How to propagate Chaenomeles speciosa? Detailed propagation methods

Chaenomeles speciosa, also known as iron-foot crabapple and iron-pole crabapple, is a plant in the genus Chaenomeles of the rose family. Chaenomeles speciosa generally blooms from March to April, its fruit ripens in October, and it has relatively strong adaptability and is very cold-hardy. In North China, Chaenomeles speciosa can overwinter in the open ground, and it is very sensitive to temperature. The editor will now introduce the propagation methods of Chaenomeles speciosa for you; interested friends can learn about them.

Chaenomeles speciosa

I. Division propagation

Carry this out in spring and autumn. After digging out the mother plant, divide it with a sharp knife according to the growth of the roots; each division only needs one main stem. Then plant them separately, water thoroughly, and place them in a shady spot for care. They generally survive quite easily. After surviving, carry out normal care and management.

II. Layering propagation

Carry this out from late March to late September. Choose long, strong branches and press them into the soil, fasten the branches with a "U"-shaped wire, then cover with an 8-10 cm layer of soil and firm the covering soil. Roots will form in about 50 days, and after about another 2 months, cut the layer from the mother plant and plant it separately.

III. Cutting propagation

This can be done in spring, summer, and autumn, with summer being the most suitable. Choose healthy biennial branches, cut them into 14-18 cm long sections to use as cuttings, remove the lower leaves of the cuttings, then insert them into the bed soil to a depth of about 1/2 of the cutting, water thoroughly, place them in a shady spot for care, and keep the bed soil moist. Roots form after about 1 month, and then they can be transplanted.

How to grow Chaenomeles speciosa: propagation methods for Chaenomeles speciosa

Chaenomeles speciosa is a deciduous shrub whose plant height can reach 2 m. It is an ornamental tree unique to China, and it can be enjoyed both for its flowers and its fruit. Today I will share with you the growing methods for Chaenomeles speciosa and the propagation methods for Chaenomeles speciosa.

Growing methods for Chaenomeles speciosa:

1. Soil: Chaenomeles speciosa is not strict about soil quality; slightly acidic soil or neutral soil is both acceptable, but loose, fertile, well-drained leaf mold or garden soil is best.

2. Watering: Usually just keep the potting soil moist, but be careful to prevent water accumulation in the pot, otherwise the roots rot easily. During the spring and summer growing period, the potting soil should also not be overly dry, and especially during the flowering period, sufficient moisture must be maintained in the potting soil.

3. Sunlight: Potted Chaenomeles speciosa should be placed in a spot with ample light and good air circulation. During the high temperatures of midsummer, provide appropriate shade to prevent sunscald and scorched leaves.

4. Temperature: In winter, Chaenomeles speciosa is relatively cold-hardy and not strict about its environment; the pot can be buried in soil or placed indoors by a window.

5. Fertilizing: In winter, Chaenomeles speciosa should be given sufficient base fertilizer, with dry cake fertilizer or decomposed barnyard manure, as well as bone meal, being best. During the growing period, except during the plum rain season, frequently apply additional dilute fertilizer water.

6. Pests and diseases: Chaenomeles speciosa often suffers from rust disease attacking the leaves, which can be controlled by spraying 0.5-degree Baume lime sulfur mixture. The main insect pests include aphids, nettle caterpillars, and red spider mites. The control methods are the same as for Hall crabapple.

7. Pruning: Chaenomeles speciosa is mostly pruned after flowering. Generally, cut short the branches that have already bloomed to encourage branching and the formation of flower buds, increasing the number of flowers the following year.

Propagation methods for Chaenomeles speciosa:

1. Seed propagation of Chaenomeles speciosa

Seed propagation of Chaenomeles speciosa is mainly used to obtain large quantities of uniform seedlings, but it is not conducive to maintaining the original excellent traits. This method is not suitable for potted plants with relatively high ornamental requirements.

2. Division propagation of Chaenomeles speciosa

Chaenomeles speciosa has strong tillering ability and is suitable for division propagation in early spring. The specific operation is to dig out the entire clump of the plant and divide it into clumps each with 2-4 branches and roots at the base. Cut off the branches split and damaged during division at the root crown, and cut the rest back to about 10 cm. Plant them in a previously prepared seedling bed, strengthen management, and after 1-2 years they can be released from the nursery.

3. Cutting propagation of Chaenomeles speciosa

Cutting propagation of Chaenomeles speciosa is usually carried out in summer. Choose relatively thick new branches, cut them into 12-15 cm long cuttings, and insert them into a substrate such as river sand or vermiculite. After cutting, keep them in a concealed place for care for a period of time, keeping the soil moist during this period; roots will form in about 40 days.

After rooting, reduce spraying and gradually extend the light duration, and finally remove the shade shed. In places with cold winters, open-ground cuttings need to be covered with grass or given other cold-protection measures to protect them through the winter. Transplant in the spring of the following year. Cuttings inserted in pure sand or vermiculite should be transplanted promptly after rooting; otherwise, the new roots will grow too long and the cuttings will lack nutrients for a long time, which is unfavorable for both transplanting and growth.

