What are the planting methods for fast-growing eucalyptus?
How do you plant fast-growing eucalyptus? Please give an introduction. The planting methods for fast-growing eucalyptus can refer to the following: 1. Varieties. Eucalyptus belongs to the Myrtaceae family and is native to Australia. There are as many as 945 species, with a wide distribution span and great differences in performance. In our province, those introduced and cultivated with good performance, fast growth and high yield, strong adaptability, and a relatively large promoted area include...
How do you plant fast-growing eucalyptus? Please give an introduction.
The planting methods for fast-growing eucalyptus can refer to the following:
1. Varieties
Eucalyptus belongs to the Myrtaceae family and is native to Australia. There are as many as 945 species, with a wide distribution span and great differences in performance. In our province, those introduced and cultivated with good performance, fast growth and high yield, strong adaptability, and a relatively large promoted area include excellent clones of Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla and Eucalyptus urophylla x Eucalyptus grandis, as well as excellent provenances of Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Eucalyptus camaldulensis is relatively cold-tolerant and wind-resistant.
2. Characteristics and traits
(1) Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla and Eucalyptus urophylla x Eucalyptus grandis are both hybrid varieties. The former uses Eucalyptus grandis as the female parent and Eucalyptus urophylla as the male parent, while the latter uses Eucalyptus urophylla as the female parent and Eucalyptus grandis as the male parent. They are light-loving, grow rapidly, and have good stem form. They can tolerate short-term frost of -3°C, but have weak wind resistance. They are suitable for mountain red soils and lateritic red soils that are deep, fertile, loose, and well-drained. Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla combines the fast growth and high pulp yield of Eucalyptus grandis with the adaptability of Eucalyptus urophylla to low-altitude arid soils and its strong resistance to canker disease. Asexual propagation is easy. In southern Fujian, clones showing good performance include DH33-27, DH33-22, Dm2-29, DH32-27, DH32-22, DH32-10, DH32-13, Ec1, Ec2, and others.
(2) Eucalyptus grandis is a tall tree that grows rapidly. Its trunk is straight and full. It is extremely light-loving, but not tolerant of intense heat, and can withstand low temperatures of -5°C. Its main suitable growing areas are the southern subtropics and tropical highlands, with an average annual temperature of 15-25°C and annual precipitation of 1000-1800 mm, in areas without typhoons. For site conditions, it grows best in various loamy soils or relatively clayey soils that are deep, fertile, and well-drained. In the mountainous areas of southern Fujian in our province, clones showing relatively good performance include G2, A3, and others.
(3) Eucalyptus camaldulensis is a large tree with a straight stem form and a tree height of 20-45 m. It has strong adaptability and is not strict about site conditions. It is tolerant of periodic flooding and can also grow normally on relatively arid and infertile land with deep soil layers. It can withstand short-term low temperatures of -5°C. It is a strongly heliophilous species with the characteristic of early fast growth, and grows poorly under insufficient light or shading. Eucalyptus camaldulensis has relatively deep roots, a well-developed taproot, a solid trunk, relatively sparse leaves, and drooping branchlets, so it has strong resistance to typhoons and can withstand typhoons of force 11-12.
3. Key cultivation points
(1) Selection of excellent clones: In southern Fujian, central Fujian, and western Fujian, the excellent clones showing relatively good performance mainly include DH32-29, DH32-27, DH32-22, and DH33-27 of Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla, Ec1 and Ec2 of Eucalyptus urophylla x Eucalyptus grandis, and G2 and A3 of Eucalyptus grandis, among others. Tissue-cultured seedlings or cutting seedlings of excellent clones should be used for afforestation. In order to improve the survival rate of afforestation, it is advocated to cultivate cutting seedlings on site and plant them on site, so as to avoid damage to seedlings caused by long-distance transport.
(2) Afforestation techniques
Selection of afforestation land: Choose hills, platforms, plains, and lower parts of low mountains with deep, loose soil, good drainage, relatively high fertility, a slope of 25° or less, an altitude of 600 m or less, and convenient transportation. The absolute low temperature of the afforestation land should be greater than -5°C, otherwise it is prone to frost damage.
Forest land clearing: This should be completed in July-September of the year before afforestation, mainly by cutting grass and controlled burning, and digging out miscellaneous shrub stumps and Miscanthus floridulus stumps. During controlled burning, attention should be paid to fire prevention and soil and water conservation.
Termite control: In September-October of the year before afforestation, place mirex bait agents, at 225-400 packets per hectare, evenly placed in the afforestation land in a quincunx pattern. A little more should be placed around the afforestation land. At placement points, dig small pits 10-15 cm deep, spread a thin layer of dry grass, place 1-2 packets of the agent together with the bag, then cover with soil and compact it. Placement on cleared but not yet prepared forest land gives the best control effect. If control is not carried out in time before afforestation, bait agents can also be placed in April of the afforestation year, but at the time of afforestation, ant-repellent medicine must be applied in the root zone for protection.
Site preparation: This should be completed before the end of the year before afforestation. Generally, block site preparation is used, with open holes and backfill of topsoil, with a specification of 70 x 40 x 35 cm. Planting points are arranged in a quincunx pattern.
