Platycladus orientalis Planting Technology Tutorial: Detailed Explanation of the Latest Planting Methods
Platycladus orientalis is a type of cypress, native to China, and distributed throughout the country except Qinghai and Xinjiang. It has a very long lifespan and is often used as a tree species for afforestation on sunny slopes. It is also a common garden landscaping tree. Its wood can be used for construction and furniture, and its leaves and branches are used in medicine to astringe and stop bleeding, promote urination and strengthen the stomach, and remove toxins and disperse blood stasis. Its seeds have calming and tonic effects. Now let us take a look at Platycladus orientalis planting technology!
Planting Value of Platycladus orientalis
Platycladus orientalis is a precious timber tree species. Its wood has moderate hardness, a pleasant fragrance, resistance to decay, and a dense, straight grain. It is an excellent material for shipbuilding, houses, and docks. It is also widely used for buildings, bridges, utility poles, mine props, and railway sleepers, and can also be made into furniture and used as carving and joinery material. At the same time, its tree shape is attractive, with lush branches and leaves, evergreen throughout the four seasons, fragrant, with few pest problems and strong adaptability. It is a common greening tree species, often planted in temples and cemeteries. In addition, the seeds of Platycladus orientalis can be used in medicine and for oil extraction, and can also be used to make spices.
Growing Environment of Platycladus orientalis
1. Growth habits: Platycladus orientalis prefers light and tolerates slight shade when young. It has strong adaptability and is not strict about soil, and can grow in acidic, neutral, calcareous, and mildly saline-alkali soils. It is drought-tolerant and tolerant of barren conditions, has strong sprouting ability, moderate cold hardiness, tolerates strong sunlight, tolerates high temperatures, and has a shallow root system. It grows well below 400 m above sea level and has weak wind resistance. It has a shallow root system, but its lateral roots are well developed. It has strong sprouting ability, tolerates pruning, has a long lifespan, resists smoke and dust, and resists harmful gases such as sulfur dioxide and hydrogen chloride.
2. Distribution of producing areas: Platycladus orientalis is distributed in Liaoning, Sichuan, Ningxia, Hubei, Henan, Shaanxi, Qinghai, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Yunnan, Shandong, Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanxi, and other places in China. Its vertical distribution varies by location. In Jilin Province it is distributed below 250 m above sea level, on Mount Hua it is distributed in areas at 1000-1200 m above sea level, and in Shaanxi and Yunnan it is distributed in areas at about 1500 m and 2600 m above sea level respectively.
Planting Technology of Platycladus orientalis
1. Forest land selection: Platycladus orientalis is not strict about soil and can grow normally in various types of rock or soil. However, it is not tolerant of waterlogging and has relatively low wind resistance, so it is not suitable for planting in waterlogged low-lying land, mountain areas at wind gaps, or sites with relatively high wind speeds.
2. Afforestation density: Platycladus orientalis grows slowly during the first 100 years, with a narrow crown and relatively shallow root distribution, and canopy closure takes a very long time. Therefore, in order to promote canopy closure, the initial planting density is 5000-6000 plants/hectare, and later thinning is carried out according to canopy closure conditions.
3. Mixed tree species: Because Platycladus orientalis grows slowly and has a narrow crown, weeds easily grow in the forest land. To inhibit weed growth, during afforestation with Platycladus orientalis it is often mixed with tree species such as Chinese pine, Trident maple, and black locust, or with shrub species such as false indigo, sea buckthorn, and Elaeagnus.
4. Careful site preparation: During afforestation with Platycladus orientalis, careful site preparation is an important guarantee for improving afforestation survival rate and preservation rate. Platycladus orientalis afforestation usually selects dry and barren mountain land, so site preparation methods usually include fish-scale pit site preparation, horizontal ditch site preparation, and horizontal terrace site preparation. Site preparation should preferably be done 1 season in advance.
5. Afforestation technology: Platycladus orientalis afforestation can be carried out in spring, or in the rainy season or autumn. Severe cold and dry winters are not suitable for afforestation. Afforestation seedlings usually use 1- to 3-year-old bare-root seedlings, 1- to 2-year-old container seedlings, and 2- to 3-year-old transplanted seedlings. Afforestation methods commonly include sowing afforestation, seedling planting afforestation, and container seedling afforestation. Large seedling afforestation can also be used, but large seedling afforestation requires multiple transplanting to cultivate a well-developed root system.
6. Management and protection of young forests: First, loosening soil and weeding, which can use manual weeding and chemical weeding. Second, overwintering cold protection, which can use soil covering and grass covering for cold protection, and whitewashing for cold protection. Third, intercropping of forest and crops. Because Platycladus orientalis grows slowly and has a narrow crown, after planting it can be intercropped with crops to increase the value of land use.