How to Transplant a Camphor Tree? Key Technical Points Explained in Detail
Camphor tree has dense branches and leaves, a large and shady crown, and a majestic form. It can absorb smoke and trap dust, conserve water, fix soil and prevent sand erosion, and beautify the environment. As an excellent tree species for urban greening, it often needs to be transplanted. If the transplanting technique is not good enough, the probability of transplant failure will be greatly increased. The following is an analysis of the key technical points for camphor tree transplanting compiled for you.
1. Moisture retention measures for seedlings during transport
(1) Defoliation
Use a bamboo pole to knock the leaves off from up high, or remove the leaves immediately after lifting and before loading onto the vehicle.
(2) Moisture retention with cotton cloth
After loading, cover the large tree with cotton cloth and pour water on it to maintain humidity. The soil ball should also be wrapped in wet cotton cloth, and water poured on after loading.
(3) Shading
Then cover it with black shade netting on top. If the distance is short, it is best to drive at night.
2. Tree moving and maintenance
If the tree is being moved, it should be watered thoroughly one day in advance. After the tree has taken up the water, then dig it up. The leaves and trunk should be sprayed with an anti-transpiration protective agent (transpiration inhibitor). The branches and trunk should be wrapped in cotton cloth and watered. If the anti-transpiration protective agent is not applied in advance, it will have no effect once the tree has been dug up. During the tree moving process, the first point is that the fine roots must not dehydrate. Nutrients and water are absorbed by the fine roots and fleshy roots, while the large roots develop after photosynthesis by the tree body. Generally, transplanting camphor trees is not a problem, as they have enough fine roots to absorb water and supply the large tree.
If planting in waterlogged areas, place small square stones a bit deeper at the bottom to prevent water accumulation and root rot. After planting, set up black shade netting, and water must be sprayed on the tree body every day when the sun goes down.
3. Practical experience
Pan Changzhi, general manager of Black Rose (Rose) Flower Research in Keqiao District, Shaoxing City: Some people say camphor trees in Shandong will freeze to death. Pan Changzhi believes it mainly depends on the tree species. Transplanted trees from rice fields in Xiaoshan will not freeze to death, but camphor trees from hilly land and mountains will definitely freeze to death if planted. Camphor trees in hilly land only have thick roots and straight roots. When summer comes and there is no water in the upper soil, they desperately drive their main roots deep to absorb water and supply the entire crown. Therefore, when it comes time to transplant, they have only a few main roots, and after cutting them into sections there are no fine roots. If transplanted to the south, the chance of survival is somewhat greater. If transplanted to northern Anhui, Henan, or Shandong, they may all be wiped out. When camphor trees are planted here, if they do not die this year, they will still die next year. This is the reason why some brokers do not understand the technique and only compete for money, causing camphor trees in the north to be completely wiped out.
Liu Yunzhan, vice president of the Shangqiu City Landscape and Flower Chamber of Commerce: During transport, cover everything as much as possible. It is best to knock off basically all the leaves one week before lifting the seedlings. About 20 days after planting, new buds can all sprout. If they have been transplanted for three years, the survival rate is not a problem. Before planting, spray the crown with a fungicide as much as possible, such as carbendazim, because newly grown one- to two-year-old branches of camphor trees are prone to disease and black stems. Once the stem turns black, it spreads quickly, and basically survival becomes very difficult. If the stem can be kept from turning black within 20 days, the survival rate can be greatly improved.