Application of base fertilizer: Eucalyptus is very sensitive to fertilizer, and applying base fertilizer is an important measure for establishing high-yield plantations. About one month before afforestation, when backfilling topsoil, apply long-acting calcium magnesium phosphate, or a mixed fertilizer of calcium magnesium phosphate and an equal amount of urea, or special fertilizer for eucalyptus, applying 500 g per hole. Base fertilizer can also be obtained locally, such as sea fertilizer near the coast and green manure from the mountains. Apply 1-2 kg of sea fertilizer and 2-3 kg of farmyard manure per hole.
Afforestation density: Generally 1350-1800 plants per hectare. To make full use of the growth characteristic that eucalyptus likes side light, a configuration of wide rows and narrow plant spacing is adopted, generally using a specification of 2 x 3 m.
Afforestation season: It is suitable to carry out on cloudy days or light rainy days after rain in February-March.
Seedling lifting and transport: Select seedlings 10-20 cm tall for planting in the mountains. Nutrient-cup seedlings should be soaked or thoroughly watered before being taken to the mountains for afforestation. Seedlings not used up on the same day should be placed in a shade shed and watered to maintain moisture.
Afforestation and planting: When planting, remove the container or plastic film bag. Before tearing the bag, press the container soil firmly with both hands. The bag should be completely torn off and removed; do not tear only the bottom without tearing the sides. When planting and backfilling soil, press inward from all sides, and do not press vertically downward, so as to prevent damage to the container soil. When planting, be careful not to plant the seedling on the base fertilizer, so as to avoid the seedling roots contacting the fertilizer and causing "seedling burn" that affects survival. Also pay attention to spreading the roots and pressing firmly, so that the seedling roots can closely combine with the soil.
Pest control: The roots and stems of young eucalyptus seedlings are tender and vulnerable to damage by termites, crickets, cutworms, and others, especially within three months after afforestation. Whether pest control is carried out often becomes the key to the success or failure of afforestation. There are mainly four control measures: First, controlled burning and clearing of miscellaneous vegetation must be thorough, and when backfilling topsoil, all grass roots should be picked out to cut off the termites' food source. Second, apply insect repellent while afforesting and without delaying overnight; apply a little less than half a tablespoon (about 5 g) per plant, and when applying, pay attention to closely surrounding the root and stem area, because a wide application range gives a poorer effect. Third, trap and kill by dispersing 1605 mixed powder in the afforestation land, which has a good control effect on scarab beetles, cutworms, and others. Fourth, combine with topdressing and apply carbofuran to prevent ants.
Young plantation tending: Two months after spring afforestation, weed once in time, and before the weed seeds mature in August-September, weed and loosen the soil once more. In the second year, timely tending should also be carried out 1-2 times. After two years of tending and management, the young plantation can close its canopy.
Topdressing: Apply topdressing once in time 1-2 months after planting, apply topdressing once more after rain in July-August, and apply topdressing once in early spring of the second year together with hoeing and loosening the soil. Apply urea or compound fertilizer, with 100-250 g per plant each time.
When fertilizing, attention should be paid to the following points: First, fertilize according to the site, that is, fertilize according to the forest land's soil nutrients, moisture, texture, pH, and other characteristics as well as terrain conditions, and remove all weeds before each fertilization. Second, when fertilizing, dig a ditch on the rear slope side of the hole and bury the fertilizer deeply, so as to reduce fertilizer loss. Third, fertilize after rain to accelerate fertilizer dissolution and reduce fertilizer leaching loss. Fourth, apply more in poor sections such as ridges and the middle and upper parts of slopes, and apply less in fertile areas such as ditch edges and valleys.
Tending and thinning: If the cultivation goal is short-rotation industrial raw material forest (production of pulpwood), tending and thinning are not required, but diseased plants and wind-broken trees that appear should be cut and removed in time. If cultivating large-diameter timber, 1-2 tending and thinning operations can be arranged. In southern Fujian, one tending and thinning operation should be arranged in the 2nd-3rd year after afforestation.
Sprout regeneration: The sprout regeneration operation method is one of the characteristics of eucalyptus forest management.
① Season for sprout regeneration: Along the southeast coast, winter and spring are preferable.
② Sorting of sprouts: The first sorting of sprouts should be carried out 3-6 months after clear-cutting regeneration, when the sprouts have reached a height of 1.5-2 m. Adopt the method of removing the weak and retaining the strong, leaving 3-4 shoots per stump. After 1-1.5 years of cultivation, carry out a second sorting, finally leaving 1-2 fast-growing, thick and strong shoots on the southeast side of the stump. It is appropriate to retain 1800-1950 plants per hectare.
③ Tending and fertilization: After harvesting, as soon as forest land clearing is completed, loosen the soil and tend, so that the soil becomes loose and aerated, reducing surface water evaporation and benefiting the sprouting and growth of stumps. Fertilization should be carried out after harvesting and before sprouting, using the ditch application method, applying 1-1.5 kg of phosphate fertilizer or compound fertilizer per plant, or urea can also be applied. If conditions permit, it is best to apply it mixed with organic fertilizer.
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