How much does a red osmanthus sapling cost per plant, which is better compared with golden osmanthus, and how do you cultivate it?

Red osmanthus trees are generally Dan Gui (orange osmanthus), including varieties such as Zhuangyuan Hong and Zhusha Dan Gui. So how much does a sapling cost per plant? Which is better compared with golden osmanthus? How do you cultivate it? According to the Hunan osmanthus planting base, the price of Zhuangyuan Hong 20CM is more than 1 yuan; Zhusha Dan Gui 50CM is 3-5 yuan.

Which is better, red osmanthus or golden osmanthus?

1. Those that bloom red flowers usually refer to Dan Gui, while those that bloom yellow flowers usually refer to Jin Gui. People prefer Dan Gui, which blooms red flowers, because its red flowers and drifting fragrance are deeply loved by growers.

2. Jin Gui flowers are golden yellow, and their scent is somewhat lighter than that of Dan Gui, with thicker leaves. Jin Gui blooms in autumn, and the flower color is mainly yellow (lemon yellow and golden yellow). Among them, Jin Gui is further divided into many varieties such as Qiugui, Jinjin Guiqiugui, Xiaye Jin Gui, Liuye Sugui and Jinqiu Zao Gui.

Dan Gui is dioecious, with long oval leaves, blooms orange-red flowers, has a very strong fragrance, a round spherical crown, upright branches, and medium density. The bark is light gray, and the lenticels are round or oval, medium in number. It is a precious ornamental plant.

3. Dan Gui is weakly positive and likes a warm and humid climate.

Jin Gui osmanthus likes a warm and humid climate, tolerates high temperatures but is not very cold-hardy, and is a subtropical tree species. Osmanthus has lush foliage and is evergreen, with a long tree lifespan. It blooms in autumn and is full of fragrance. It is a specialty ornamental flowering tree and fragrant tree of our country. The areas where osmanthus is concentrated and cultivated in our country are mainly the vast tropical and northern subtropical regions south of the Nanling Mountains and north of the Qinling Mountains and Huaihe River, roughly equivalent to 24 to 33° north latitude.

So it cannot be said which one is better, only that personal preferences differ!

How do you cultivate red osmanthus saplings?

1. Nursery land preparation: In winter, dig deeply twice, and prepare a seedbed 20cm high and 90cm wide for later use. You can also use the empty land left after spring seedlings are lifted from the nursery for production. First turn the soil deeply once, pick out tree roots and other debris, and after spring seedling production ends, turn the soil deeply once again, and make a turtle-back-shaped seedbed that is slightly higher in the middle and lower on both sides, 20cm high and 90cm wide, for later use.

2. Cutting: The substrate requires loose, breathable, well-drained acidic soil or sandy soil with high humus content, so that rooting is fast and the survival rate is high. One month before cutting, remove weeds growing on the seedbed, then disinfect with a 1:100 formaldehyde solution, turn the soil deeply once, and spray the cutting bed with 800-1000 times diluted trichlorfon solution to eliminate nematodes. 10-15 days before cutting, disinfect with lime water. 3 days before cutting, rinse the cutting bed with clean water, and after the cutting bed dries, level the bed surface.

3. Selection of planting material: Select mother trees with excellent varieties, robust plants, and a tree age of 20-25 years, and collect one-year-old robust side branches from them as cuttings. Weak twigs, inner-canopy branches, and pest- or disease-damaged branches cannot be used as cutting material.

4. Collection of planting material: In Guilin, Guangxi, the summer softwood cutting time for Dan Gui is generally chosen in mid-to-late June, when the average daily temperature in Guilin is 21°C-23°C and the daytime temperature is 25°C-28°C, suitable for Dan Gui growth. At this time, the new shoots have stopped growing but are not yet mature, being in a semi-lignified state. The cells inside the branches divide actively, the cutting wound heals easily, rooting is fast, and the survival rate is high. Cutting too early means the branches are young and tender and not easy to survive; cutting too late means cell division inside the branches tends to stop, making rooting and survival difficult.

5. Collection and treatment of cuttings: Cuttings are best collected on a sunny morning or on a cloudy day when water evaporation is relatively low. They cannot be collected on dry days or rainy days. Collected cuttings should be transported back promptly, spread out in a cool place, sprinkled with a small amount of water, and then covered with a water-soaked cotton cloth to retain moisture.

For cuttings, it is advisable to choose one-year-old semi-lignified branches that are robust, full in tissue, and relatively densely leafed. Generally cut 10-15cm, retain 2-3 leaves at the top, and remove the remaining 6 leaves; cut the cuttings into a horseshoe shape, and the cut should be smooth to facilitate cutting and wound healing and rooting. Align the lower ends of the cut cuttings, tie them in bundles of 30-50. Then arrange them neatly and vertically in a prepared 100ppm naphthalene acetic acid solution or ABT rooting powder solution, generally soak for 8-10 hours, then remove, rinse the roots with clean water, and they are ready for cutting.

7. Cutting method: The plant spacing for cutting is 5cm, and the row spacing is 10cm. Insert slightly obliquely, with the depth into the soil being 1/2-2/3 of the cutting length. After inserting, press the bed soil firmly, cover the rows with grass, and water thoroughly once, so that the cuttings and soil can closely combine without gaps. When the new branches that emerge grow to more than 6cm, they can be moved into the seedbed for cultivation. During the cutting bed period, pay attention to moisture retention and shading, and prevent water accumulation. Each mu of seedbed can cut 80,000 Dan Gui plants, suitable for large-scale propagation.

8. The common pests of Dan Gui trees mainly include scale insects, mites (red spider mites), and stinging caterpillars (hairy caterpillars). Mites, also called red spider mites, damage mature leaves, making them grayish yellow with small yellowish spots tinged with white. Damaged young leaves in mid-May become deformed and uneven, with yellow-brown patches.