How to grow cedar seeds? Detailed explanation of sowing methods and seedling cultivation techniques
Cedar is one of the five most famous landscape tree species in the world, and it is the backbone tree species most widely planted in urban landscaping in our country. It is mainly propagated by sowing and cuttings. In recent years, cedar seedlings have been very popular, with a large gap in supply, and prices have remained high. Cultivating cedar seedlings has very high market prospects. Now let us take a look at how to grow cedar seeds!
Cedar seedbed treatment
Choose a loose, fertile, sandy loam nursery site with convenient drainage and irrigation, and deep plow it in early winter. This can not only improve the physical and chemical properties of the soil, but also freeze underground pests to death and reduce the occurrence of seedling diseases the following year. While plowing, apply 250 kg of cake fertilizer and 50 kg of superphosphate per mu, and rake the fertilizer evenly into the soil. This can ensure that the seedlings have sufficient nutrients after sowing.
Cedar seed treatment
Cedar seeds are generally about 6000-8000 seeds/kg, with many empty seeds, so seed selection is needed to remove the empty seeds. Before sowing, the seeds should be soaked to promote germination. Soaking in cold water for 96 hours gives the best effect. They can also be soaked in warm water at 45-50°C for 24 hours each. After soaking, disinfect with 0.1% potassium permanganate for 30 minutes, then rinse clean with clear water and dry before sowing. Never sow while still wet.
Cedar seed sowing
Cedar sowing is generally carried out before the Spring Equinox, and earlier is better than later. Drill sowing is preferable, with a row spacing of 10-15 cm and a plant spacing of 4-5 cm. The seeds should be inserted upright into the sowing furrow, and the large end of the seed must face upward. The sowing rate is 15-20 kg per mu. After sowing, cover with yellow subsoil or burnt mud ash 1-2 cm thick. Also cover with a thin layer of rice straw, then sprinkle water on it with a watering can to keep the bed surface moist. After about 3-5 days, they will begin to swell, and seedlings will emerge one after another in about half a month. The emergence period lasts for more than 1 month, and the germination rate can generally reach 90%.
Cedar seedling management
To prevent newly emerged cedar seedlings from being lost due to rain, and to manage the temperature inside the shed well, ventilation should be carried out when the temperature inside the shed remains at 15-20°C. On sunny days when the outside temperature is above 15°C, the film can be uncovered during the day and covered again at night. When more than 70% of the seedlings have emerged, remove the rice straw in batches, promptly set up frames, and add shade nets or reed curtains for shading. Cedar has few pests and diseases, especially fatal ones, which are even rarer. In spring, the main prevention is aphid damage. This pest is very common in the Yangtze River Basin and will eat the tender tips of cedar, causing the loss of apical growth dominance of the cedar trunk. Preventing this pest is very simple. If signs of infestation are found, promptly spraying a phosphorus-containing insecticide can solve the problem.
Cedar seed storage. Methods of sowing and seedling cultivation
Cedar is one of the world's famous ornamental courtyard tree species. Its crown is tower-shaped, its branches spread flat, its foliage is well proportioned, and its cones are magnificent, giving it high ornamental value. Cedar also has strong noise-reducing, dust-proof, and sterilizing abilities. Cedar cultivation methods: Cedar can be propagated by sowing, cuttings, grafting, and other methods. Grafting commonly uses black pine as rootstock, and in spring the soil-buried cleft grafting method is used. This method has a relatively low propagation rate and is also prone to incompatibility at the graft union. For cutting propagation, the age of the mother plant providing the scion is an important factor affecting the survival rate. Generally, cuttings collected from 3-5 year old young trees have a higher survival rate. Using the trunks of seedling-grown young plants as cuttings is even more ideal. Cuttings are generally carried out in spring. Before cutting, dip the base of the cuttings in 500*10-6 naphthaleneacetic acid, and water promptly after insertion. Generally, callus tissue can form in about 40 days, and roots form after 3 months. Before rooting, pay attention to maintaining moisture in the substrate and environment to reduce transpiration and improve the survival rate. Cedar seed propagation makes it relatively easy to obtain large numbers of seedlings. Because cedar is mostly dioecious. Male flowers open earlier, so natural pollination is relatively difficult. Artificial supplementary pollination is a prerequisite for