A Detailed Guide to Mulberry Cultivation Techniques and Propagation Techniques
Mulberry trees love light, and are slightly shade-tolerant when young. They prefer a warm and humid climate, and are cold-tolerant. They are drought-tolerant, and extremely tolerant of waterlogging. They have strong adaptability to soil, tolerating poor and slightly alkaline soils, and prefer deep, moist, fertile soil. The root system is well developed, and the tree is highly wind-resistant. It has strong sprouting ability and tolerates pruning well. It also has a fairly strong resistance to smoke and dust. There are three ways to plant mulberry: buying mulberry saplings directly for planting, propagating from mulberry branches, and propagating from seed. The specific planting methods are as follows:
Mulberry sapling planting method
1. On slopes and semi-dry paddy fields, plant in flat furrows; in paddy fields, plant on raised beds. Before planting, dig planting furrows: mark out lines according to the planned spacing between plants and rows, then dig the planting furrows deeply, with a furrow width of 30—50 cm and a depth of 50 cm. First dig down 3 to 5 cm, keeping the topsoil and subsoil in separate piles, then dig a further 15 cm deep within the furrow to loosen the subsoil so the mulberry roots can grow deep. The planting furrows should connect with the drainage ditches around the mulberry field so that water can drain promptly after rain.
2. Apply base fertilizer: apply base fertilizer at planting time, preferably organic fertilizer such as compost, barnyard manure or mixed manure, at 1500—2000 kg per mu, and it can also be mixed with 50 kg of superphosphate. After the base fertilizer is applied, mix it evenly with the loosened lower layer of soil.
3. Trim the sapling roots: before planting the mulberry saplings, prune off overly long and damaged mulberry roots, leaving roots about 15 cm long. Remove diseased and pest-infested saplings, and plant large and small saplings separately. Before planting, first coat the roots with a slurry of phosphate fertilizer and yellow mud water to improve the survival rate.
4. Planting: fill part of the topsoil into the planting furrow to cover the base fertilizer, about 7—10 cm thick. When planting, first stretch a planting rope marked with the plant and row spacing, place the mulberry sapling into the planting furrow, spread out the sapling roots so that the sapling is upright and the roots are extended, then fill topsoil over the roots, grip the sapling stem and gently lift it up a little so that soil particles fully fill the gaps around the roots, pour on a ladle of clear water and human or livestock manure, then break up all the subsoil finely and fill it into the furrow, and firm it down. Generally, a planting depth that buries the root crown 5-6 cm is suitable. Then, according to the requirements for tree-form training, prune the sapling stem.
5. Watering and drainage: during drought after planting, water promptly; if water accumulates, drain promptly; if any saplings are missing, replant them promptly.
6. Fertilizing and weeding: when the new shoots grow to 3—4 cun high, apply the first fertilizer, applying manure water + urea at 7-10 jin per mu; when they grow to 5-6 cun high, apply the second fertilizer together with weeding, applying farmyard manure at 500-1000 jin + compound fertilizer at 40 jin + urea at 20 jin per mu, keeping the fertilizer 3 cun away from the mulberry saplings so as not to burn them to death, and it should be applied in deep furrows and covered back with soil. After the second fertilizer application, you can spray a dryland herbicide such as Henaisi or Duer once, taking care not to spray it on the mulberry saplings; after 20 days, apply the third fertilizer, applying bio-organic fertilizer at 100 jin + urea at 40 jin per mu. After this fertilizer application, spray once with dimethoate + dichlorvos, at a concentration of 2 capfuls of dimethoate and 2 capfuls of dichlorvos per bucket of water in a knapsack sprayer; no other pesticides may be sprayed, so as to avoid poisoning the silkworms.
Mulberry branch propagation method
1. Site selection and land preparation: choose fertile, non-waterlogged dry paddy fields, and plow and harrow them level.
2. Branch selection and planting method
Choose mature branches about 1 m from the root; the best planting time is during the winter pruning in December, planting as you cut to improve the survival rate. There are two planting methods: the vertical method and the horizontal method.
① Vertical method: cut the mulberry branches into lengths of about 5 cun (3-4 buds), open the furrow, place the branches vertically (buds facing up), then backfill soil to bury the branches or leave one bud exposed, firm the soil, water thoroughly, keep it moist for 20 days, cover with full film, and remove the film after the buds sprout.
② Horizontal branch-burying method: this is a new technique, most suitable for good seedless varieties. After leveling the land, open furrows about 1.5 cun deep according to the specifications, then lay 2 branches cut to about 2 chi long flat in the furrow (laying 2 is to ensure the number of sprouts), backfill about 0.8 cun of soil, press lightly, water, cover with plastic film, and remove the film after the buds sprout.
