How to grow Camphor Tree seedlings? Latest technical method tutorial

Camphor tree is an evergreen large tree of the genus Cinnamomum in the Lauraceae family, produced in the southern and southwestern provinces and regions of China, also distributed in Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. The whole plant has a camphor aroma, is resistant to harmful gases such as chlorine, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and fluorine gas, can be used to extract camphor and camphor oil, and the wood is a good material for making furniture. Now let us take a look at camphor tree seedling raising techniques!

Growth habits of camphor tree

The camphor tree mostly prefers light, is slightly shade-tolerant, likes a warm and humid climate, and is not very cold-hardy. It is suitable for growing in sandy loam and is relatively tolerant of water and moisture, but when transplanting, care should be taken to maintain soil moisture. Waterlogging easily causes root rot and death due to lack of oxygen, but it is not tolerant of drought, poor soil, or saline-alkali soil. The main root is well developed, deep-rooted, and can resist wind. It has strong sprouting ability and tolerates pruning. Its growth rate is moderate, and the tree shape is huge like an umbrella, able to provide shade and coolness.

Camphor tree cutting propagation

1. Selection of cuttings: For camphor tree, use sprout seedlings after felling, or root sprout seedlings from robust camphor trees, as well as current-year branches of 2-year-old seedling trees at 20-60 cm from the ground. The survival rate of cutting propagation can reach 70-90%. Before cutting the branches, they should undergo girdling or ringing and softening treatment.

2. Treatment of cuttings: After the camphor tree branches are cut back, cut them into cuttings about 4-5 cm long, keep 1 leaf at the upper part, and if the leaf is relatively large, half of it may be removed. Insert obliquely into the bed, with the depth being half of the cutting. The cutting bed is a soil bed, and the bed surface is covered with about 5 cm of well-aerated subsoil. The shade density on the seedbed is 90%. After cutting, carry out general management, watering once daily at 11-12 o'clock.

3. Cutting time: Camphor tree cuttings are best done when the temperature is 24-26°C and the humidity is above 80%. From the perspective of growth and development, February to April is the beginning period of camphor flowering, sprouting, and shoot growth, as well as the leaf-changing period. New leaves are tender, making it difficult to select branches, so it is not suitable for cutting. May to October is the period of rapid new shoot growth, making it easy to take current-year branches, and it is most suitable for cutting. November to December has low temperatures and is not suitable.

4. Cutting management: During the callus and rooting period of camphor tree, the cutting bed temperature is generally controlled at 15-28°C, and the relative humidity is maintained at 80-90%. Spray once a week with 0.2% borax solution or 3% Bordeaux mixture to promote callus formation and rooting and prevent pests and diseases. In the early stage after cutting, cover with nylon film, and begin removing it when callus tissue is produced. Depending on the cutting season, the interval for turning the bed is 10-15 days, and the number of times is 2-3. When turning the bed, if cuttings with roots 3-4 cm long are found, they are immediately moved into nutrient bags for seedling cultivation.

Camphor tree seed propagation

1. Seed collection. Camphor tree fruits fall off by themselves when mature and are pecked by birds. Every year from October to December, collect the mature seeds, then store them mixed with sand, and by early March they can be germinated and sown. Each kilogram contains 7200-8000 seeds, with a germination rate of 70-80%, and the sowing rate per mu is 10-15 kg.

2. Land preparation and fertilization: Carry out the first plowing and harrowing in early winter, carry out the second plowing and harrowing before sowing, and apply sufficient base fertilizer. The base fertilizer is generally 1500-2000 kg of decomposed stable manure per mu, or 50 kg of ammonium bicarbonate, 50 kg of phosphate fertilizer, and 150 kg of rapeseed cake, then build raised beds, generally 35-50 cm high and 1.2 m wide.

3. Germination acceleration and sowing: Camphor tree seeds need to be germinated before sowing. They can be soaked in 50°C warm water. After the warm water cools, replace it with 50°C water and repeat soaking 3-4 times, which can make the seeds germinate 10-15 days earlier. The row spacing for drilling is about 20 cm, and the sowing rate per mu is 10-15 kg. After sowing, cover with soil and then rice straw or plastic film, and keep the surface soil of the seedbed moist to facilitate seed germination.

4. Tending and management: After the seedlings emerge, promptly remove the rice straw or plastic film. When the seedlings grow several true leaves, thinning can begin. When the seedlings are about 10 cm tall, final thinning can be carried out. Camphor tree keeps about 20,000 seedlings per mu. After July, strengthen fertilizer and water management, and frequently loosen the soil and weed. Stop topdressing and irrigation in late autumn. Topdressing is generally done 2-3 times. For the first two times, 7-10 jin of urea can be used, and for the last time, 10 kg of urea and 7.5 kg of phosphate fertilizer can be used.

5. Timely transplanting: The transplanting time is more suitable from mid-to-late March to early-to-mid April, and the transplanting density is about 1500 plants per mu. Lift and transplant immediately. After transplanting, cut the stem at about 10 cm above the ground. When the buds grow to about 10 cm, the main stem can be determined, excess branches and buds removed, and one relatively thick and strong branch retained. In winter, apply 2000 kg of stable manure on the bed surface. In this way, 3-year-old seedlings can reach a DBH of more than 3 cm.