Dogwood Planting Techniques and Field Management of Dogwood
Most traditional Chinese medicinal herbs are native wild plants, and it is precisely because of this that herb gatherers exist. However, with the continuous development of traditional Chinese medicine and the advancement of modern science and technology, wild Chinese medicinal herbs can no longer meet people's needs, and the difficulty of harvesting medicinal materials is gradually increasing, so the cultivation of medicinal herbs has emerged as the times require.
Dogwood Planting Techniques
1. Seed treatment: Because the seed coat is thick and hard, water is not easy to penetrate, germination is slow and the germination rate is low, so seed treatment is often carried out before sowing. The first method is soaking seeds in warm water, soaking them in 60°C hot water for two days, then removing and drying them before sowing. The second method is soaking seeds in human urine for 15-20 days, then mixing them with plant ash before sowing. The third is soaking seeds in concentrated sulfuric acid for 1 minute, then rinsing with clean water before sowing. However, the cultivation group of the Shaanxi Provincial Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine believes through experiments that dogwood seeds must go through a process of first high temperature (summer, autumn), then low temperature (winter), and then high temperature (spring) before germination and emergence, and seed treatment is not necessary before sowing. For example, seeds selected this year, whether sown in winter this year or spring next year, will only emerge in April of the year after next.
2. Germination acceleration and sowing: In autumn, peel the flesh off fresh fruit, carry out germination acceleration treatment on the seeds, and mix the seed kernels with 5 times their volume of fine sandy soil (sandy soil with about 30% moisture content, that is, it forms a ball when squeezed in the hand and breaks apart when dropped on the ground) and mix evenly with the seeds. In an outdoor place that does not accumulate water, dig a pit or place them in a wooden box, cover the pit with 7-10 cm of sandy soil level with the ground, and then cover the top with weeds. In dry weather, spray water once every 7-10 days to keep the seeds moist. During heavy summer rain, cover the pit tightly to prevent the seeds from rotting due to rainwater soaking. In early spring, when about 40% of the seeds have germinated, sow the seeds in already prepared beds by drilling, opening shallow furrows 3-5 cm deep. Scatter the seeds into the furrows, cover with soil and level. Generally, seedlings emerge in 10-15 days.
3. Timely transplanting: After sowing and raising seedlings for 1-2 years, when the seedlings are about 50-70 cm tall, around the time of freezing in November, dig pits and plant them on hillsides, terrace edges and other land at a row spacing of 3 m and a plant spacing of 2 m. When lifting the seedlings, dig out the saplings together with their fibrous roots, move them into the dug pits, one plant per pit. When transplanting, spread the root system out, then fill the pit with soil mixed with fertilizer and tamp it firm. Water immediately after transplanting, and after the water seeps down, bank the surrounding soil up to the roots and tread it firm with the foot.
Field Management of Dogwood
1. Seedling stage management
Keep the soil moist before emergence. Remove weeds after emergence. At the seedling stage, when the seedlings are 15 cm tall, weed and apply topdressing once. If the seedlings are too dense, thin them when they are 12-15 cm tall. Loosen the soil and fertilize the seedlings 2-3 times. If the seedlings of the current year do not reach the planting height, water once with frozen water before winter and cover with weeds or cow and horse manure to help preserve heat and moisture for safe overwintering.
2. Management after planting
① Irrigation. There should be 3 major irrigations in a year. The first before sprouting and flowering at Spring Festival, the second during the fruit filling stage in summer, and the third before winter.
② Weeding and fertilizing. Cultivate and weed 4-5 times each year. Apply topdressing once each in spring and autumn. For large trees over 10 years old, apply 5-10 kg of human excrement and urine per plant. The best effect is achieved when topdressing is applied in mid-April at the early young fruit stage. Topdressing at full bloom and fruit setting stages, and spraying 0.1% boron solution also has a good effect.
③ Pruning. When young trees are 1 m tall, remove the top shoots in February to promote the growth of side branches. During the young tree stage, cut off the clustered branches at the base of the tree every early spring to promote trunk growth. Pruning should mainly be light pruning to promote the rapid transformation of vegetative branches into fruiting branches. Cut off overly thin, overly dense branches and water sprouts from the base to facilitate ventilation and light penetration and improve the fruit-setting rate. For auxiliary nurturing branches on the inner side of the main branches, carry out ring barking, pinching and twisting in June to weaken their growth vigor and promote early fruiting and early high yield. Young trees should be earthed up 1-2 times each year, and mature trees can be earthed up once every 2-3 years. If roots are exposed above the soil, earth them up promptly.
Dogwood Pruning Methods
1. Thinning
Also called thinning branches. Its function is to promote the sprouting and growth of branches below the cut, ease tree vigor, and it is mostly used where branches are too dense by cutting the first branch from the base. It can improve light conditions, prolong the life of fruiting branches, promote flower bud formation and increase the fruit-setting rate. Thinning out vigorous shoots that promote growth balances tree vigor; thinning out weak branches can promote the growth of other branches.
2. Heading back
Cutting off part of the treetop, also called short cutting. Its function is to promote the sprouting of new branches from buds below the cut, rejuvenate old branches and promote flowering and fruiting.
3. Renewal pruning
That is, short cutting on perennial branches, used to control auxiliary nurturing branches, cultivate fruiting branch groups and promote the renewal and rejuvenation of scaffold branches.
4. Leaving unpruned
Also called long leaving. That is, retaining branches without pruning. Generally, only weak branches, lower-tier branches and the like can be left unpruned. Its functions are, first, to ease growth vigor: for vigorous trees and vigorous branches it can ease growth vigor; for weak trees and weak branches, under conditions of strengthened water and fertilizer, it can restore growth as quickly as possible and strengthen tree vigor. Second, it is beneficial for flowering and fruiting: dogwood has the characteristic of flowering and fruiting from axillary buds. Leaving vegetative branches unpruned can promote more flowering and more fruiting.
Distribution of Dogwood Producing Areas
The producing areas of dogwood are mainly located in China's Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hunan and other provinces. It is also distributed in Korea and Japan. It grows at an altitude of 400-1500 m, rarely up to 2100 m, at forest edges or in forests. It has been introduced and cultivated in Sichuan. The relatively concentrated distribution areas are the Funiu Mountains in Henan, the Tianmu Mountains in Zhejiang and the Hanzhong area in Shaanxi. At present, the main areas with relatively large output that can supply the market are Xixia County and Neixiang County in Henan Province.
After a long period of development, dogwood cultivation should have become mature up to now, but cultivated Chinese medicinal herbs still have a certain gap with wild Chinese medicinal herbs in terms of growth environment, so their quality is also slightly inferior. Therefore, how to create an original ecological environment for Chinese medicinal herbs is currently a top priority in Chinese medicinal herb cultivation.