How to cultivate ginkgo in autumn? Efficient cultivation techniques for Chinese medicinal materials

Ginkgo, also known as white fruit and gongsun tree, belongs to the gymnosperms and is a "living fossil" plant found only in China. It has strong adaptability, wide uses, strong disease resistance, and is easy to manage; it is an excellent tree species for sustainable use that combines ecological, social, and economic benefits. Planting ginkgo trees in autumn can effectively advance a long seedling recovery process by several months, and especially for transplanting large ginkgo seedlings, it can fully shorten the recovery period by one year. Its efficient autumn cultivation techniques are introduced as follows:

1. Plot selection and fertilization. Choose loam or sandy loam with a soil layer of more than 60 cm, a pH value between 5.5-7.5, good drainage, and relatively high fertility. Apply 9000 kg of base fertilizer per 667 sq m, deep plow 40 cm, and before sowing apply 5 kg of phoxim and 13 kg of ferrous sulfate per 667 sq m, level the ground, and form beds running east-west that are 1.0-1.2 m wide and about 10 m long.

2. Timely planting. From early October to early November is more suitable for planting ginkgo trees. This is because: the reason ginkgo trees have a long recovery period is that, besides their physiological characteristics, an important reason is that damage to their roots is relatively difficult to heal. At this time, however, the leaves have already fallen, the sap no longer flows, and the tree body has stopped growing, so it naturally no longer consumes large amounts of nutrients, and the workload of the roots is therefore greatly reduced. Under such conditions, the roots injured during lifting, after a period of rest and recovery, will heal quickly, normally absorb and accumulate nutrients, and enter the second peak growth period of the year, making full preparations for the tree body's sprouting and growth after the following spring begins.

3. Plant grafted seedlings. After planting, grafted seedlings need only 5-6 years to enter the full fruit-bearing period. The characteristics of grafted seedlings are: there is a wedge-shaped callus union at the grafted site; the seedling extends obliquely outward from the graft union, forming a certain angle with the ground; the branches are gray-black, and the leaf notches are relatively deep and green. When propagating grafted seedlings yourself, sow and cultivate 2-3 year old rootstock on site, requiring rootstock seedlings to be at least 80 cm tall and about 1.5 cm thick at the root crown. Graft at a height of 20-50 cm from the ground on the rootstock, and the scion must be selected directly from superior fruiting trees, using 1-2 year old robust branches with plump buds.

4. Select and plant strong seedlings. For 1-year-old seedlings, a height above 15 cm and a ground diameter thickness above 1.2 cm are preferable. For 3-year-old seedlings, a height of 1.6-2.2 m and a ground diameter above 3 cm are preferable. Ensure the root system is complete and without severe damage. Try every effort to shorten the transport and storage time of seedlings, planting them as they are lifted, transported, and planted.

5. Spread the roots when planting. Ginkgo has fleshy roots and a relatively developed root system, so when planting, the root system must be spread out; otherwise, "root balling" will occur and affect growth. The fertile soil filled into the hole should preferably be dry, and when firming the soil, do not let it become compacted, so as to avoid adverse effects on the ginkgo root system. When covering with soil, it must be compacted layer by layer so that the ginkgo root system closely contacts the soil, but only trampling with the feet may be used, not tamping, to prevent root injury. After planting, water thoroughly so that the soil in the hole and the seedling root system closely combine and can fully absorb water. After watering, the ground naturally sinks; it is best to ensure the root crown is level with the ground or 1-2 cm above it.

6. Configure pollinator trees. Ginkgo is a cross-pollinated plant, and male and female flowers are on different trees. It mainly relies on wind pollination, and wind force, wind direction, low temperature, foggy days, or precipitation and other climatic factors often affect pollination and fertilization, reducing yield. Therefore, during cultivation, male plants must be configured at 20:1 as pollinator trees, and they must be planted evenly to facilitate pollination. If the configuration of ginkgo pollinator trees is improper, or if there are many rainy days during the flowering period, artificial pollination should be carried out promptly to ensure yield.

7. Cover with plastic film. The most notable effect of promptly covering with plastic film after planting is that it can delay the drop in ground temperature, resist drought and preserve moisture, raise temperature and prevent cold, and also enable young trees planted in autumn to produce a large number of new roots before winter arrives and before sprouting next spring. Usually after watering, the soil should be promptly loosened and raked level and fine. Then make a shallow dish shape around the ginkgo seedlings that is low inside and high outside, and cover with 1.2 m square plastic film.

8. Water with freezing water. From the end of November to the beginning of December, in combination with burying soil for cold protection, water once more with freezing water; it should not be too late. Because watering too late means low winter temperatures and slow recovery of ground temperature, which is not conducive to promoting new roots in young tree root systems, and is even less conducive to safe overwintering, making freezing injury likely.

9. Smoke to drive away cold. If there is severe freezing or a cold wave attack, within a short time, according to the size of the ginkgo orchard and the wind direction, set up fire piles to produce smoke. Smoking can drive away the cold and raise the temperature by 1-3 degrees C, achieving a freeze-prevention effect.

10. Bury soil and wrap seedlings. To help seedlings overwinter safely, after autumn planting, cover the seedlings with soil for cold protection before the Beginning of Winter. For 1-year-old small seedlings, the soil covering thickness should be 5 cm above the original soil mark, and for 3-year-old large seedlings, 8-10 cm above the original soil mark is preferable. In the following spring, after the soil thaws at the end of March and the beginning of April, uncover the seedlings, straighten them, and repair the tree basin. To prevent wild rabbits from gnawing the bark and to prevent freezing injury, wheat straw, straw rope, or plastic film with a thickness of 0.008 cm cut into strips 6 cm wide may be used to wrap the seedling trunk tightly from bottom to top, generally with two layers being preferable.