What are the sowing methods for bayberry seeds?
Bayberry is a relatively common fruit in our daily lives, and bayberry trees can be seen everywhere in some rural areas, which shows that bayberry trees are actually very easy to grow and do not need very careful tending. Of course, if growing bayberry trees is developed as a business, letting them grow freely without any management will not work either!
Bayberry seed sowing methods
The seeds of both wild and cultivated bayberry can be sown to raise seedlings. Fresh seeds sown directly have the highest germination rate, but in production, autumn sowing is often used. The specific steps are:
① Seed collection. When collecting seeds, first wash the fruit flesh off the seed surface, spread the seeds in a dry, ventilated place to air-dry, and store them in sand. Field sowing. Generally sow from October to December, mostly by broadcasting, with a sowing rate of 200-250 kg per mu. After sowing, cover with a 1 cm thick layer of fine soil, then cover with straw or other shading material to keep warm and moist.
② Seedling stage management. Seedlings emerge 80 days after sowing, with an emergence rate of 50%-60%. After emergence, transplant in late April, transplanting with soil at a spacing of 10 cm - 25 cm between plants and rows, which favors survival. After transplanting and survival, strengthen cultivation management to promote the growth of young seedlings. Do not fertilize in the early stage. When the seedlings reach more than 30 cm in August - September, apply a dilute nitrogen fertilizer (1% urea) to promote growth. In drought, water to resist drought. After October, the seedlings reach up to 50 cm in height and 0.6 cm in thickness, and can be grafted in the spring of the following year.
Bayberry propagation methods
Bayberry is a precious fruit with very rich nutrition. Because of its relatively high economic value, it has attracted many farmers to grow it. Below are several common propagation methods for bayberry for everyone's reference, and I hope they can be helpful to everyone.
1. Layering propagation. Layering propagation can be carried out in spring, summer and autumn, but the effect is best in spring. It can be used for seedlings grown mainly for foliage or fruit. Generally, select plants of excellent varieties, first fill soil under the canopy, then make 2-3 vertical cuts below the branch to be layered, deep to the xylem, or ring-bark it, with a width of 2-4 cm. Press the treated branch into the soil, and pour 800 times diluted ABT No. 1 rooting powder solution into the vertical cuts or barked area, which can promote early rooting. Then cover with 58 cm of fine soil, and pile stones and other heavy objects on the fine soil to prevent the layered branch from being moved by wind, which is unfavorable for rooting. Generally, new roots can grow at the vertical cuts in about 50-75 days. As needed, before transplanting to the nursery for cultivation, cut 3-4 cm below the new roots and then transplant. After one year of cultivation, it can become a seedling and leave the nursery.
2. Seedling propagation. For seedlings grown mainly for foliage, seedling cultivation is mostly used. The seeds of seedlings should be collected from robust adult seedling trees. The seed germination rate is directly proportional to the kernel, so when collecting seeds, check the fruit kernels of the seed trees. Select individual plants with plump kernels and full maturity for collection and propagation. After collection, soak in water for 5-6 days until the fruit flesh rots, then wash clean, remove the floating shriveled seeds, and soak the seeds in 5% salt water for 10-12 days before sowing into the seedbed. The seedbed should be fertile, loose sandy loam. When sowing, drill sowing or broadcasting can be used. Press the seeds flat into the soil with a wooden board on the bed surface, and cover with a 3-5 cm thick layer of fine soil. After one month, the seeds can sprout and emerge. When the seedlings grow to about 8-10 cm, thin them or transplant to fill gaps, and apply some dilute human and livestock manure water fertilizer to promote robust growth of the seedlings. After about one year of growth, they become seedlings. They can leave the nursery for transplanting or serve as rootstock for grafted seedlings.
3. Grafted seedling propagation. For seedlings grown mainly for fruit, grafting propagation is used to maintain the excellent characteristics of the variety. The grafting time should be in April. Generally, branch grafting is suitable. Select 2-3 year old mature branches from mother trees with many fruits, excellent quality and robust growth as scions, and use 2-year-old seedlings that have been transplanted once as rootstock. For rootstock less than 1 cm, cut grafting or bark grafting is commonly used. For rootstock greater than 1 cm, cleft grafting, inlay grafting or side grafting can be used. The scion is 12 cm long, with one node kept at the upper end and cut evenly at the lower end below the node. Because bayberry rootstock has a strong apical growth advantage, after grafting the rootstock sap rises abundantly and quickly, which easily affects survival. To improve the survival rate, the following methods can be used to reduce the speed of rootstock sap rising:
① Root cutting method. For small rootstock below 1 cm, cut the main root and part of the lateral roots from both sides of the rootstock after grafting.
