How to grow and care for yew (Taxus), and how much does a sapling cost?
The yew bears fruit that is red outside and bright within, just like the love pea of the south, and so it got the name "red bean yew" (hongdou yew). Praised as the health tree and also called the purple yew, it is an evergreen tree of the genus Taxus. So what are the growing methods and care notes for yew? How much does a sapling cost?
The yew belongs to the family Taxaceae, genus Taxus. It is an evergreen tree, also known as Guanyin yew. It is a tree species endemic to China. The crown is ovate, the bark is dark reddish brown and peels off in strips; the twigs are greenish brown; the leaves are linear, with a dark green gloss on the surface and yellow-green on the underside, arranged in two feather-like rows along the branches. It is dioecious; the 6 to 14 male flowers are gathered into heads, and the female flower ovules are pale red; the seeds grow inside a bright red ring-shaped fleshy aril, with the upper part slightly exposed, and are greenish brown.
The yew is native to the Yangtze River basin and areas to its south. It likes warmth and humidity, and is a strongly shade-loving slow-growing tree species, suited to acidic soil rich in humus, loose and fertile. Its suitable growing temperature is 20 to 30°C, and it can withstand short-term low temperatures of -5 to -10°C. In the south, the yew grows in mixed woodland in humid mountainous areas, mostly beneath tall deciduous trees; it cannot tolerate strong sunlight, and seedlings need a shade frame.
Growing methods and care notes for yew
1. Soil selection for growing yew
The yew is best planted in mid-to-late February in early spring. The seedlings should be dug up with a soil ball, and can be planted in a shaded spot in the garden, often paired with trees. For potting soil, use loose, fertile acidic soil with high organic matter content; it can be made from garden soil, peat and sand at a ratio of 2:1:1, with 1% decomposed organic fertilizer added.
2. Fertilizing methods for growing yew
Potted plants should be given decomposed cake fertilizer water; during the growing season, apply alum fertilizer water at a concentration of 1:10 to 15 once a month. Repot every other year, and add solid decomposed organic fertilizer at the bottom of the pot.
In autumn, from September to October, base fertilizer can be applied, 50 to 100 kg of decomposed livestock manure per plant; in early spring, a compound fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium can be applied, 100 to 200 g per plant, or 500 g of superphosphate.
3. Watering methods for growing yew
The northeast yew likes moisture and fears waterlogging. Water during the budding stage; on slopes where the groundwater level is low, water thoroughly 2 to 3 times a month. When there is a lot of rain in summer, do a good job of drainage to prevent waterlogging. Water less in autumn, so that the soil is neither dry nor wet. Before winter, after the leaves turn purple-green, water once more.
For potted plants, water once every 2 to 3 days in spring; in summer, water once in the morning, and if the potting soil is still too dry, spray again in the evening with a fine-nozzle watering can. This both rinses the leaves and increases the ambient air humidity, and lets the leftover water moisten the potting soil again, helping the plant absorb it. In autumn, water once every 3 to 4 days; if the autumn rain is continuous, you can also water once a week, as long as the potting soil is moist. Water less in winter; for pots placed in the open garden, rinse the leaves with clean water every 15 to 20 days, and let the leftover water moisten the potting soil.
The southern yew likes moisture but fears waterlogging. No matter where it is grown, water must be replenished at any time. Judging from actual growing conditions in various places, there is little rain in spring and it is exactly the plant's budding period, so irrigation is needed, especially on slopes or where the groundwater level is low; irrigate thoroughly 2 to 3 times a month to keep the soil moist. At the same time, combine this with fertilizing, and irrigate thoroughly, so that the soil remains fertile and moist for a long time. There is a lot of rain in summer; for plants grown in low-lying areas, dig ditches early and do a good job of drainage and waterlogging prevention. If there is a summer drought, irrigate as well to ensure fruit development. Water less in autumn, so that the soil is neither dry nor wet. Before winter, after the leaves turn purple-green, irrigate thoroughly once more, and after that no more watering is needed. If the winter climate is particularly dry, you can irrigate early in early spring to make it revive and grow earlier.
4. Temperature requirements for growing yew
The northeast yew can tolerate half shade, resist severe cold, and is highly adaptable; it can generally withstand low temperatures of -25 to -15°C. Once the grower knows its habit of not fearing cold, they should meet its temperature needs. For yews cultivated in northeast China, April to October is their vigorous growing period; during this period in these areas the temperature is 18 to 32°C by day and 10 to 25°C at night, and for the other half of the year the plants are in dormancy or semi-dormancy.
The southern yew likes warmth; its most suitable growing period is from March to November, and its most suitable growing temperature is 20 to 30°C. Under such temperature conditions, the plant's vegetative growth and reproductive growth proceed simultaneously. If water and fertilizer management are suitable and the sunlight is soft, the plant will not only have luxuriant branches and leaves, but also many flowers and fruits, with extremely high ornamental value. The southern yew has good cold resistance; for plants growing in Guizhou, Sichuan and southern Shaanxi, where winter temperatures in some mountainous areas drop as low as -10 to -5°C, the plants can still resist it. Therefore, when introduced and cultivated in the vast areas of the Yangtze River basin and to its south, there is no problem of overwintering.
