I have some Sambucus Peruviana, which gives a beautiful white flower that I boil to make a soothing drink for sore throats. It also gives a nice berry that can be snacked on.
I see online that there are many species of Sambucus worldwide with different flowers and fruit, could I graft other interesting varieties onto my native sambucus? I live in the Andean Tropics at 1800m above sea level, could I just plant cuttings of other species?
Because of the large pith cavity in elderberry stems, grafting is tricky and good grafts are rare. It's better to grow them from cuttings. Spliced side grafting onto one-year-old seedlings may be successful. semi-ripe or softwood cuttings (best done when new shoots are not yet ripened) should have the stems plugged at the end (I use rose thorns) to help prevent rot (or you can try nodal cuttings). There may be a highish mortality rate as compared with other cuttings, but those that take usually do quite well.
The best type of cuttings will be hardwood cuttings taken with a heel. This will help prevent rot from taking over the large vacancy where the pith is, and ruining the cuttings.
Don't use the stems with pit cavity. Use small new twigs that are still green on the outside for grafting. I am convinced it may work. I'm not sure about the altitude though!
