Experience Sharing on Raising Jujube Sucker Seedlings by Returning Them to the Nursery

Using jujube sucker seedlings from jujube orchards and returning them to the nursery is a widely applied method for cultivating strong jujube seedlings.

(1) Land preparation: choose flat loam soil with a water source as the nursery. Plow deeply 20 cm and apply sufficient farmyard manure as base fertilizer. Make beds 90 cm wide and 10 m long, oriented north-south, with 2 rows of seedlings per bed. In the center of the bed, dig 1 trench 30 cm deep and 42 cm wide, with the trench walls vertical to the ground surface. Loosen the old soil at the bottom of the trench with a shovel and evenly spread decomposed chicken manure or other organic fertilizer.

(2) Select and plant seedlings: after sorting by root diameter, remove plants with crazy root disease and wild jujube seedlings, cut off excessively long side roots, and leave the seedling stub (main stem) 10 to 20 cm. Arrange the selected jujube seedlings against the trench wall according to spacing (10 cm, 15 cm, 20 cm), 1 row on each side; at the same time, take topsoil from the adjacent 1 bed and fill it into the seedling-arranging trench. When half filled, firm it, straighten the seedling stubs, then cover with soil again, stopping when the trench is 4/5 filled. Then irrigate thoroughly, and after the water infiltrates, cover with soil in time to preserve moisture. After all jujube seedlings are returned to the nursery, cut off the excessively long seedling stems (seedling stubs) 3 to 4 cm above the ground surface, then repair the bed ridges and fill in the seedling-raising cards.

(3) Management techniques for jujube returned to the nursery: sprout removal - in early May, select 1 vigorous sprout and remove the excess. Sprout removal is generally carried out 2 to 3 times. Irrigation, weeding, and moisture preservation - water immediately when individual jujube seedlings wilt. Watering for height increase in early July and watering for thickening in early August are relatively important. To ensure normal growth of the seedlings, water 7 times in a normal year, while 3 times is sufficient in a rainy year. Loosen the soil immediately the next day after watering. Topdressing - before the seedlings are 20 cm tall, it is not suitable to apply too much fertilizer. In early to mid-June, broadcast urea 1 time at 60 kg per hectare. At the same time, combine with foliar spraying of 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate, 0.3% urea, and 0.1% borax; apply quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer in early, mid, and late July. Apply topdressing 1 time in early August to meet the demand for nitrogen during the rapid growth of jujube seedlings. Stop topdressing after mid-August, and carry out intertillage and weeding in time.