Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for High-Yield Cultivation of Magnolia Flower

Magnolia Flower, also known as Wangchun Flower, White Magnolia, Purple Jade Flower, Magnolia, etc. It is a deciduous small tree of the Magnolia genus in the Magnoliaceae family. The flower buds are used medicinally, with functions of dispelling wind and dispersing cold, warming the lungs and unblocking the orifices. It mainly treats wind-cold colds, headache with nasal congestion, sinusitis, rhinitis, nasal discharge, toothache and other conditions. Main producing areas include Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other provinces.

Morphological Characteristics

1. Wangchun Flower Deciduous tree, 6-12 m tall; branchlets glabrous. Leaves simple, alternate, mostly oblong-lanceolate, entire, glabrous on both surfaces, papery. Flower buds covered with grayish-white, yellowish-white long sericeous hairs, hairs mostly spreading. Flowers opening before leaves, tepals 9, peach-red, outer whorl of 3 sepal-like, linear; inner 2 whorls of tepals, long spatulate; stamens numerous, carpels numerous, free, ovary 1-locular, ovules 2. Aggregate fruit cylindrical, light brown, seeds red.

2. Yulan MagnoliaBasically the same as Wangchun Flower. But leaves large, leathery, broadly obovate or ovate-elliptic, glossy above, pubescent below. Flowers large, white, tepals 9, arranged in 3 whorls, 3 per whorl. Pedicel thick and short, pedicel and flower buds densely covered with grayish-yellow long sericeous hairs, hairs appressed.

3. Wudang MagnoliaBasically the same as Wangchun Flower. But leaves large, leathery, leaves long obovate, apex abruptly acute, base cuneate. Flower buds obconical, externally covered with pale yellow sericeous hairs. Tepals 10-12-15, nearly similar, obovate-spatulate or broadly spatulate. Flowers large, peach-red.

I. Growth Habits Magnolia Flower prefers a warm climate and a sunny environment. Slightly cold-tolerant, it can overwinter outdoors at -15°C. It has low requirements for soil and can be cultivated on barren hills and wild ridges, in front of and behind houses, along both sides of roads, and on both banks of rivers. It is better cultivated in deep, loose and fertile sandy loam. Low-lying land, heavy clay and saline-alkali land are not suitable for cultivation.

II. Land Preparation and Fertilization Select a field with high terrain and good drainage, and carry out fine cultivation. In combination with land preparation, apply sufficient base fertilizer: apply 300 kg of farmyard manure, 20 kg of urea, and 50 kg of phosphorus-potassium fertilizer per mu. Then make raised beds 1.5 m wide and wait for sowing.

III. SowingMagnolia Flower is propagated by seeds. It can also be propagated by cuttings, division and grafting.

Seed propagation: Before sowing, first mix the collected seeds with coarse sand and rub repeatedly to remove the red fleshy seed coat. Then carry out sand storage: mix the seeds with moist sand at a ratio of 1:3, spread them evenly in a previously dug pit, cover with weeds, and maintain moisture. When the seeds sprout white in the following spring, sow them in rows at a row spacing of 25 cm on the prepared bed surface, water to preserve moisture, and promote survival. After the seedlings emerge uniformly, strengthen field management, and after 1—2 years of cultivation, they can be transplanted.

Cutting propagation: In summer, select robust young branches 1—2 years old, take the middle and lower sections, cut them into 20 cm long cuttings, each segment needing 2~3 nodes. Cut the lower end into a horseshoe-shaped slant, bundle every 50 as one bundle, soak the lower part in a 500 ppm rooting powder solution for 15 seconds, then insert them at a row spacing of 20×7 cm on the prepared bed surface, water to preserve moisture, and promote survival. After the seedlings emerge uniformly, strengthen field management, and after 1—2 years of cultivation, they can be transplanted.

Division propagation: Around the beginning of spring, dig up the root suckers of old plants and replant them separately. Water to preserve moisture and promote survival.

Grafting propagation: Use 1—2-year-old seedlings of purple magnolia or white magnolia as rootstock, and use 1-year-old branches from excellent mother plants that have already flowered and fruited as scions. In late May, use shoot grafting with xylem, bud grafting or T-shaped bud grafting; grafting from 2—5 pm gives a high survival rate. After survival, remove the binding rope. After new buds grow, carry out pruning and cutting, wipe off rootstock buds, and manage as usual. Grafting propagation is the main way to achieve early and high yield of Magnolia Flower. Transplanting: In spring and autumn, plant Magnolia Flower seedlings at a row spacing of 3×2 m on the prepared bed surface, water to preserve moisture, and promote survival.

IV. Field Management After Magnolia Flower seedlings emerge uniformly or after transplanting survives, attention should be paid to intertillage and weeding. Water promptly in dry weather, and drain immediately in rainy weather. After transplanting, topdress twice each year. The first time is before spring sprouting, applying 25 kg of urea and 50 kg of phosphorus-potassium fertilizer per mu. The second time is in winter, spreading a layer of farmyard manure on the bed surface. In order to increase income, in the first few years, annual crops such as melons, fruits, vegetables and medicinal materials can be appropriately intercropped to achieve the goal of using short-term crops to support long-term crops. During the growth of Magnolia Flower, shaping and pruning should also be carried out to train the Magnolia Flower tree into a high-yielding tree shape with a sparse stratified form or a natural open-center form.

V. Pest and Disease Control Magnolia Flower has relatively few diseases; if found, they can be controlled by conventional methods. The main pests include bagworms, slug moths and wood borers. For control, spray with 500-fold phoxim solution combined with fenvalerate.

VI. Harvesting and Processing Seedling-propagated plants begin to flower 5—7 years after transplanting. Generally, unopened flower buds are collected from December to February of the following year. The collected flower buds can be sun-dried and then sold for medicinal use. The general yield is 150—250 kg per mu.