② Branch retention method to slow vigor. Mostly used for small rootstock below 4 cm. First graft on the rootstock branches, keep a small number of branches as "water-guiding branches" to absorb sap, and cut them off about 30 days after the graft takes.
③ Method of cutting the rootstock top in advance. Cut off the upper part of the rootstock 15-20 days before grafting. This can better inhibit sap rising and improve the survival rate.
④ Rootstock ring-cutting method. For rootstock with a diameter above 1.5 cm, make two rounds of cross ring cuts 5 cm below the graft union, keeping 30% of the cortex in each round, which can significantly improve the survival rate.
Bayberry planting techniques
1. Transplanting time: When bayberry seedlings emerge and reach about 10 cm in height and grow 4-5 leaves, they can be transplanted. Before transplanting, the nursery should be prepared and fertilized, and at the same time 25 kg of lime should be broadcast on the bed surface per mu or 600 times diluted Topsin solution sprayed.
2. Transplanting method: Transplant seedlings at a row spacing of 30-35 cm and plant spacing of 8-10 cm. When transplanting seedlings, choose cloudy days or early morning or evening on sunny days, and water thoroughly to set the roots. Transplant 12,000-14,000 plants per mu.
3. Reasonable fertilization: Bayberry seedlings must wait until the root system has recovered and grown well and 4-5 new leaves have grown before applying diluted human manure and urine (1 bucket of water plus 2 spoonfuls of human manure and urine, 0.25 kg of urea). After that, apply 2% ternary compound fertilizer solution or dilute human manure and urine liquid once every half month.
4. Tree body management: After planting, promptly remove branches on the trunk below 1/2 of the total length. In the second year, select 3 main branches evenly distributed in 3 directions. After the third year, select and keep secondary main branches on the main branches so that the canopy forms a natural open-center shape, with height controlled at 2.5-3 m.
5. Soil management: When planting bayberry, weed and loosen soil in a timely manner, apply more lime, adjust soil pH, supplement calcium for the tree body, and at the same time interplant green manure crops such as beans and peanuts in the forest (avoid planting tall-stemmed and climbing plants) to increase soil biological cover.
6. Controlling shoots to promote flowering: When the bayberry canopy reaches 2.0-2.5 m, use shoot control methods to promote the formation of flower buds and achieve early fruiting and high yield. Branch pulling, opening the canopy, slowing tree vigor, or applying paclobutrazol to the soil from early October to late December can be used to control shoots and promote flowering.
7. Flower and fruit thinning: For bayberry trees, combine spring pruning to thin out excess flower branches, especially weak flower branches. For trees with many flowers in an on-year, spray bayberry flower-thinning agent during the flowering period. About 20 days after flower drop, reasonably thin fruits according to the fruit load of the tree.
Is growing bayberry profitable
Bayberry has a wide range of uses and huge market potential. The bayberry tree has a graceful posture and dense green leaves. A robust bayberry canopy about 15 years old has already been used in landscape projects as an ornamental greening seedling. Bayberry branches and leaves are green in winter and do not fall, and have already been used by fresh cut flower shops in winter as matching foliage (cut leaves), and are also exported to Japan. The fresh branches and leaves of bayberry are not easy to burn, so they can be planted as forest firebreaks to prevent forest fires. The leaves, roots and bark of bayberry are rich in tannins (content as high as 10%-19%), which can be refined into flavonoids and essential oil substances, used as red-brown and medical astringents. The kernel of bayberry contains vitamin B17, which is an anti-cancer substance, and also contains 32% crude protein and 21% crude fat. It is called a high-protein, high-plant-oil food and can be eaten stir-fried or pressed for oil. In addition, bayberry has many medicinal values, such as aiding digestion, resisting cold, relieving summer heat, stopping diarrhea, promoting diuresis, treating dysentery, promoting salivation and quenching thirst, clearing the stomach and intestines, and relieving irritability and foul qi. China's medical community has a relatively high evaluation of this.
Bayberry has a very large market share in China. It can not only be eaten directly as a fruit, but many people also like to soak bayberry in wine. Drinking bayberry wine regularly has very good health-preserving effects on people's health. Moreover, there are many ways to eat bayberry, so it is deeply loved by everyone in daily life!