Is the plane tree a deciduous tree or an evergreen tree? You'll understand after reading this

The plane tree has a majestic form and dense branches and leaves, and is a world-famous excellent shade tree and street tree, known as the “king of street trees.” So, is the plane tree a deciduous or evergreen tree?

1. Is the plane tree a deciduous or evergreen tree?

The plane tree is a deciduous tree, mainly distributed in southeastern Europe, India and the Americas, and the most common is the London plane.

2. Propagation methods of the plane tree

The propagation of the plane tree usually adopts two forms: cuttings and seedling raising by sowing.

1. Cutting propagation

After leaf fall, collect cuttings early, selecting sturdy 1-year-old sprout branches from 10-year-old mother trees. After collection, immediately cut them into cuttings in a shaded, windless place, 15-20 cm long, with the upper cut end 1-2.5 cm in diameter, having 3 buds, the upper cut made about 0.5 cm above a bud, the cut slightly slanted or flat; the lower cut about 1 cm below a bud, cut flat or slanted. The nursery site requires good drainage, loose soil, deep mature soil, and fertile moisture; standing water must be avoided, otherwise rooting will be poor. Plow deeply 30-45 cm and apply sufficient base fertilizer. The row spacing for cuttings is 30-40 cm, and the plant spacing is 20-30 cm. Generally they are inserted vertically, though slanted insertion is also used; the upper buds should face south, which is beneficial for growth and convenient for management.

2. Seedling raising by sowing

Each kg of head-like fruit clusters (commonly called fruit balls) contains about 120, and each fruit ball contains about 800-1000 small nuts, with a thousand-grain weight of 4.9 g, and each kg contains about 200,000 small nuts, with a germination rate of 10%-20%. ① Seed treatment: collect the fruit balls in December, spread them in the sun and store them, crush them at sowing time, and before sowing place the small nuts in low-temperature sand storage for 20-30 days, which can promote rapid and uniform germination. Sow about 15 kg/mu. ② Land preparation and fertilization: the seedbed width is about 1.3 m, and fertilizer is applied on the bed surface at 2.5-5 kg/sq m. ③ Sowing is best on cloudy and rainy days from late March to early May, and germination can occur in 3-5 days. ④ Build a shade shed in time; when the seedlings have 4 leaves, the shade shed can be removed. When the seedlings are 10 cm tall, topdressing can begin, applied once every 10-15 days.

The plane tree is especially adaptable to the urban environment, can absorb harmful gases, resist smoke and dust, isolate noise, tolerate drought, and grow rapidly.