How to plant paper mulberry? The latest planting techniques and methods tutorial

Paper mulberry is also known as goudiao tree, goumu tree, chuzhu tree, etc. It is a deciduous tree of the genus Broussonetia in the mulberry family (Moraceae), with the characteristics of fast growth, strong adaptability, wide distribution, easy propagation, high heat requirement and short rotation period. Its root system is shallow, with lateral roots distributed very widely, it grows fast, has strong sprouting and tillering ability, tolerates pruning well, has strong pollution resistance, and has very high economic value in cultivation. Now let us take a look at the planting techniques for paper mulberry!

Growth habits of paper mulberry

Paper mulberry can grow on plains, hills or mountains. It likes light, tolerates cold and drought, is relatively tolerant of waterlogging, prefers acidic soil, can grow normally in calcareous soil and neutral soil, and tolerates mild salinity-alkalinity. It can grow normally in mildly saline-alkaline soil with a pH of 8.7 and a salt content of 0.2%. Its sprouting ability is strong and it tolerates pruning. Its root system is relatively shallow and tends to send out suckers. It has strong resistance to toxic and harmful gases such as sulfur dioxide, hydrogen fluoride and chlorine gas.

Propagation methods of paper mulberry

1. Seed collection: Paper mulberry is usually propagated by seed or cuttings. To overcome the problem that the juicy fruits of female plants drop in large quantities when ripe and affect environmental sanitation, male plants can be used as scions to cultivate grafted seedlings for planting. For seed propagation, collect ripe fruits each October, put them in a bucket and mash them, then rinse them, remove the residue and liquid to obtain pure seeds, dry them slightly and then store them dry for later use.

2. Nursery site selection: Choose a sheltered, sunny, loose, fertile, deep loam soil that does not accumulate water as the nursery site. One month before sowing, prepare the land and apply fertilizer. The tillage depth should reach more than 30 cm. The soil should be fine and level. Apply 150 kg of crushed cake fertilizer or 1000-1200 kg of barnyard manure per mu. The sowing bed is 1.0 m wide, 8-10 cm long, about 15 cm high, and the drainage ditch is 30 cm wide.

3. Sowing time: The sowing time for paper mulberry is generally around mid-to-late March. Before sowing, the seeds must be pre-germinated with wet fine sand. Generally, the seeds are soaked in clean water for 2-3 hours, removed and dried, then evenly mixed with fine sand twice the volume of the seeds, and piled indoors for pre-germination. Check regularly and keep moist. When 30% of the seeds have cracked open, they can be sown.

4. Sowing method: Paper mulberry is usually sown in drills with a row spacing of 25 cm, and the sowing rate is generally about 0.15 kg per mu. When sowing, mix the seeds and fine sand evenly and scatter them into the drill furrows, cover with soil just until the seeds are no longer visible, and after sowing cover with grass to prevent bird damage while also paying attention to moisture retention. When 30-40% of the seedlings emerge, remove the covering grass in batches in the afternoon.

Planting techniques for paper mulberry

1. Afforestation density: Paper mulberry afforestation is not limited by conditions or topography. It can be planted both in concentrated contiguous stands and in gaps, and can be planted on ditch, pond and reservoir banks, on both sides of streams, and around houses. Planting density varies according to the purpose of forest management. Generally, the afforestation density is preferably a plant spacing of 1.5 m and a row spacing of 2 m, about 200 plants per mu. For the purpose of establishing soil and water conservation forests and fuelwood forests, 330-660 plants per mu is preferable for each.

2. Tending management: Young paper mulberry stands are prone to growing weeds and shrubs, which affect tree growth. In order to make the stand uniform, grow robustly, and improve the yield and quality of the forest, cutting weeds and removing shrubs is necessary work in stand tending management. It should be carried out 1-2 times per year, and when necessary, intertillage, weeding and fertilization can be carried out in the stand. In addition, for scattered and mature old trees, timely trunk cutting and renewal should be carried out to promote the sprouting of branches, increase yield per unit area, and also facilitate leaf harvesting and bark collection.

3. Trunk cutting and pruning: When planting paper mulberry, cut the trunk according to needs. Among the new branches, select and retain three branches with robust growth, even distribution, and not on the same trajectory as main branches for training. Remove all other branches. In late autumn, lightly shorten the retained main branches. In the following year, select and retain two branches on each main branch as side branches for training. The side branches are moderately shortened in late autumn. In the third year, select and retain secondary side branches on the side branches. In this way, the basic tree shape is formed.

4. Pest and disease control

(1) Pests: The pests of paper mulberry include the brown-tail moth, the wild silkworm moth, and the mulberry longhorn beetle. For the brown-tail moth, black light traps can be used to kill adults, and during the larval stage, pollution-free pesticides can be used for control. A 20% diflubenzuron suspension at 7000 times dilution or a 1.2% nicotine-matrine at 2000 times dilution can be selected for spraying. For the wild silkworm moth, black light traps can be used to kill adults, and during the larval and adult stages, a 20% imidacloprid soluble concentrate at 3000 times dilution can be used for spraying. For the mulberry longhorn beetle, adults and larvae can be captured manually, and aluminum phosphide can be used for fumigating larvae inside the trunk.

(2) Diseases: The common disease of paper mulberry is leaf brown spot disease. This disease is caused by infection by a hemibasidiomycete fungus. In the early stage of the disease, brown spots appear on the leaf surface. As the disease develops, the spots gradually enlarge and connect into patches, ultimately causing the leaves to turn yellow and fall early. The peak incidence period is from June to August during high temperature and high humidity. During the disease period, 75% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder at 800 times dilution or 60% zineb wettable powder at 500 times dilution can be sprayed as a mist, once every seven days. Spraying three or four times continuously can effectively control the disease.