The Latest Planting Methods and Precautions for Wintersweet

The author will get straight to the point and directly introduce the planting methods and precautions for wintersweet. Everyone knows that wintersweet is commonly propagated by grafting, cuttings, layering or division. Grafting is the most widely used method. When using these methods to plant wintersweet, we still need to analyze each point in detail, so that in winter we can see a healthy wintersweet tree bearing dazzlingly beautiful wintersweet flowers.

Precautions for Planting Wintersweet

① Field planting. Since wintersweet likes sunlight and fears wind, a wind-sheltered, sunny plot with good drainage should be chosen. The best time for field planting is winter or spring; when planting, small seedlings can be planted bare-root after dipping in some mud slurry. Wintersweet more than 3 years old should be planted with a soil ball. Sufficient base fertilizer needs to be applied before planting, and after planting it should be watered thoroughly.

② Water and fertilizer management. Field-grown wintersweet is managed relatively extensively; in late September each year, sufficient flower-promoting fertilizer should be applied. The fertilizer can be fully decomposed municipal household waste, mixed with a small amount of soybean cake powder. Hole application is preferable (about 40-60 cm from the main trunk, depending on tree size); in March to April, fertilizer for after flowering should be applied, and fertilizers such as human excrement and urine can be used. The field should be kept free of weeds, and waterlogging must be strictly avoided.

③ Actively do a good job of preventing and controlling pests and diseases.

Analysis of Wintersweet Planting Techniques

1. For grafting, choose 2-3 year old Dogfly wintersweet as the rootstock, and graft by approach grafting or cut grafting; approach grafting is usually the most commonly used. In early spring in March, cut open the bark of the rootstock and the scion, bring them close together and bind them tightly; wrap the joint with plastic strips so that it heals and survives. After surviving, it can be separated from the mother plant and planted in the same winter.

2. For cuttings, softwood cuttings in summer are best; after soaking the cuttings in 50 mg/kg rooting powder for 6 hours, insert them in a shaded plastic film tunnel, and in about 20-30 days they will root and can be transplanted.

3. For division, take seedlings with multiple fibrous roots at the base; after division, cut off the upper branches, apply dilute liquid fertilizer, and cover the top with a curtain for shading. In spring and autumn, layering can also be used for propagation. Wintersweet is relatively cold-hardy; as long as the temperature does not fall below -15°C, it can overwinter safely in the open ground, but during the flowering period it must not be below -10°C. Wintersweet fears wind; strong wind causes the leaves to rub against each other and form rust spots. Wintersweet is drought-tolerant, but in the scorching summer it must not lack water, otherwise the leaves will form dry, whitish patches, affecting flower bud formation; watering with semi-moist soil is preferable.

4. Wintersweet must be pruned timely after the flowers fade.

5. Wintersweet likes fertilizer; each month a ring-shaped trench 15-18 cm deep can be dug to apply thin fertilizer once. Farmyard manure must not be applied, to avoid excessive vegetative growth after autumn. Before leaf fall in autumn, apply additional topdressing; a ratio of phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen of 2:1:0.5 is preferable. Wintersweet is a deep-rooted tree species and must be planted in deep pots. Repot once every 2-3 years; remove the surface soil from the soil ball so that the root crown gradually becomes exposed above the pot soil surface, with hanging roots and exposed claws, which is especially distinctive.

6. It is not suitable for planting in areas that are too warm, because flowering requires a temperature of 0°C to -10°C to persist for at least 5 days.