How to Plant Bayberry Seeds for Best Results? A Detailed Guide to the Correct Planting Method
Bayberry is an excellent tree species that combines landscaping with production. It is a small tree or shrub in the genus Myrica of the family Myricaceae, with luxuriant branches and a rounded crown. It is well suited for specimen planting, group planting on lawns, in courtyards, or row planting along roadsides. In China it is distributed in East China as well as Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou and other regions. Let us take a look below at how to plant bayberry seeds for best results!
Nursery Site Selection
When choosing a nursery site, attention should be paid to its location, terrain and orientation. It is best to choose a site with convenient transportation and flat terrain; if it is a slope, generally a gradient of no more than 5° is preferable, and the slope aspect should face north or northeast as much as possible. The soil should preferably be fertile, loose in texture and deep sandy loam. In sandy soil that is too loose, the upper layer dries out easily while the lower layer has sufficient nutrients and water, causing roots to extend downward and form thick, straight roots with underdeveloped fibrous roots. Neither clay nor saline-alkali soil is suitable for raising seedlings.
Seed Collection
Bayberry seeds should be collected from fully mature fruits on robust adult trees. When collecting seeds, first check whether the kernel of the fruit is plump, and collect from trees whose kernels are plump. The harvested fruits should be placed in a suitable spot not exposed to direct sunlight and spread out in a pile, with the pile height generally not exceeding 15 cm. After piling for 4 to 5 days, the flesh rots; then rinse in running water, remove the shriveled seeds that float up, and dry the surface before use.
Land Preparation and Fertilization
Before sowing bayberry seeds, the land must first be prepared. In paddy fields or flat land with a thin soil layer, plowing to a depth of 23 to 27 cm is advisable; in mountainous areas or places with deep soil, deeper plowing is possible. After plowing, let the soil dry and whiten, then apply fertilizer in layers and plow and harrow repeatedly so that the soil is thoroughly broken up. The bed surface is 1 m wide and the furrow is 30 cm wide. In mountainous areas the bed height is 10 to 15 cm, and on flat land the bed height is 20 to 30 cm. Apply 3000 to 5000 kg of pig or cattle pen manure or compost per mu, 15 to 20 kg of superphosphate, and some plant ash. In paddy fields, deep drainage ditches should be dug around the perimeter; in mountainous areas, attention should be paid to drought prevention and flood control.
Sowing Method
Before sowing bayberry seeds, soak the seeds for 10 minutes in a 0.1% potassium permanganate solution or a 40% thiophanate-methyl 800-fold solution. After breaking up the surface of the nursery bed, evenly scatter the seeds on the bed surface at 1.25 to 1.5 kg per sq m. After sowing, gently press the seeds into the soil with a wooden board, cover with a layer of fine soil about 2 to 3 cm deep, and then cover with a thin layer of grass to prevent rain from washing the soil away and the topsoil from drying out in the sun.
Seedling Stage Management
After sowing bayberry seeds, when the weather turns cold in mid-December, cover with a plastic film low tunnel to keep warm. Maintain a certain temperature and pay attention to drainage and preventing rodent damage. Generally sow in mid-to-late October; the seeds germinate in January of the following year and the seedlings break through the soil and emerge in mid-February. After emergence, if the sunlight is too strong at noon, open the film at both ends of the low tunnel for ventilation to lower the temperature and humidity inside, preventing sunscald or damping-off disease. By late July they can be transplanted.
Transplanting Small Seedlings
After bayberry seedlings emerge and reach about 10 cm in height with 4 to 5 leaves, they can be transplanted. Before transplanting, the nursery should be prepared and fertilized, and at the same time 25 kg of lime per mu should be broadcast on the bed surface or a 600-fold thiophanate solution sprayed. Then transplant the seedlings at a row spacing of 30 to 35 cm and a plant spacing of 8 to 10 cm. Transplant on cloudy days or in the morning or evening of sunny days, and water thoroughly to settle the roots; transplant 12,000 to 14,000 plants per mu.
Transplanting Management
Bayberry seedlings are very sensitive to fertilizer; even a small amount of dilute fertilizer can easily cause seedling death. Only after the root system has recovered and grown well and 4 to 5 new leaves have emerged can diluted human urine and manure be applied (1 bucket of water plus 2 spoonfuls of human urine and manure and 0.25 kg of urea). After that, apply a 2% NPK compound fertilizer solution or diluted human urine and manure once every half month, applying light fertilizer frequently to promote seedling growth. Pay attention to preventing seedling anthracnose, damping-off and pests and diseases. Loosen the soil and weed frequently to prevent soil compaction and weeds competing with the seedlings for nutrients.