How much does a tall, upright poplar sapling cost per tree, and how to plant good varieties

Poplar is a plant of the genus Populus, with about 100 or more species in the entire genus, also called hemp willow (Hubei) and centipede willow (Anhui). It is mainly distributed in Liaoning, Jilin, Xinjiang, northern Shaanxi, and Shandong. So how much does a poplar sapling cost per tree? What are its characteristics? Which variety is good? How to plant it? According to the Shandong nursery stock base, the price of a 4 cm poplar sapling in Shandong is 8 yuan, in Hebei a 4 cm poplar sapling is 9 yuan, and in Jiangsu a 4 cm poplar sapling is 6 yuan; prices in various places are basically comparable.

What are the characteristics of poplar?

1. Morphological characteristics: Poplar twigs have a terminal bud and more than two bud scales; leaves are simple and alternate, ovate or nearly circular; catkins are unisexual, with male and female flowers on separate plants; there are no petals, but there is a ring-shaped floral disc and bracts. The tip of the bract is split, and the stamens are numerous. The capsule is small and has a pappus.

2. Characteristics in literary works: upright, resolute, able to overcome harsh environments, a lonely watcher, symbolizing hope, vitality, and an unyielding life.

Which poplar sapling variety is good?

Botanically, poplar belongs to the family Salicaceae. This family has three genera, namely: Populus, Salix, and Chosenia. The classification system of the genus Populus is further divided into five sections: Populus sect. Tacamahaca, Populus sect. Populus, Populus sect. Aigeiros, Populus sect. Turanga, and Populus sect. Leucoides.

1. Section Populus (white poplars), bark is usually grayish white, smooth, rough only at the base of old trees. Buds are downy or smooth. Leaves are downy, at least on the underside of long shoots; short-shoot leaves are downy or smooth; petioles are laterally flattened or nearly cylindrical. Bracts are strip-shaped and split, with long hairs along the edges; stigma is 2-4 lobed; stamens 5-20, anthers without a slender tip. Capsule is long elliptic, usually 2-valved.

2. Section Leucoides (bigleaf poplars), bark splits in flakes and is rough. Buds are conical, slightly sticky, and smooth. Short-shoot and long-shoot leaves are nearly circular, with a heart-shaped or deeply heart-shaped base; the petiole is only slightly flattened at the tip. The floral disc is deeply lobed and persistent; stamens 12-40, anthers long elliptic with a slender tip; ovary is pubescent, style is relatively long, stigma is 2-3 lobed. Capsule is hairy, 2-3 (4)-valved.

3. Section Tacamahaca, bark splits longitudinally. Buds are large, very sticky, and strongly fragrant. Leaves are green above and usually white below; the shapes of long-shoot and short-shoot leaves differ, the base is wedge-shaped, rounded to shallowly heart-shaped, and the margin lacks a translucent narrow border; the petiole is circular or nearly four-angled, with grooves, and varies in length. Stamens 8-60, anthers long elliptic to spherical; stigma 2-4 lobed; style short or absent. Capsule is 2-4 (5)-valved, floral disc persistent.

4. Section Aigeiros (black poplars), bark splits longitudinally. Buds are very sticky. Leaves are usually triangular-ovate or rhombic-ovate, the tip is long and tapering, the base is truncate or broadly wedge-shaped, the margin has rounded serrations and a transparent narrow border, both sides are green, and both have stomata. Stamens 15-30, anthers nearly spherical or elliptic, stigma 2, no style. Capsule is 2-4-valved, floral disc persistent.

5. Section Turanga, buds are not sticky and are hairy. Leaf shape is highly variable, both sides are the same grayish blue, with stomata only on the underside; petiole is circular.

How to plant poplar saplings?

1. Carefully choose the seedling-raising site. Choosing a good seedling-raising site is the key to successful poplar seedling cultivation. If the nursery site is chosen improperly, it will affect the seedling-raising results for the next 3-4 years. The seedling-raising site should be loose sandy loam or light loam; heavy clay soil and “throughout-sand” soil with poor water and fertilizer retention are not suitable. The nursery site should have flat terrain, convenient transportation, a groundwater level not exceeding 1 m, and a soil layer thickness of no less than 0.8 m.

2. Land preparation. Before cuttings, apply sufficient base fertilizer at 80-100 jin of compound fertilizer per mu, deep plow the seedling-raising site 30-875px, rake it level, and promptly spray a 800-fold dilution of high-fat film to increase temperature and preserve soil moisture.

3. Collection of propagation material and cutting of cuttings. A cutting refers to the short section cut from a shoot for use in propagation by cuttings. For poplar seedling cultivation, one-year-old seedling stems must be used to cut cuttings.

Time of collecting shoots: generally collected in early spring before the sap begins to flow, then immediately soak the lower end of the seedlings in water so the seedlings fully absorb water.

Cutting of cuttings: use a sharp knife to cut the cuttings; the cutting length is 18-500px and the thickness is 1-37.5px. The first lateral bud at the upper end of the cutting should be intact, and there should be a 25px gap between the upper cut and the first lateral bud. Spray the cut with an 800-fold dilution of new high-fat film to protect the wound and prevent disease intrusion. When cutting the cuttings, place the cuttings from the upper, middle, and lower parts of the same variety's seedling stems separately and raise seedlings separately, to avoid uneven seedlings later and the phenomenon of large seedlings suppressing small seedlings.

4. Cutting density: seedling density has an important effect on seedling quality and yield. If the density is too high, the nutritional area and space for poplar saplings shrink, which will reduce seedling quality; if the density is too low, seedling yield is too low, affecting income. In my opinion: (1) The seedling density for afforestation seedlings should be about 3000 plants/mu, and should not exceed 3500 plants/mu. (2) Nurseries producing propagation material can use 3500-4000 plants/mu, and should not exceed 4000 plants/mu; the propagation material produced can reach a thickness of 37.5px, with few branches, many buds, and good quality. (3) A special nursery can be established for poplar seedlings used in low mountain and hilly areas, producing seedlings about 3.5 m tall, with a density of 3500-4000 plants/mu. In designing spacing between plants and rows, wide rows with dense plants are advocated, such as 0.4×0.6 m, 0.35×0.7 m, 0.3×0.7 m, etc. This design facilitates field operations, especially the method of intertillage to bury base fertilizer for root-retained seedling cultivation in the coming years.

5. Cutting time: in the north, cutting is suitable from mid-to-late February to early-to-mid March, and it is best to cut when soil moisture is good after rain. There is also winter cutting, but if spring drought occurs, it may affect the survival rate.

6. Cutting method: insert the soaked poplar cuttings vertically and directly into the soft nursery soil, with the upper cut of the cutting level with or slightly above the ground. The soil can be pressed lightly so that the soil fits tightly around the cutting.