I once successfully AL'ed a Ficus 'Alii'. A small branch. I used a sterile scalpel and cut all around just to the vescular bundle about half inch away I did the same thing. Then, I used the scalpel to connect the cuts and peeled away the bark. Wet sphag and a good-sized block from a black contractor's bag as well as tape at either end and walla! I realize a Ficus is not a Dracena, but the same thing can be done. You just have to be careful with not using too much pressure. A slit would work just fine too. If you're really daring, you can take a stem cutting during the growing season (before the stem becomes "woody") and propogate it that way. After roots have formed add it to the pot for bushier appearence.

"My guess is that if a division of an itoh peony is planted sideways in the ground, it will force the entire length of the woody stem to become tuberous, or at least produce roots/tubers from each underground eye." A woody stem may root, but the stem will not become tuberous (different cell structure). You will have greater success with root division and maybe grafting hardened stems (w/buds) onto herbaceous rootstock.

David, You'd be best to put up a small camping tent up against the north side of a structure and place your grafts inside. This will provide the constant humidity necessary for any type of graft to not dry out. I don't think you need parafilm tape if you have humidity for summer grafting. It wouldn't hurt but it's not necessary. Now rhododendrons are not something I've read up on. Grafting is grafting to me though and those tips are what I would do for anything I'm grafting this time of the year, or, especially at the end of July into August. The middle of August is optimum time to summer graft because that's when the roots are most active (at any given time of the year.) Less energy into producing shoots in spring while active rooting is occurring is the opposite of August. Some people graft in November also after plants have fully gone dormant and while roots are active, but, you'd need a pretty warm climate or greenhouse at that time. The reason for less water in media is to decrease bleeding at the union. When plants are watered they want to grow. If you starve a plant of water they will slow down. During healing, when there is an active flow of sap, it will push the union apart, literally. Recently I was on the phone with a friend asking for cuttings of Rhododendron to do later in the year and he told me that now is the optimum time. I replied that Dirr says otherwise and he said, 'Dirr doesn't know it all.' So, I'm going to assume you know more about Rhododendron propagation that I. As for grafting though, I honestly believe it's the wrong time of the year, but I cannot tell you if I'm incorrect. Mid-August for two weeks, until Sept 1st is optimum summer grafting time. I'll say one last thing. This is T-budding time and the window is closing. It's also June Greenwood Grafting. They're both basically the same. A bud is sliced out of a stick of wood for T-budding and inserted under the bark of another. In Greenwood grafting, rigid new growth is where the bud is cut out to be inserted under the bark. I honestly cannot compare these bud grafts with what you're doing; using a stick of wood vs. a bud. I do know however that a full scion is not grafted this time of the year on anything I know of. Dax

I think some of us would be interested in your results, but it's not something that every gardener has tried. I've read about propagating different types of trees from truncheons. I've never heard of propagating a crApe myrtle that way, although I wouldn't be surprised if it worked. After all, a truncheon is just a large cutting (although there are some pluses and minuses compared to smaller cuttings). I am wondering why you used the glue. Sealing the cut is often useful for storing cuttings in relatively dry environments, but here your growing media should have enough moisture to prevent desiccation. I'm also wondering if removing most of the leaves was a good idea. After all, one of the big advantages of truncheons is that they are supposed to have more stored energy and moisture to push though the time before roots develop. More leaves would mean more food production for growing roots. I do not know whether it would be better to keep the leaves or not, I am just wondering about the rational for removing them. Keep good records and let us know what happens!