What season is best for planting cypress? A detailed guide to planting methods
Cypress is very popular in our country. We can see cypress everywhere. Many people value it because cypress has many uses and many varieties. Cypress seeds have high medicinal value and can treat hair loss. So people all want to plant cypress. Planting also requires skill. So the first thing we should understand is the habits of cypress and some planting methods. How exactly do you plant it?
How to plant cypress
Select robustly growing cypress plants for seed collection. When the seeds are plump and ripe, collect them from the tree, then dry them in the sun to remove the seed coat, and select the seeds to remove impurities. Soak the seeds before sowing: pour the seeds into cold water or warm water at 40--50 degrees, stir constantly, then remove them and germinate them. After removing them, put them in a basket or gunny sack to drain off the water, and place them in a warm spot or a sheltered, sunny spot, turning them often. Wash them once a day with clean water. At 25 degrees, most will sprout in 6--7 days and can then be sown.
What season is cypress planted in
Spring is the best time to plant cypress. Cypress likes cold and tolerates drought. It is a common temperate plant. Cypress seeds can be stored for about 2 years, generally harvested in November, dried in the sun for storage, and strictly protected from moisture. In spring, soak the seeds in warm water at 50-55 degrees C for about 1 hour before sowing, and they will germinate after 2 weeks. Sow in drills or in individual spots, or broadcast. First level and water the nursery bed in advance, then sow in individual spots when the surface soil is slightly dry, or broadcast after watering and letting the water seep down, then cover with soil. Autumn sowing is also possible, with seedlings emerging the following spring. When planting, choose smaller seedlings; generally the seedlings should not be taller than 1.5 m. When planting, bury them deeply, water sparingly, and use a wooden stick to support the main stem. Water once more after a week, and remove the wooden stick after a month. The first leaves that cypress produces are needle-like leaves, later it produces scale-like leaves, and after 2 years all are scale-like leaves. Generally it grows faster in the juvenile and young stages, grows at a medium to somewhat slow rate after maturity, and old trees grow even more slowly.
What preparation is needed before planting cypress
1. Dig the hole. The size and depth of the hole: generally the size of the hole depends on the size of the plant's root ball; the diameter of the hole should be 40--100 cm larger than the diameter of the plant's root ball. Likewise, the soil layer below the root ball should preferably be 20--70 cm, so the depth of the hole should be: 10--15 cm thick crushed stone + 20--70 cm of soil below the root ball + X cm for the height of the plant's root ball + 5 cm of covering soil + a distance of 5 cm below the road surface. Assuming the root ball is 40 cm high, then the minimum required hole depth should be 80 cm. But given the climate characteristics of Dongchuan, it is necessary to add thicker covering soil at wind gaps, so according to our current planting technical requirements, the minimum required hole depth should be 85-90 cm. The hole must be dug square, for a simple reason: the more soil there is in the planting hole, the more room the plant roots have to grow.
2. Place crushed stone. The main purpose of placing crushed stone is to filter water; the thickness of the crushed stone should preferably be 10--15 cm.
3. Backfill soil and wait for the seedlings to arrive. The soil choice should be fertile, loose, and suitable for plant growth with moderate acidity and alkalinity. Never mix in concrete, construction waste, or other soils that plants dislike.
What causes cypress to turn yellow and wither
1. Insufficient soil moisture supply cannot meet the needs of cypress growth and development, causing leaves to become thin or wilt and tips to turn yellow, resulting in early leaf drop. Or poor drainage and waterlogged soil cause roots to undergo anaerobic respiration for too long, accumulate too much alcohol, and become poisoned and rotted. Or soil compaction and poor aeration cause yellow leaves.
2. Planting too densely, poor ventilation and light penetration, plants competing with each other for fertilizer and water and shading each other, affecting photosynthesis, with high respiration consumption, causing leaf yellowing and leading to early leaf drop.
3. Caused by improper field management. For example, damaging roots when lifting seedlings, curling roots when planting, animals biting branches, or human damage to bark, causing yellow leaves. The pathogenic fungus is mainly 1 species in the genus Alternaria that infects cypress trees and triggers leaf blight.
4. Underground pests biting the bark of seedlings can also easily cause yellow leaves.
5. Leaf yellowing and scorching caused by lack of fertilizer or unreasonable fertilization.
So cypress is best planted in spring. Friends who like planting trees can try growing cypress. It can bring many benefits, but we must also be especially careful to prevent pest damage.