How to Plant Yew Seeds? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Planting Methods

The yew is known as the “plant panda” and is recognized worldwide as an endangered natural rare anti-cancer plant. It is an ancient relict tree species left over from the Quaternary glaciation, with a history of 2.5 million years on Earth. Because under natural conditions the yew grows slowly and has poor regenerative capacity, for a long time no large-scale yew raw material forest base has been established anywhere in the world, and logging is now explicitly prohibited. Most of what is sold on the market is artificially cultivated, but do you know how to plant yew seeds? Below, the editor will briefly introduce how to plant yew seeds for everyone!

Collection of yew seeds

Yew seeds mature from late September to early October, and can be collected when the seeds turn dark red. After the seeds are collected, soak them in water for 3 to 5 days, crush the skin and flesh (the fleshy aril), wash them clean, dry them in the shade, and store them in a cool, dry place indoors.

Choosing a suitable seedling-raising site

The yew seedling site should be forest soil with deep soil layers, loose structure, abundant humus, and good drainage, suitable for raising seedlings. The yew has the characteristics of shade preference, drought tolerance, and cold resistance, and requires a soil pH between 5.5 and 7.0.

The yew is a shade-tolerant species and can also grow under dense forest, is perennial, and does not form forests. It is mostly seen in mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests dominated by Korean pine. It grows on rocky or barren soil on mountaintops, mostly in shrub form. In its place of origin, the average annual temperature is 2°C to 7°C, and the average annual precipitation is 750 to 1000 mm. It is mostly scattered under moist, fertile mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests on shady or semi-shady slopes. It prefers a cool, humid climate, can withstand low temperatures below minus 30°C, has strong cold resistance, and its optimum temperature is 20 to 25°C, and it is a shade-loving tree species. It likes moisture but fears waterlogging, and is suitable for planting on loose, moist, well-drained sandy loam.

Land preparation and fertilization of the planting site

After the seedling site is chosen, carry out land preparation and fertilization. Newly opened seedling land has fertile soil and does not need fertilization. Old seedling land must have the soil well prepared and sufficient fertilizer applied, with a 20 to 25 cm deep plowing in autumn, then a shallow plowing and fine harrowing in spring. While plowing, apply decomposed, finely chopped manure, and make a seedbed 15 to 20 cm high, 1.2 m wide, and 10 to 20 m long.

Stratification to promote germination of yew seeds

Yew seeds are deeply dormant seeds and must undergo stratification treatment before sowing. The following two germination methods are used:

1. Alternate-year burial germination method: Soak yew seeds in 45°C warm water for 3 to 4 days, and when the seeds turn milky white, take them out and disinfect them with a 1 to 2% copper sulfate solution, then mix them evenly with wet sand at 60% relative humidity equal to 3 times the seed volume, put them into straw bags or wooden boxes, and place them in an underground cellar. The cellar should be chosen where the groundwater level is below 2 m, on high ground with good drainage, with a cellar depth of 1.2 to 1.8 m, and strictly prevent mice from entering. In addition, frequently check the cellar temperature; in summer the temperature must not exceed 18 to 20°C. When the cellar temperature is high, set up a shade shed above or open the cellar door at night to cool it down. With this method, store the seeds in the cellar in autumn, keep them buried throughout the second year, take the seeds out in the third year, spread them out to sun for 24 days, and sow when 20 to 30% of the seeds have germinated radicles.

2. Overwintering burial germination method: This method is suitable for sowing seeds as soon as they are collected, that is, in the autumn of the same year, remove the seed coat from fresh seeds, then soak and disinfect them, and then bury them using the same wet sand burial method as the alternate-year burial germination method. 20 to 30 days before sowing in the second spring, take the seeds out and spread them to sun on a leeward shady slope, cover them with plastic film to raise the temperature, and pay attention to watering to keep them moist. Once part of the seed shells have cracked, they can be used for sowing.

Sowing of yew seeds and field management

The sowing time is from late April to early May each year, and the sowing rate is 0.045 kg to 0.05 kg per square meter of seedbed. When sowing, be careful to level the bed surface and water the bed thoroughly. Press the seeds on the bed surface with a wooden roller so that the seeds contact the soil, then cover with river sand at a thickness of 2 to 3 times the seed size, and press once more after covering with river sand. During the seed germination period, water according to the principle of “less water, frequent watering”, and prevent bird damage. After the seedlings emerge completely, spray Bordeaux mixture at a concentration of 1%, once every 7 to 10 days, for a total of 5 to 7 sprays, to prevent seedling damping-off.

Two-year-old seedbeds can be treated with decomposed, dilute human urine 3 to 5 times, and ammonium sulfate 1 to 2 times, with each application of ammonium sulfate at 0.1 kg per 10 m. After spraying, promptly wash the seedlings with clean water to prevent chemical injury. In June and July, apply potassium fertilizer again to increase the degree of lignification of the seedlings.

Overwintering protection of yew seedlings

Yew seedlings require overwintering protection measures. For 1- to 4-year-old seedlings, cover with soil or grass to prevent drought. From Frost's Descent to the Start of Winter, cover the seedlings with soil, with a soil thickness of 4 to 6 cm above the seedling tips. Do not cover with soil too early, to avoid causing the seedlings to rot. After Qingming, remove the cold-protection soil. To prevent physiological drying of the seedlings, remove it in 2 to 3 stages, and water promptly after removing the soil.