How to grow bamboo willow? The latest planting technique tutorial
Bamboo willow is a type of willow, belonging to the genus Salix in the family Salicaceae, also known as American bamboo willow and fast-growing bamboo willow. It has a very wide range of uses and is an ideal tree species for industrial raw material forests, small and medium-diameter timber cultivation, street trees, landscaping, and farmland shelterbelts. According to different adaptation regions and characteristics, it is divided into different strains. After trials in many places, Bamboo Willow No. 3 has the widest adaptability and the best performance. Now let us take a look at the planting techniques for bamboo willow!
Planting characteristics of bamboo willow
1. Wide range of uses: Bamboo willow is an ideal tree species for industrial raw material forests, small and medium-diameter timber cultivation, street trees, planting around village borders, landscaping, and farmland shelterbelts. At the same time, bamboo willow wood has good basic density, high natural whiteness, is not hollow, and does not have black heart. It is a high-quality raw material for making fiberboard, blockboard, and plywood, and its pulp performance is excellent, superior to other fast-growing tree species such as poplar and eucalyptus.
2. Good fast-growing performance: Under suitable site conditions, the rotation period for industrial raw material forest cultivation of bamboo willow is generally two years for small-diameter timber, three to four years for medium-diameter timber, and five to six years for large-diameter timber. It has extremely high economic benefits and a short investment payback period.
3. High-density planting suitability: For bamboo willow, large and medium-diameter timber is 110-220 plants per mu, and small-diameter timber is 500-600 plants per mu. It can improve the economic benefits per unit of land area and is the preferred tree species for establishing industrial raw material forests.
4. Strong adaptability: Bamboo willow tolerates salinity and alkalinity (it can adapt to heavily saline-alkali areas with soil pH 8.0-8.5 and salt content 0.8%), and tolerates flooding (it can still grow normally after being flooded for two months). It can be planted in lake beaches and saline-alkali land, expanding the afforestation area, improving land utilization, and reducing afforestation costs.
Growing conditions of bamboo willow
1. Light requirements: All branches of bamboo willow grow upward, the angle between side branches and the main trunk is small, and the branches are uniform, making it more suitable for dense planting. Its tree form has higher photosynthetic efficiency than other willows, and it grows rapidly in areas with no less than 1400 hours of sunshine during the growing season.
2. Temperature conditions: Whether bamboo willow can safely overwinter does not depend on the extreme low temperature, but on lignification before leaf fall. The gradient from high temperature to low temperature before leaf fall should not be too large. In the south, when the temperature is above 35°C, if the day-night temperature difference is less than 10°C, heat dormancy may occur. During this period, seedling growth decreases, and normal growth occurs when the day-night temperature difference is greater than 10°C.
3. Moisture conditions: Bamboo willow has very strong aerial roots and strong flooding tolerance. Trials in the Yangtze River Basin show that it can endure deep flooding that does not exceed the top for more than two months, or be planted in shallow water and remain submerged all year without dying, but growth decreases. Bamboo willow grows rapidly when soil moisture is moderate, but when soil moisture drops below 40%, its growth potential is inhibited. Where irrigation is available, when soil moisture drops below 30%, it should be irrigated promptly to ensure normal and rapid growth of bamboo willow.
4. Soil requirements: Bamboo willow prefers fertile soil and grows rapidly in plots with soil organic matter content of 2%-10%. It grows fastest in sandy loam with 50% soil porosity, good aeration, and good water retention, followed by sandy soil and clay. It can grow under conditions with pH below 8.5 and salt content 8‰. In plots with the same salt content, growth depends on the content of nutrient elements in the plot.
Planting techniques for bamboo willow
1. Watering and irrigation: Bamboo willow is sensitive to water. When lacking water, the plant grows slowly, leaves turn yellow and wilt, and it may even drop leaves and die, especially in hot summer. During prolonged drought, the resistance of bamboo willow is noticeably weakened, making it highly susceptible to pests and diseases. In spring drought areas, irrigation is generally best when buds and leaves begin to sprout, laying the foundation for seedling rooting and sprouting. During summer drought, irrigation should be timely to fully realize the growth potential of the seedlings. When the groundwater level is too high and soil water content is excessive, bamboo willow grows poorly due to root oxygen deficiency, so accumulated water in the forest should be drained promptly during continuous rainy weather. When seedlings enter the overwintering preparation stage, water supply should be controlled to promote lignification of the seedlings. After seedlings left in the seedbed for overwintering enter dormancy, they should be watered once with freezing water.
2. Reasonable fertilization: The topdressing time for bamboo willow should be arranged before the fast-growing period, at the beginning of fast growth, and in the middle period. The principle is to promote early growth and control late growth. Seedling topdressing should not be too late, so as not to cause excessive elongation of seedlings, reduce the degree of lignification, and be unfavorable for overwintering. Under normal circumstances, fertilization can be combined with irrigation. June to September is the fast-growing period for bamboo willow and the period of greatest annual growth for the seedlings, with the greatest water and fertilizer demand. Fertilization should depend on soil moisture and precipitation. If soil moisture is insufficient, no matter how much fertilizer is applied, the seedlings cannot absorb it, and it may even cause fertilizer burn. Therefore, checking water conditions before fertilizing is very important.
3. Loosening soil and weeding: Because bamboo willow nursery land is watered frequently, the soil often becomes compacted, affecting the development of seedling roots. Intertillage and soil loosening can loosen the soil, break up hardening, and increase soil aeration, thereby benefiting root respiration. Loosening the soil can also cut off soil capillaries and reduce water evaporation. Weeding has a great impact on the growth of young forests. It not only prevents weeds from competing with seedlings for soil nutrients and water, but also increases the light effect and reduces the alternate hosts and damage of pests and diseases. Weeding in nurseries should implement the principle of “weed early, weed small, weed completely”, that is, remove weeds immediately after they sprout and emerge, without delay, so as to prevent weeds from competing for soil nutrients and water. Herbicides must be used with caution to avoid phytotoxicity.
4. Pruning branches and removing buds: Bamboo willow is generally not pruned in nursery cultivation because it has few side branches. However, in order to increase light transmission and ventilation in the nursery, buds can be removed from a small number of side branches, which is beneficial to seedling height growth.
5. Pest and disease control: During the growth and development of bamboo willow, it will also encounter various pests and diseases. Mild cases cause poor growth, while severe cases cause plant death. Therefore, pest and disease control in nurseries should be strengthened. Nursery pest and disease control should focus on prevention, with prevention more important than treatment, and follow the policy of treating early, treating small, and treating completely. At the seedling stage, common fungicides such as thiophanate-methyl, carbendazim, and chlorothalonil can be sprayed alternately on a regular basis for control, especially in hot and rainy seasons.