The Latest Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial for Staghorn Sumac

Staghorn sumac, also known as deer antler lacquer, torch lacquer, Canadian sumac, etc., is a deciduous small tree of the genus Rhus in the family Anacardiaceae. Its fruit clusters are bright red, with flattened spherical fruits covered in red bristles, densely gathered into a torch-like shape. It is cultivated more extensively in the provinces (regions) north of the Yellow River basin, mainly used for barren hill greening and also as a landscape forest tree species for saline-alkali wasteland. Let us take a look at the cultivation techniques of staghorn sumac!

Growth Habits of Staghorn Sumac

Staghorn sumac is native to Europe and America, often growing on open sandy or gravelly soil. It is light-loving, cold-resistant, highly adaptable to soil, tolerant of drought and barren conditions, tolerant of waterlogging, and tolerant of saline-alkali conditions. It has a well-developed root system and strong suckering ability, capable of producing 30 to 50 sucker shoots within four years. It is shallow-rooted, fast-growing, and short-lived. Its rapid reproduction rate is unmatched by many greening tree species, possessing unique excellent characteristics as well as serious potential hazards.

Propagation Methods of Staghorn Sumac

1. Seed propagation: Staghorn sumac seeds are relatively small, with a hard seed coat covered externally with red prickly hairs. Before sowing, rub with alkaline water to remove the red fuzz on the seed coat and the waxy substance on the seed coat. Then soak in hot water at 85 degrees C for 5 minutes, remove and mix with wet sand for burial, place indoors at 20 degrees C for germination promotion, and sprinkle water as appropriate depending on evaporation. When sprouts appear after 20 days, sowing can begin. The sowing rate is 7 to 10 jin per mu, with a row spacing of 35 cm. After 20 days, seedlings basically emerge completely. In the same year, seedling height reaches 80 cm, and ground diameter is 1 to 1.5 cm.

2. Root cutting propagation: Staghorn sumac has many lateral roots that extend horizontally. Each year when seedlings are lifted from the nursery, select lateral roots with a thickness of more than 1 cm and cut them into 20 cm long root segments. According to the polarity of the roots, with the top end facing upward and the stem end facing downward, insert them vertically into the prepared nursery bed at a spacing of 40×30 cm. After insertion, cover the top of the root segments with 2 to 4 cm of thin soil, and spray water frequently to keep moist. Generally, adventitious buds first develop, break through the soil and grow new branches, and then roots form and the plant survives. In the same year, seedling height reaches more than 1 m.

3. Root sucker propagation: Around staghorn sumac trees that are more than two years old, many root sucker seedlings often sprout. These can be selected and retained according to row spacing, taking care to remove root suckers and excess lateral branches, and cultivating them into strong seedlings with good tree form. In the same year, seedling height can reach 1.5 to 2 m. In the second year after propagation, they can be transplanted in mid-March.

Cultivation Techniques of Staghorn Sumac

1. Water and fertilizer management: After emergence of sown staghorn sumac seedlings, water once every 10 days, and after 1 month, water once every half month. Generally, topdress 2 times, mainly with urea, at 5 to 7.5 kg per mu, applied in combination with watering. Staghorn sumac seedlings in the same year are relatively tender and prone to freezing damage in winter. From the end of July onward, cultivate the seedlings and stop watering, fertilizing, and loosening the soil. For overly vigorous branches and leaves, beat off a portion to promote lignification.

2. Thinning and replanting: For staghorn sumac, when seedlings are about 3 cm high in April to May (3 to 4 true leaves), carry out thinning and replanting 2 to 3 times. When seedlings are 10 cm high, final thinning is done, with a plant and row spacing of 30×30 cm.

3. Loosening soil and removing weeds: After seedlings emerge completely, according to soil compaction and weed conditions, loosen the soil and weed once every 10 to 15 days, stopping at the end of July. Staghorn sumac has few pests and diseases; pay attention to timely control.

4. Timely transplanting: Transplanting of staghorn sumac should be carried out from after leaf fall in late autumn to before germination in the following spring. When planting, require the seedling to be upright and the roots to be spread out. After planting, large seedlings should be supported with stakes. For afforestation on dry and barren mountain land, truncation planting is needed, cutting flat at 18 to 20 cm from the ground surface. After lifting seedlings, cut off overly long main and lateral roots, retaining 25 cm in length, which makes survival easier.

Pruning and Shaping of Staghorn Sumac

1. Shrub form: For pruning shrub-form staghorn sumac, the main principle is to maintain tree transparency. During cultivation and maintenance, timely thin out miscellaneous branches, dry branches, overly dense branches, and drooping branches, and also timely cut off surrounding root sucker seedlings.

2. Tree form

(1) Select seedlings with robust growth and strong trunk dominance, thin out all their lateral branches, and retain only the main trunk. In late autumn, cut back the main trunk, and in the following year select a robust new branch below the cut as the trunk extension branch, removing all other new branches.

(2) During growth, timely thin out lateral branches on the trunk extension branch. In late autumn, cut back the main trunk again according to the method of the previous year. In the following spring, select and retain strong branches as trunk extension branches according to the method of the second year.

(3) When the main trunk grows to a certain height, begin cultivating main branches. The method is to cut back the branch tips, then select and retain three or four robust, evenly distributed branches as main branches. After the main branches grow to a certain length, pinch their tips to promote lateral branches.

(4) In late autumn, cut back the lateral branches to promote secondary lateral branches. In this way, the basic tree form is formed. In subsequent maintenance, it is only necessary to timely prune miscellaneous branches, dry branches, drooping branches, and dry branches.