A Detailed Guide to Eucommia Planting Time and Methods: Master the Key Technical Points

As is well known, the Eucommia tree is a very precious tree species in our country, because its bark can be used as medicine, it is a precious traditional Chinese medicinal material, and its health-preserving and healthcare effects are also very high. So do you know how to plant the Eucommia tree? Below, the editor will introduce the planting methods for Eucommia!

Eucommia Planting Techniques

1. Preparation before sowing

Put the seeds into a plastic woven bag, hang it in a ventilated and cool place, and sow directly into the seedbed in late December. After Eucommia seeds are collected at the end of October, hang and store them, soak them in clean water for 1-2 days in late December, changing the clean water once a day, and when changing the water for the last time add a small amount of copper sulfate or amobam (zinc), or carbendazim, to kill pathogens, then scoop them out and filter until they can be scattered by hand without sticking when sowing, and sow directly into the seedbed. The lifespan of Eucommia seeds is 1 year. The seed germination rate is closely related to maturity and freshness. Fully mature seeds have a low germination rate, and the germination rate for spring sowing is even lower.

2. Land preparation and fertilization

Choose sandy fields or sandy loam fields, and repeatedly plow and harrow 2-3 times before sowing. Before the last plowing and harrowing, apply compound fertilizer as a "stubble-opening" treatment. Make a 1 m seedbed, dig furrows 20-25 cm deep, apply barnyard manure or broadcast compound fertilizer and rapeseed cake in the furrows, or use human and livestock urine and manure as a base, then cover with soil 1.5-2 cm below the seedbed surface.

3. Sowing into the seedbed

In the furrows already supplied with base fertilizer, place 1 seed every 5 cm or scatter them evenly and sparsely in the furrows; if too dense, pick them up and place them in thinner areas. Cover with a mixture of plant ash and soil or fine soil 1.5-2 cm deep. On the seedbed, spread rice straw or thatch flat along the direction of the furrows for insulation. The grass cover does not need to be too thick, so as to avoid pulling out the seedlings along with it when the grass is removed after the seedlings emerge evenly.

Eucommia Planting Time and Methods

Generally, seed propagation is used. Sowing can be done in both spring and autumn. First soak the seeds in warm water at 40-50°C, stirring constantly, until the water cools, then scoop them out, and place them in cool water to soak for two days. After the seeds swell, scoop them out and mix with fine sand. Choose a sunny spot and dig a pit, place the mixed seeds in the pit, sprinkle water to keep them moist, cover with a layer of plastic film, stir once every 1-2 days, and sow when the seeds begin to sprout. For drilling, open shallow furrows 2 cm deep at a row spacing of 25-30 cm, sow the seeds evenly into the furrows, and level with a hoe. Keep the seedbed surface moist before emergence. Transplanting can be done in both spring and winter. Dig holes at a row spacing and plant spacing of 3 m each. When planting the seedlings, let the roots spread out, then cover with soil, compact, and water.

The Growing Environment of Eucommia

Eucommia prefers a warm and humid climate and an environment with sufficient sunlight, and can withstand severe cold. Mature plants can survive normally under conditions of -30°C. It can be cultivated in most areas of our country and has strong adaptability. It has no strict requirements for soil, but loam soil with deep, loose, fertile, moist, and well-drained layers is most suitable. The growth rate of the Eucommia tree is relatively slow in its youth, and its rapid growth period appears from 7-20 years. After 20 years, the growth rate decreases year by year again. After 50 years, height growth basically stops, and the plant naturally withers.

Seedling Stage Management

1. Spraying pesticides to protect seedlings: Throughout the seedling stage, Eucommia should be sprayed with pesticides to control pests such as locusts, jewel beetles, and longhorn beetles. Bordeaux mixture can prevent damping-off disease, but if the seedlings have already contracted damping-off disease, spraying Bordeaux mixture is useless; instead, irrigate with kangukuling or carbendazim. At the same time, shallow hoeing of the surface soil should be done to increase ground temperature, and more dilute fertilizer should be applied to enhance soil fertility. For downy mildew, amobam (zinc), mancozeb, or carbendazim can be sprayed or irrigated.

2. Weeding and loosening soil: After Eucommia seeds emerge, pay attention to intertillage and weeding, watering and fertilizing, and loosening the soil. Seedlings avoid strong sunlight and should be properly shaded. In the dry season, timely sprinkler irrigation should be used to prevent drought, and in the rainy season, attention should be paid to preventing waterlogging. If the trunk of a seedling grown from seed is curved, the entire aboveground part can be removed along the ground surface in early spring to promote new branches, and from them select 1 strong, vigorous, straight new branch as the new trunk, removing all the rest.

3. Reasonable fertilization: Fertilization during the Eucommia seedling stage should be "small meals more often," with farmyard manure and compound fertilizer being best. Fertilization should be light, and it is best to apply diluted fertilizer after each loosening of the soil. Ammonium bicarbonate should not be used, to prevent fertilizer damage. After the seedlings are 30 cm tall, urea can be broadcast on rainy days, with an amount of 4-5 kg per mu each time. After the seedlings are 40 cm tall, urea can be lightly broadcast once every 15-20 days. Eucommia seedlings grow rapidly in autumn, and if fertilizer keeps up, the larger ones can grow 100-110 cm tall in the same year, thus producing high-quality seedlings.

The above is the planting method for Eucommia summarized by the editor, and I hope it can help everyone. Eucommia bark has effects such as stabilizing menstruation and preventing miscarriage, strengthening tendons and bones, and tonifying the liver and kidneys. It is a very popular medicinal material on the market, so the prospects for planting Eucommia are also relatively broad.