Cypress Seeds: Latest Prices and Planting Methods Explained

Cypress is an excellent landscaping tree species, a general term for evergreen trees of the Cupressaceae family, including Platycladus, Sabina, Chamaecyparis, and Thuja, among other genera. It is now widely cultivated as an ornamental tree and is extremely widely distributed in China, from Inner Mongolia and Jilin in the north to Guangdong and northern Guangxi in the south, covering almost the entire country. Let's take a look at cypress seed prices and planting methods below!

How much is a jin of cypress seeds?

The price of cypress seeds is about 50 to 70 yuan per jin, but prices vary greatly depending on seed quality, variety, place of origin, and market conditions. Cypress seeds are ovate, slightly pointed at the top, rounded at the base, grayish-brown to purplish-brown, with slight 3-angled ridges, wingless or with extremely narrow wings. They usually mature around October to November, are sun-dried for storage, and must be strictly protected from moisture. They can be stored for about 2 years. In spring, soak the seeds in 50-55C warm water for about 1 hour before sowing, and they will germinate in about 2 weeks.

How are cypress seeds collected?

1. Seed collection time: For cypress, select 20-50 year old trees as mother trees. The seed maturation period is around October to November. When the cone scales change from green to yellow-green and the cone scales begin to crack slightly, collect the seeds immediately.

2. Collection method: After the cypress cones mature, promptly clear away shrubs and stones beneath the crown. Usually the knocking-down method is used for seed collection. After the cones are knocked down, simply gather them with a broom.

3. Seed cleaning: After the cypress cones are brought back, sun-dry them on a yard for 3-5 days. When the cone scales crack open, lightly tap the cone scales and the seeds will fall out. Then remove the cone scales, debris, and empty seeds, and store after drying in the shade.

How are cypress seeds planted?

1. Land preparation and fertilization: For the cypress seedling bed, choose flat terrain with good drainage and relatively fertile sandy loam or light loam. At the same time, combine with deep plowing in autumn and apply 2500-5000 kg of barnyard manure per mu, turn the manure into the soil, then rake and level it.

2. Seed disinfection: Cypress seeds contain many empty grains. First perform water selection and remove the floating empty grains, then soak the seeds in 0.3-0.5% copper sulfate solution for 1-2 hours or in 0.5% potassium permanganate solution for 2 hours to disinfect the seeds, then carry out seed germination.

3. Germination treatment: After disinfecting cypress seeds, soak them in 45C warm water for 24 hours, then remove them and spread them out to dry on a mat in a sheltered, sunny place. Turn and air them frequently, rinse with warm water 1-2 times per day, and after 5-6 days, when 1/3 of the seeds have cracked open, they can be sown.

4. Sowing time: Because of climatic differences among regions, the sowing time for cypress seeds also differs, but sowing should be done early at the appropriate time according to local weather conditions. For example, in North China it is mid to late March, in the Northwest it is late March to early April, while in the Northeast mid to late April is best.

5. Seed sowing: Before sowing cypress seeds, irrigate thoroughly with bottom water, then use a push seeder roller or open furrows by hand for drilling. When sowing, the depth of the furrows should be consistent, the seeds should be distributed evenly, and soil should be covered promptly after sowing. In arid and sandy-wind areas, where conditions permit, grass can be covered after covering with soil.

6. Seedling management: Cypress seeds generally begin to germinate and emerge about 10 days after sowing, with peak emergence at about 20 days. The nursery germination rate can reach 70-80%. To promote seed germination and emergence, the soil in the seed layer is often kept moist.

7. Seedling transplanting: Cypress seedlings are mostly ready for leaving the nursery after two years and are transplanted the following spring. Sometimes, in order to cultivate large landscaping seedlings, 2-3 transplantings are needed to develop large seedlings with a well-developed root system, vigorous growth, and elegant crown shape before they leave the nursery for planting.