A Detailed Guide to Selecting and Growing Birch Seeds
In rural areas, people can see many different kinds of trees, and the birch tree is one of them; it is mainly distributed on hillsides and in forests. Birch sap has certain health benefits, its ornamental value is also relatively high, and its economic value is good too, so growing this tree has promising prospects. So how do you select birch seeds? What are the seedling-growing methods? Friends who want to know should read on!
1. How do you select birch seeds?
Before sowing, the seeds must first be selected; whether the seeds are chosen well or not directly affects whether sowing succeeds. It is best to use seeds harvested in the current year. The longer the seeds are stored, the lower their germination rate. Choose plump seeds with no damage or deformity. Choose seeds free of pests and diseases.
2. Seedling-growing methods for birch seeds
1. Selection of the seedling site
The birch seedling site should preferably be relatively flat, well drained, easy to irrigate, and have loose, fertile sandy loam, light loam or loam. Avoid choosing high, dry, low-lying and heavy clay spots.
2. Land preparation and fertilization
For the seedling site, adopt autumn plowing and spring harrowing. In autumn, plow deeply 20-25 cm, and apply 5000 kg of barnyard manure per mu. After the soil thaws the following spring, harrow it fine and level it, so the soil is fine and loose. Then make the bed (ridge) surface flat and fine, and at the same time apply another 2500 kg of barnyard manure; if conditions permit, apply 15-25 kg of superphosphate. Achieve deep plowing and fine harrowing, with layered fertilization.
3. Seed treatment
Birch seeds are small and light, with many empty grains, and they are not easy to separate out by winnowing, so generally soaking to speed germination followed by water selection is used. 10-15 days before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water (35-40°C) for 1 day and night, then take the seeds out and mix them with 2-3 times their volume of moist fine sand (the sand moisture should be kept at 60% of saturated water-holding capacity), place them in a basket in a warm room, and cover with a wet straw curtain. Keep the seed-sand temperature at about 20°C, turn it over 2-3 times daily, and sprinkle water to keep it moist. When most of the seeds begin to stir and start to crack open, sift out the sand, put the seeds into a vat already half filled with water, stir with a wooden stick, and let it stand for several minutes; the plump seeds sink and the empty grains float, so remove the empty seeds. Seeds treated by water selection and germination acceleration can reach a germination rate of more than 85%.
4. Sowing
Because birch seeds are rather small, careful management is required. Therefore, in current production, bed broadcasting is mostly used, and spring sowing is the main method. Seeds that have been treated to accelerate germination sprout quickly, but the seedlings emerge rather slowly. Therefore, before sowing, the seedbed must be thoroughly watered with bottom water. Spring sowing is generally in mid-to-late April. Rake the bed surface into a rough surface, scatter the seeds evenly over the bed surface, then press it once with a wooden roller so that the seeds closely combine with the soil, which helps the seedlings take root and enter the soil. After sowing, directly cover with a thin layer of rice straw, just enough not to expose the bed surface (about 0.5 kg of rice straw per square meter), or promptly cover with 0.2 cm of fine sand, just enough that the seeds are not visible (use a standard rope to control it). Sow 2.5-3 kg per mu.
5. Seedling-stage tending and management
Because the birch embryo is very small and its sprouting power is weak, although seeds treated to accelerate germination sprout easily, after emergence the roots are tender and the stem is thin and frail, unable to withstand drought or strong winds. Therefore, in the early growth stage after emergence, timely and appropriate watering with a fine-holed watering can or nozzle is needed, carefully and in small amounts; especially when spring winds are strong, temperatures are high, and the weather is hot, water even more in small amounts and many times in rotation, 4-5 times a day, using a fine-holed watering can and fine-nozzle sprayer or fine-nozzle water cart, always keeping the bed surface moist. But do not water too much; watering a 10 m long bed once with about 7.5-10 kg of water is enough. Watering, on the one hand, supplies the seedlings with sufficient moisture, and on the other hand, it can appropriately lower the surface temperature and reduce sunscald damage. When the seedling's main root has gone down 5-6 cm and lateral roots have formed, and the aboveground part has also grown 5-6 true leaves, the seedlings' resistance increases, so watering can be less frequent and in larger amounts, watering thoroughly at one time; watering with a large-holed watering can and coarse-nozzle water cart or artificial rain sprinkler irrigation is all fine, and it can raise work efficiency and meet the seedlings' large water needs.
After reading the above, everyone can also see that birch seeds still need to be selected from those harvested in the current year, and it is best not to use old ones. If you are a beginner at growing plants, you can also adopt some of the seedling-growing methods above!
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