What are the eucalyptus planting techniques and special fertilizers?
Eucalyptus is a common tree species and is fairly common in our daily life. Because eucalyptus has a very wide range of uses, and many people have gained great economic benefits by planting eucalyptus. However, to obtain good benefits, this is very much related to everyone's planting techniques. How should eucalyptus be planted? Let us learn about it together.
Eucalyptus planting techniques
1. Land preparation and fertilization: This is usually mainly done manually, and mechanized land preparation has been greatly promoted, with obvious effects on improving the efficiency and results of land preparation. However, it has also had a certain impact on the ecological environment of eucalyptus forests, and in the process of eliminating weeds, many beneficial organisms have also been eliminated. In the young forest stage, land preparation can increase the conversion rate of soil fertilizer and reduce resistance to root growth, thereby increasing the growth rate of seedlings.
2. Planting density: Planting density has a very important impact on the final yield of eucalyptus, and digging pits determines the final cultivation density. When digging pits, the spacing between pits should be determined according to the planting years and variety growth characteristics of fast-growing eucalyptus, to ensure reasonable permeability during eucalyptus growth, and also to avoid wasting soil fertility due to too low planting density. Usually the pit density can be a row spacing of 3 m × 2 m.
3. Timely planting: After land preparation and application of base fertilizer, a suitable planting time should be selected. Spring has suitable temperatures and abundant rainfall, and the survival rate of eucalyptus seedlings is relatively high, making it a relatively ideal time for afforestation. When planting, first select robust seedlings, carry out disease and pest prevention treatment, keep the seedlings moist, and during planting achieve bag removal, deep planting, and firm compaction. Afterward, replanting should be carried out according to the survival rate of the eucalyptus seedlings.
4. Cultivation management: Within 3-6 months after successful planting, the seedlings are still relatively weak. To ensure that the seedlings can have sufficient light and nutrients, attention should be paid to clearing weeds to avoid competing with the seedlings for growth elements, and spring is the peak season for weed growth, so weeding is a necessary task. At the same time, to ensure the release of soil fertility, loosening the soil should also be carried out. During this operation, a certain distance should be kept from the seedling roots to avoid damaging the root tips.
5. Reasonable topdressing: Eucalyptus needs more fertility in the first 3 years. The first topdressing can be carried out 40 days after the first fertilization. If the earlier fertilization contains a relatively high amount of nitrogen, the time of the first topdressing can be appropriately postponed. Later topdressing should be determined according to the growth of the eucalyptus, especially the degree of canopy closure, to decide the timing and amount of topdressing. In addition, to avoid weeds in the forest competing for fertility, timely weeding must be carried out.
What special fertilizers are there for eucalyptus
During growth, eucalyptus absorbs from the soil on average about 36 grams of nitrogen, about 2085 grams of phosphorus, about 20 grams of potassium, about 31 grams of calcium, about 8.5 grams of magnesium, and about 4 grams of sulfur per plant per year. The order of the proportions of different nutrients is nitrogen > potassium > phosphorus, and calcium > magnesium > sulfur. Practice has proved that in addition to the three major elements nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, eucalyptus also needs supplemental absorption of various medium and trace mineral elements. The required amounts of elements such as boron, zinc, iron, copper, and manganese are relatively small.
Although the total demand of eucalyptus for trace elements is extremely small, it plays a great role in the fast growth of eucalyptus. If these trace elements cannot be supplemented in appropriate amounts when planting eucalyptus, the young and tender parts of the tree, such as roots, root tips, and stem tips, will be the first to suffer. In severe cases, the growing points will die, lignin formation will be blocked, the tree cannot become usable timber, and yield will be reduced.
How to fertilize eucalyptus
1. Base fertilizer: 7 days before eucalyptus planting, apply 0.25-0.5 kg of compound fertilizer or eucalyptus special fertilizer per hole. The fertilizer is applied into the hole, and a layer of 1-2 cm thick topsoil is backfilled.
2. Topdressing: 1 month after eucalyptus planting or after the young trees grow 1 m tall, begin topdressing, applying 0.25 kg of compound fertilizer or eucalyptus special fertilizer per plant to promote early and rapid growth of eucalyptus. In the second year, apply topdressing once in March-April, applying 0.5 kg of compound fertilizer or eucalyptus special fertilizer per plant. In the third year and fourth year, apply topdressing once each, applying 0.8 kg of compound fertilizer or eucalyptus special fertilizer per plant, to promote rapid timber formation of eucalyptus. It can be cut in 4-5 years, and the wood yield per mu can reach 6-8 cubic meters.
Eucalyptus pest and disease control
Eucalyptus seedlings are prone to scorch disease and bacterial wilt, which must be prevented and controlled as a priority:
1. Choose a good nursery site: The nursery site should be set up in a place with good air circulation and should not be planted too densely.
2. Strengthen management: Control the moisture in the seedbed. In summer, provide appropriate shading and cover with grass to lower soil temperature, appropriately increase fertilizer application, and promote seedling growth to improve disease resistance. In hot and humid summer, spray 0.5-1% Bordeaux mixture once a week to protect the seedlings, or 75% chlorothalonil 600-800 times liquid. Cuttings for cutting propagation should be disinfected, generally soaked in 0.2-0.3% potassium permanganate for 6 hours, then washed clean with clear water before being inserted into nutrient bags.
3. Handle diseased plants promptly: If diseased seedlings are found, they should be pulled out promptly, and 0.2-0.3% potassium permanganate should be sprayed on the seedlings to inhibit the continued spread of the disease. After spraying, wash the seedlings with clear water.
That is all for the introduction to eucalyptus planting techniques. We hope it is helpful to everyone. This tree species, eucalyptus, grows very fast, and its planting benefits are also very high. Friends who are interested can consider it carefully.