developing cedar seed seedling cultivation. Seed collection and seed treatment: Cedar cones mature in October of the following year. They can be collected when the cones change from green to brown. Place the cones in a dry, ventilated place, spread them out in the sun, extract the seeds, put them in cloth bags, and dry them in the shade for later use. Before germination promotion, first disinfect the seed surface with a 3% potassium permanganate solution. After drying in the shade, mix with 2-3 times the amount of wet sand and place in a warm place to promote germination. During germination promotion, keep moist and turn 1-2 times a day. When the seeds begin to swell, crack, and show white, they can be sorted and sown. Seeds that have not yet germinated should continue to be kept for germination promotion, sorting, and sowing. Soil disinfection: Damping-off is a major enemy affecting cedar seed seedling cultivation, so soil disinfection must be carried out effectively before sowing. Commonly used disinfectants include ferrous sulfate (black alum), junduqing, dexon, and others. The concentration of the disinfectant solution can be slightly increased according to the instructions. The treated soil should be covered with plastic film for fumigation to fully exert the efficacy. For field sowing and seedling cultivation, ferrous sulfate can be used for disinfection. The dosage per seedbed (1*10 m) is 250-400 g. Grind it into fine powder and spread it evenly, then turn it into the soil. Its efficacy lasts longer than diluted solution spraying. Sowing seedlings and seedling management: After soil disinfection, first water the seedbed to create moisture, and sowing can be done after 3 days. The covering soil thickness is about 1-2 times the short diameter of the seed, and generally sprouts can emerge in 5-10 days. After the seedlings have all emerged (about 15 days), attention should be paid to preventing damping-off. Carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl can be sprayed on the soil surface once every 15 days for three consecutive sprays. Stop spraying after the seedlings become lignified, then apply compound fertilizer or urea solution (1%-3%) as topdressing 2-3 times. Pay attention to drainage in summer and cold protection in winter. During the seedling stage, use manual weeding, or shallow trench hoeing to preserve moisture, avoiding damage to the root system. After the Beginning of Autumn, do not water or fertilize again. Transplanting and large seedling cultivation: Sowing seedlings are transplanted in the following spring. Those grown in nutrient pots should be removed from the pots before transplanting, while those grown in the field can be transplanted before bud break in late April. The transplanting site should be applied with base fertilizer, preferably fully decomposed barnyard manure. During transplanting, combine fertilization with attention to preventing underground pests. .Cedar seed seedling cultivation methods
Cedar seed seedling cultivation methodsI. Cedar (Cedrus deodara)
Pinaceae, Cedrus.
The cedar trunk is tall and straight, and the side branches spread flat. Its posture is majestic and beautiful. It is one of the world's famous ornamental courtyard tree species. Together with golden larch, Japanese golden larch, Norfolk Island pine, and coast redwood, it is known as one of the world's five famous courtyard trees. It is most suitable for solitary planting in the center of a flower bed or group planting at the edge of a lawn and on both sides of buildings; row planting along main roads and squares is also extremely majestic and spectacular.
(1) Sowing propagation
Before sowing, apply ferrous sulfate 7.5 g--11.2 g/m2 or 70% dexon powder 0.5 kg for soil disinfection, and apply 5% phoxim granules 1.5-2.5 kg to eliminate underground pests. Use raised-bed seedling cultivation in spring.
Soak the seeds for 1-2 d before sowing. The sowing rate is 7.5 g/m2, sown in spots, with a plant and row spacing of 10-15 cm. The soil covering thickness is 1-1.5 cm. After sowing, cover the seedbed with rice straw or plastic film, and remove it after the seedlings emerge. During the seedling stage, shade frames are needed, and later full-light seedling cultivation can be used. To prevent seedling damping-off and leaf blight, after emergence spray 0.5%
Bordeaux mixture or spray 70% dexon 700 times solution.
(2) Cutting propagation
Select 1-year-old robust branches from young seedling mother trees as cuttings. This is the key to the survival of cuttings. The younger the mother tree, the higher the survival rate. The cuttings are 15 cm long, with the base cut smooth. After cutting, soak the base of the cuttings in 500 mg/L naphthaleneacetic acid aqueous solution for 5 s, then insert immediately. Spring cutting is the main method. After insertion, set up shade. After the Beginning of Autumn, the shade can be removed.