How to plant Chinese holly? The latest planting techniques and methods tutorial
Chinese holly (Ilex cornuta) is an evergreen tree of the genus Ilex in the family Aquifoliaceae, also known as cat's thorn, tiger's thorn, etc. It is produced in the Yangtze River basin of China, parts of the Qinling Mountains and areas to the south, grows very slowly, and is mostly found scattered on hillsides, in valleys, and in mixed woods or thickets by streams. It is cultivated in Qingdao and Jinan in Shandong, and has relatively high cultivation value. Let's take a look together at the planting techniques for Chinese holly!
Growth habits of Chinese holly
Chinese holly is produced in Jiangsu, Shanghai, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan and other provinces and regions, and is also cultivated in gardens in cities such as Kunming in Yunnan, as well as in botanical gardens in some European and American countries. It likes light, tolerates slight shade, prefers a warm climate and fertile, moist, well-drained slightly acidic soil, is not strongly cold-hardy, adapts fairly well to urban environments, has strong resistance to harmful gases, grows slowly, has strong sprouting ability, and tolerates pruning.
Propagation techniques for Chinese holly
1. Sowing: For Chinese holly, mature seeds can be collected from September to October. The seeds need 3 months of after-ripening before they will germinate. Store them stratified in sand and sow in March to April of the following year, which gives a relatively high germination rate. For varieties of Chinese holly with colored markings, seedlings will show reversion and the leaf color will turn green.
2. Cuttage: Chinese holly can be propagated by hardwood or softwood cuttings. Softwood cuttings are generally taken during the rainy season, with a high survival rate. Cuttings are cut from plants that bear abundantly and grow vigorously, 12 to 15 cm long, inserted 8 to 10 cm deep, and after insertion are shaded and kept moist. To promote rooting and improve the propagation effect of the cuttings, the cuttings should be treated in a certain way before cuttage. If conditions permit, using ABT No. 2 rooting powder during cuttage can greatly increase the rooting rate.
3. Grafting: Grafting propagation of Chinese holly is mainly used for propagating types with colored markings on the leaves. It is usually carried out before spring sprouting, using Chinese holly as the rootstock, and adopting the cut-grafting method or the bud-grafting method, with a high survival rate.
Planting techniques for Chinese holly
1. Transplanting: Chinese holly can be transplanted in spring and autumn, but spring from March to April or autumn with soil is better. Because Chinese holly has few fibrous roots, special care must be taken during handling to prevent the root ball from breaking apart, and some branches and leaves should also be pruned to reduce transpiration; otherwise it is difficult to survive.
2. Watering: During the vigorous growth period, Chinese holly needs frequent watering. Generally, the pot soil should be kept moist but not waterlogged. In summer, water should often be sprayed on the leaf surface to help evaporation and cooling.
3. Fertilizing: For Chinese holly, generally apply dilute cake fertilizer water once every 2 weeks in spring, apply additional fertilizer once a month in autumn, no fertilizer may be applied in summer, and apply fertilizer once in winter.
4. Pruning: Chinese holly has very strong sprouting ability and is very tolerant of pruning. For finished bonsai works, unnecessary water sprouts, sprouting branches and excess buds can usually be cut off to maintain a certain tree shape. For trees that need to be trained, a certain number of branches can be retained as needed to facilitate shaping.
5. Repotting: Chinese holly bonsai is usually repotted once every 2 to 3 years, often in spring from February to March, or after autumn when the trees enter dormancy. When repotting, some old roots can be trimmed away, sufficient base fertilizer applied, 1/2 of the old soil retained, and the plant repotted.