Propagation methods for Chaenomeles speciosa: growing methods for Chaenomeles speciosa

Other names for Chaenomeles speciosa: papaya, mao, wrinkled-skin papaya, Chaenomeles speciosa papaya, etc. It is a deciduous shrub in the genus Chaenomeles of the rose family, and also a unique specimen ornamental tree. What are the propagation methods for Chaenomeles speciosa? How do you grow Chaenomeles speciosa? Now let's follow the editor to take a look at information related to Chaenomeles speciosa.

Introduction to Chaenomeles speciosa

Other names for Chaenomeles speciosa: papaya, mao, wrinkled-skin papaya, Chaenomeles speciosa papaya, iron-foot pear, wrinkled-skin papaya, soup papaya, Chaenomeles speciosa, Xuan papaya, etc. Latin name: Chaenomeles speciosa (Sweet) Nakai, a deciduous shrub in the rose family, genus Chaenomeles. It belongs to the rose family, and its fruit can be used as medicine, having the functions of relaxing muscles and activating collaterals and harmonizing the stomach and resolving dampness. The Changyang “Ziqiu wrinkled-skin papaya” recorded in the "Chinese Pharmacopoeia" is a wild medicinal papaya with unique medicinal and health value, and has the reputation of “fruit of a hundred benefits”. Wrinkled-skin papaya is also a unique specimen ornamental tree. Its branches are dense and mostly thorny and can be used as a hedge. The fruit contains malic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, and vitamin C, etc., and after drying it is used as medicine, with effects of dispelling wind, relaxing muscles, activating collaterals, relieving pain, reducing swelling, and regulating qi.

I. Morphological characteristics

Appearance: Chaenomeles speciosa is a deciduous shrub, up to 2 m tall, with branch thorns; branchlets cylindrical, spreading, stout, purplish brown when young, hairless, dark brown when old.

Leaves: The leaves of Chaenomeles speciosa are ovate to elliptic, rarely oblong, 3-10 cm long and 1.5-5 cm wide, apex acute, rarely rounded-obtuse, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, margin with sharp fine serrations, teeth spreading, surface slightly shiny, dark green, hairless, abaxially pale green, hairless; petiole 1-1.5 cm long, hairless; stipules large, leaf-like, ovate or kidney-shaped, margin with sharp double serrations, hairless.

Flowers: The flowers of Chaenomeles speciosa are 2-6 in clusters on biennial branches, 3.5-5 cm in diameter, opening before the leaves or at the same time as the leaves; pedicel stout and short, 3 mm long or nearly sessile, hairless; outer surface of the calyx tube hairless; calyx lobes erect, nearly semicircular, apex rounded-obtuse, entire or with wavy teeth, margin with yellowish brown cilia, outer surface hairless, inner surface sparsely pubescent, half as long as the calyx tube; petals nearly circular or obovate, with a short claw, 1-1.5 cm long, scarlet or pale red; stamens 35-50, erect, 1-1.3 cm long, filaments slightly reddish; styles connate below the middle, hairless, nearly equal to the stamens in length, stigma capitate.

The flowering period of Chaenomeles speciosa is March—April.

Fruit: The pome of Chaenomeles speciosa is spherical to ovate, 3-5 cm in diameter, yellow or yellow-green, with inconspicuous sparse spots, fragrant, fruit stalk short or nearly absent.

The fruiting period of Chaenomeles speciosa is October.

II. Ecological habits

Chaenomeles speciosa likes light, is relatively cold-hardy, not tolerant of waterlogging, and not choosy about soil, but prefers fertile, deep, well-drained soil. Chaenomeles speciosa is a deciduous shrub in the rose family, genus Chaenomeles, up to 2 m tall, with flowers in clusters of 3 to 5 on 2-year-old old branches, flowering before the leaves or with the leaves, flower colors red, pink, and white, about 3 cm to 5 cm in diameter. Fruit ovate to spherical, 4 cm to 6 cm in diameter. Flowering period March to April; if light and humidity conditions are suitable, it can bloom from January to February, and the fruit ripening period is September to October.

Propagation methods for Chaenomeles speciosa

Commonly cultivated in various places, the flower colors are bright red, pink, and milky white, and there are double-flowered and semi-double-flowered varieties.

1. Cutting propagation

You can take relatively well-developed 1-2 year old branches, cut them into 2-3 cm long cuttings, and leave 2-3 nodes on each. Generally, cuttings are taken before bud break in spring or after leaf fall in autumn, and large-scale cutting can be done in spring. On a prepared seedling bed, open furrows 2-3 cm deep at a row spacing of 30 cm, insert the cuttings obliquely in the furrows at a plant spacing of 10 cm, then fill with soil and firm it. Then water and cover with grass to ensure the soil is moist. When the branches grow new leaves and new roots, the grass cover can be removed. Management of the seedling stage should also be strengthened, including loosening the soil, weeding, and watering. Transplanting to the field can be done after 1 year of growth.

