A Detailed Guide to the Latest Prices of Japanese Raisin Tree Seeds and How to Grow Them
The Japanese raisin tree is also known as chicken-claw vine, golden hook pear, guaizao'er and so on. It is a deciduous tree of the genus Hovenia in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. Its fruit stalks contain a large amount of glucose and potassium malate, and after frost they taste sweet and can be eaten raw or used to make wine. Its wood has moderate hardness and beautiful grain, and is used as timber for construction, furniture and arts and crafts, and so on. Now let us take a look together at the price of Japanese raisin tree seeds and how to grow them!
How much is a jin of Japanese raisin tree seeds?
The price of Japanese raisin tree seeds is about 25 to 40 yuan per jin, but prices vary depending on seed quality, variety, place of origin and market. The Japanese raisin tree is distributed throughout the Yellow River basin and the Yangtze River basin in China. In production it is mainly propagated by seed, and can also be propagated by layering and root division. Generally it begins to bear fruit only after 5 to 6 years of planting, with a flowering period in June and a fruiting period from August to October. With modern dwarfing and branch-bending techniques, fruiting can be advanced to 3 to 4 years.
Growing conditions for the Japanese raisin tree
The Japanese raisin tree has a long history of cultivation and use in China. The tree can reach more than 10 m in height and has strong adaptability to the environment. It is drought-resistant, cold-resistant and also tolerant of relatively barren soil. It likes sunlight and mostly grows in valleys, beside streams, along roadsides or on relatively moist hillsides and hills below 1000 m in altitude. It is often cultivated beside courtyards and homes, and often grows mixed with other evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved tree species. If the soil is deep, fertile and moist, it can grow rapidly.
How are Japanese raisin tree seeds propagated?
1. Seed collection: Japanese raisin tree seeds are collected when they mature in November. The seed coat is reddish brown. One fruit contains 3 seeds. The seed coat is leathery and the embryo is yellow-white, and it does not readily absorb water.
2. Seed germination: After collection, Japanese raisin tree seeds are germinated by the moist sand stratification method, stored in layers of one layer of seeds and one layer of moist sand, and after 50 to 60 days the radicle begins to bulge.
3. Sowing method: Japanese raisin tree seeds can be sown in holes or in drills. Before sowing, prepare the seedbed (small raised beds) to a depth of 2 to 3 cm, then cover the bed surface with rice straw, water thoroughly, and sow about 10 jin per mu.
4. Seedling management: During the seedling stage, the Japanese raisin tree should be watered and fertilized frequently to promote growth. Thin the seedlings when 3 to 5 true leaves have grown, keeping the strong and removing the weak. When they reach 70 to 100 cm they can be transplanted.
How to grow the Japanese raisin tree
1. Site selection and land preparation: The Japanese raisin tree has strong adaptability and prefers to grow in a sunny, moist, fertile, well-drained environment with a neutral pH. After choosing the site, dig a pit 1 m deep and 1 m wide. On sloping land, dig fish-scale pits to prevent soil erosion, and add plenty of dead branches and fallen leaves to the pits for planting the trees.
2. Management after planting: Japanese raisin tree seedlings grow slowly, so the management of young trees should be strengthened. Each year when weeds grow in spring and summer, loosen the soil and remove weeds, water promptly during drought, and apply fertilizer three times, in March of spring, June of summer and November of winter, to promote growth.
3. Shaping and branch bending: In the second year after planting, when the young tree has grown to 1 to 1.5 m, bend the main trunk to make it produce secondary branches, then use the same method to bend the branches so they spread in all directions. This allows earlier and more abundant fruiting, thereby increasing economic income.
4. Pest and disease control: The Japanese raisin tree has relatively strong vitality and good disease resistance. During the seedling stage, leaf blight and aphids are common. For leaf blight, use a 1:1:400 Bordeaux mixture before and at the early stage of the disease, and for aphids spray a 40% dimethoate 2000-fold aqueous solution.
5. Harvesting and processing: The Japanese raisin tree is harvested in winter after the frost of November, when the fruit stalks turn reddish brown after several frosts. Cut off the fruiting branches and store them in a cool place. After 7 to 10 days of after-ripening, they can be sold fresh, or shade-dried and pressed for juice for sale.