5. Light requirements for growing yew
The northeast yew originally grew in mountainous areas with warm, cool summers, abundant rainfall, humid air and cold winters, where the temperature difference between the four seasons is large and the sunshine duration is long; the yew's growth habits and all its organs have adapted to this ecological environment. Therefore, to grow this plant elsewhere, one should strive to create a natural ecological environment close to its place of origin; only then can it be grown well.
The southern yew is a strongly shade-loving slow-growing tree species, so it likes a humid and warm ecological environment and cannot tolerate strong sunlight. For seedlings grown from seed, in areas with strong light, a shade frame must be set up. When grown in plains, it can be paired with tall trees; when grown in front of or behind a house, it must also be in a shaded place, because the southern yew's original growing places are all mixed woodland in humid mountainous areas, mostly growing beneath tall deciduous trees. In summer with strong sunlight, it is shaded by the branches and leaves of the large trees; in autumn and winter, when the large trees shed their leaves, the light is ample, which is just right for the evergreen yew to grow. Once the grower knows this growing habit, when introducing and cultivating it, they should best choose a suitable growing environment to meet the plant's light requirements.
6. Care notes for growing yew
(1) Yew is best planted before budding in late winter and early spring; large seedlings need a soil ball. In daily care and management, loosen the soil and weed, fertilize and irrigate frequently, and spread fallen leaves around the roots to help maintain the soil's acidity. It tolerates pruning; in late autumn and early winter, shaping and pruning can be carried out to maintain a good tree form; at the same time, cut off dead branches, diseased branches, broken branches and crossing branches.
(2) When watering potted yew, be sure to pay attention to water quality. For watering potted flowers, natural rainwater is best, followed by clean flowing river water and lake water. If well water must be used, be sure to pay attention to water quality; especially well water in northern areas is often too alkaline, which is not good for yew growth. Next is water temperature; the water temperature for watering potted flowers should be basically close to the air temperature, as too low or too high is harmful to their growth. Especially when using tap water for irrigation in summer, it must be stored in a vat, pool or other container for 24 to 48 hours before use, otherwise it will cause physiological wilting of the plant; moreover, this kind of physiological disorder is often difficult to remedy.
(3) Pest and disease control: under normal conditions, yew has very few insect pests. If the yew is found to turn yellow or have pests and diseases, it can be watered or sprayed with thiophanate-methyl and potassium dihydrogen phosphate. Relatively speaking, yew will suffer root rot, stem rot and rotten roots during the rainy season, especially young trees; at this time, dexon can be sprayed for care. In high temperature and drought seasons, yew is prone to leaf blight and red blight, which can be prevented and controlled by spraying Bordeaux mixture.
7. Propagation methods for growing yew
(1) Seed propagation: because the seed coat of yew seeds has low permeability, hindering the passage of air and water, the dormancy period is very long. Therefore, before sowing, the seeds should undergo cold stratification or be stored outdoors mixed with sand for 15 months, until the storage and sprouting reaches the point where more than 80% of the seeds have cracked open and shown white, and only then sown. During the seedling stage, appropriate shading is needed; growth is slow, and they must stay in the seedbed for 2 years before being transplanted, and must be transplanted with a soil ball. One-year-old seedlings are only 8 to 10 cm tall. The method for storing yew seeds outdoors mixed with sand is as follows: choose a wind-sheltered, shady, level place that does not accumulate water, dig a pit 2000px deep, with length and width depending on the amount of seed.
Mix disinfected yew seeds evenly with river sand at a ratio of 1 part seed to 3 parts river sand; the humidity of the river sand should be such that it forms a ball when squeezed in the hand without water coming out, and crumbles when released and touched. After the pit is dug, first spread a layer of stones about 300px thick at the bottom of the pit, then spread 150px of moist fine sand; insert a perforated bamboo tube every 1250px in the pit, then spread the sand-mixed seeds flat in the pit, with a thickness of about 750px, cover with wet sand, then cover with soil 200px thick and pile it into a ridge shape. During storage, cover the pit with a bamboo curtain for shade; dig drainage ditches around the pit to prevent water accumulation in the pit from causing the seeds to mold, and note to turn them once every 1 month.
(2) Cutting propagation: yew can be propagated by softwood cuttings or hardwood cuttings; softwood cuttings have a higher rooting rate than hardwood cuttings. Soaking the cuttings in a 100 mg/L naphthalene acetic acid solution for 3 hours helps rooting.
How much does a yew sapling cost?
Many flower-growing enthusiasts' potted yews have shown yellowing leaves, leaf drop, dried and withered branch tips, unhealthy growth, and even the whole plant dying. So what exactly causes this, and how can this problem be solved?