half a day of sunlight each day. Therefore, Todd instructed the farmers to keep the grafted roses in the warehouse with the fire burning at night, and to move them outdoors during the day when the sun is out.
Next comes pruning and fertilization. During the rose's growth, it's essential to promptly prune side branches, diseased branches, and concentric branches to prevent nutrient diversion. As for fertilization, apply it every ten days with a small amount of broad bean husks, soybean cake, or chicken/pigeon manure, which will allow the rose to continuously absorb nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other nutrients from the soil.
Finally, and this is a crucial tip: preservatives. Pour a low-concentration mixture of silver thiosulfate and aluminum sulfate into the soil to prolong the rose's blooming period and enhance the vibrancy and delicacy of the flowers.
In summary, the success of rose grafting depends mainly on the following key points: disinfection, incision, scion, temperature, sunlight, pruning, fertilization, and preservation. The whole process may seem simple, but if any one step goes wrong or is not done properly, the entire grafting operation may fail completely.
Todd stayed in the warehouse for only two days. He taught the farmers all the procedures and steps of grafting, but he did not provide the formulas for disinfectant, fertilizer, and preservative. He simply left behind a large quantity of finished products, claiming that they were all blessings from God.
He left the remaining work to the farmers and ordered the town's guards to watch the warehouse 24 hours a day, forbidding anyone from approaching. Todd couldn't wait to return to the lab, because he had more important things to do.
Huggins told him that the culture dish for the 'Sutherland archaea' was complete.
The artificial propagation of 'Sutherland Archaea' is a matter of life and death for him, and he cannot afford to make any mistakes. Other matters can naturally be put aside for now.
Stepping through the lab doors, Todd finally saw the petri dish he had been longing for. Perhaps "incubator" would be a more accurate description than "petri dish."
The cylindrical structure, made of copper alloy and about a meter tall, has an internal structure divided into four layers. The top layer is a gas pipeline, with gas entering and exiting on one side, and a gas valve on each side controlling the flow and pressure. The second layer is a liquid pipeline, which can inject solvent downwards and divert the solution. The third layer is a culture chamber, used to hold samples or materials that need to be cultured and reacted. It is also specially equipped with two layers of small glass so that Todd can use "X-ray vision" and "eagle eye" to check the internal conditions. The bottom layer is a fuel tank, used to add flammable materials such as charcoal to heat the entire chamber.
It must be said that the craftsman Higgins found has never disappointed since the beginning of silver refining; his craftsmanship in creating instruments is truly admirable. Such large-scale experimental equipment requires consideration of many factors, including sealing, flow control, heat energy, and corrosion. Todd hadn't initially had high expectations for the craftsman's finished product, intending to make further improvements and refinements. Now, it seems completely unnecessary; this 'cultivation furnace' can be put into immediate use.
However, before officially starting the artificial culture of the 'Sutherland archaea', sufficient samples must first be extracted from the body.
Todd modified the original syringe into a blood drawer, then purified, removed impurities from the drawn blood, and concentrated and distilled it to obtain a small amount of ashes similar to bone ash.
Then, put the ash powder into the "incubator", add charcoal, and start heating slowly.
According to the "Sutherland Chronicles", the archaea were discovered in a volcanic crater, so several environmental factors may have been key to the reproduction of the Sutherland archaea.
Temperature, oxygen, and acids and bases.
It's like a key with three teeth; you have to adjust the shape and size of each tooth correctly to fit it perfectly into the slot and open the lock.
Based on the volcanic environment, it can only be roughly inferred that the reproductive environment of the 'Sutherland archaea' is a temperature above 100 degrees Celsius, anaerobic, and slightly acidic.
What Todd needs to do now is to determine the required temperature, the degree of anaerobicness (microaerobic, facultative anaerobic, or anaerobic), and the required acidic pH level.
This process of determination is lengthy and tedious, requiring repeated experiments and observations, as well as recording and comparing experimental data. At the same time, every factor that may distort the experimental results must be taken into account.
Finally, on the morning of the nineteenth day after the experiment began, fifteen minutes into Procedure 183, the 'Sutherland archaea' in the culture chamber, like a snowball, coalesced into a small ball that slowly rotated in the high temperature and grew larger and larger.
Todd wiped his bloodshot eyes, pressed his face against the glass of the observation hole, and had only one thought in his mind.
Artificial propagation of the 'Sutherland archaea' has been successful!
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