2. Layering propagation

Generally in spring and autumn, dig holes around an old tree, then bend down the branches growing from its base, press them into the holes, bury the middle part in the soil, and leave only the branch tip outside the hole. To promote rooting and sprouting, use a knife to cut a notch in the bark near the base of the branch close to the old tree. After it roots, cut off the branch and transplant it with the roots. When transplanting, choose a good plot first and then dig the tree hole; the planting depth should basically match the original root mark of the seedling so that the root system can spread out in the hole, and after planting, water thoroughly with the settling water. Generally, spring and autumn are the best transplanting times.

3. Seed propagation

Generally, autumn sowing begins in late October. Select ripe fresh papaya seeds, dry the outer skin slightly, and then sow. After sowing, the seedlings will not emerge in the same year but in the spring of the following year. Spring can also be used as the sowing time: after harvesting the seeds, store them in wet sand until February to March of the following year and then sow. Before sowing, deeply plow the previously selected land by 3 cm, shake off impurities and weeds, and open furrows to make beds 1.5 m wide (including a 0.3 m wide ditch); the bed length should depend on the terrain, and generally the bed length of a field block should be 7-10 m, then open cross ditches, which is beneficial for drainage and field management. After leveling the bed, open furrows 3 cm deep in it, and sow at a row spacing of 2 cm and a plant spacing of 1 cm. After sowing, cover with soil, rake level, and firm. The usual seeding rate is 6 kg/hm2. Seedlings should emerge after sowing when the ground temperature is about 10°C; work such as loosening the soil, weeding, and watering should be carried out after emergence.

Growing methods for Chaenomeles speciosa

I. Transplanting timing

In winter, seedlings can be dug out; transplanting should be done on days in winter when it is not snowing or in February of the following spring, at a plant spacing of 2 m and a row spacing of 2 m. To ensure the survival of the planted seedlings, water and earth up after planting to preserve soil moisture. By the third year, when the seedlings have survived, dig holes by plant, mix decomposed barnyard manure with soil at 75 t/hm2 and apply it into the holes. After fertilizing, cover with soil and water and earth up to preserve soil moisture, ensuring the survival of the seedlings.

II. Planting management

1. Site selection

The papaya tree is extremely adaptable and likes sunlight, and can tolerate drought, poor soil, and high temperatures. Slopes, hillocks, valleys, terraces, and areas in front of and behind houses are all suitable for planting. Especially in sandy loam soil with a pH value of 6.5-7.5, because the soil layer is deep, the texture is loose, the organic matter content is rich, and drainage is good, the trees grow vigorously and yields are high. Cultivation on ridge edges is optimal, and harvesting the fruit is convenient.

2. Intercropping and relay cropping

Because the canopy is relatively small in the early stage and the space between rows and plants is relatively large, you can intercrop ginseng, Panax notoginseng, American ginseng, bamboo-node ginseng, Dingtou Yikezhu, Jiangbian Yiwanshui, Paris polyphylla, Dysosma versipellis, and other medicinal herbs or short-stem crops, thereby improving land use efficiency.

3. Cultivation and weeding

The greatest taboo in a papaya orchard is allowing weeds to run wild; once weeds sprout, they must be removed promptly. Loosening the soil around the papaya trees should be done in April to May, along with the first hoeing; the second hoeing is in July to August, and mature trees should be hoed and the soil loosened when weeds are likely to grow. Chemical herbicides must not be used more than 2 times per year, and during the growing season, straw and weeds can be used to cover the tree.

4. Fertilizing in stages

Papaya fertilization should focus more on phosphorus and potassium fertilizers and should be carried out together with loosening the soil and weeding. In spring, apply compost at 10 kg/plant; in autumn, apply water manure soil or plant ash at 15 kg/plant. Dig a ditch 10 cm deep 70 cm around the tree, apply the fertilizer, and immediately cover with soil. To prevent freezing in winter, earth up around the roots. The basic principle of fertilization is to apply more to large trees and less to small trees, generally fertilizing 2-3 times per year.

5. Pruning and training

After the papaya tree matures, pruning is essential to ensure a good harvest. Dead branches, dense branches, and old dead branches should be pruned in winter when the branches and leaves wither and before bud break in spring, so that the tree takes on a crown shape that is hollow inside and rounded outside. After pruning, fertilize once.

6. Water management

In terms of water, papaya does not have high requirements and has strong drought resistance. Under normal circumstances, one thorough irrigation can be carried out before and after flower bud sprouting and during the fruit enlargement period. In seasons with abundant rainfall, ditches must be dredged and drainage must be timely to effectively prevent root rot. Anti-freezing water should be irrigated once before winter together with the application of base fertilizer.