3. Post-planting management
After the buds grow to 5 cun high, combine with weeding and apply a light dressing of farmyard manure at 300-400 jin + urea at 15 jin per mu. After 20 days, apply again, with compound fertilizer at 60 jin + urea at 30 jin per mu, and carry out pest control after fertilizing.
Direct seeding with intercropping to establish a plantation
This is a new technique for rapidly establishing a plantation and improving economic returns. The specific method is as follows:
1. Preparation before sowing: choose good, loose soil that is easy to break up; after plowing and breaking it up, open drainage ditches, mark lines at a row width of 2.1 chi-2.4 chi, apply decomposed organic fertilizer along the lines, turn it evenly into the soil, and rake the ground level.
2. Sowing method: sowing in February-March is most suitable. First fully break up and thoroughly water the soil 3 cun wide along the mulberry sowing row line, then dibble the mulberry seed along the mulberry row line, at a sowing rate of 2-3 liang per mu (sowing 3-6 seeds every 3 cun), cover the seeds thinly with fine soil, finally cover with straw and water again. Intercrop cash crops such as soybeans, peanuts and vegetables between the rows (not too close to the mulberry saplings); the intercrops can be sown at the same time as sowing, or appropriately earlier, aiming to finish harvesting by May so as not to affect mulberry growth.
3. Management: after sowing, pay attention to watering during the seedling stage, and weed, fertilize and control pests promptly. After the intercrops are harvested, fertilize promptly, and silkworms can be raised before long. To build up the trees, do not carry out summer pruning that year; in winter, prune about 1.5 chi above the ground, keeping 6000-7000 plants per mu (row spacing 2.1-2.4 chi, plant spacing 4-5 cun), retaining enough strong plants, and dig out surplus saplings for sale or for planting yourself, and apply heavy winter fertilizer.
How to plant mulberry saplings_Explanation of mulberry propagation techniques
Summary: Mulberry is recorded in the mulberry family, originates from China, and is mostly distributed in the central and northern regions; it is a deciduous small tree species. This article will next explain for you: how to plant mulberry saplings? And an explanation of mulberry propagation techniques.
[Mulberry sapling propagation techniques]
Mulberry sapling propagation can be divided, according to its propagation methods, into three methods: seed propagation, grafting propagation and layering propagation. Details are as follows:
▍Seed propagation
Seed collection: when the fruit is ripe, you can harvest the purple mulberry fruits, directly strip off the outer flesh, rub repeatedly, then rinse with water to completely separate the small seeds from the flesh, and they can be used directly for sowing.
Seed treatment: the best sowing time for mulberry is spring. Before sowing, soak the mulberry seeds in water, or directly treat the mulberry seeds and store them in sand until the outer shell of the mulberry seed falls off and the white inner seed is exposed.
Sowing: open furrows at a row spacing of 20 cm, then broadcast the seeds, or dibble them, and directly cover with about 2 cm of soil; in about a week, the mulberry seeds will sprout.
Thinning: when the mulberry seedlings grow to about 4 cm, you can begin the first thinning and replanting work, removing the weak and keeping the strong, keeping each mulberry sapling at a plant spacing of 15 cm; after about two months, they can be transplanted.
▍Grafting propagation
For grafting propagation of mulberry saplings, the bag-grafting method is mainly chosen. Before grafting, you can select a robust mother plant and cut a scion of about 20 cm, then select a pruned mulberry tree more than 5 years old as the rootstock, strip off its surface bark, split it into a bag shape, directly insert the scion, then wrap it with plastic film or a plastic bag; after about one month, the surface film needs to be opened, and after about two months, the saplings can emerge and be planted out.
▍Layering propagation
To choose layering propagation, you can do it in early spring: select a mulberry tree more than 5 years old as the mother plant, then take a tender branch within 3 years old as the layer, bury it directly in the soil beside the mother plant, leaving about 5 cm of the tip exposed, then mound soil over it and firm it down; only after it has rooted can the branch be separated from the mother plant.
▍Transplanting management
Mulberry is a fast-growing species; propagation of seedlings takes only 3 months to complete, after which the work of transplanting the seedlings is required.
Planting time: February-April in spring, August-October in autumn.
Land preparation and furrowing: the best transplanting method for mulberry is mainly dibbling; the row spacing of each mulberry tree should be kept at 2-0.4 m. Before planting, you can add decomposed fertilizer at the bottom of the hole, spread a 1 cm layer of thin soil, then plant; after firming the soil, water it.
Later management: mulberry has a strong suitability for close planting, but the row spacing of the plants must not be less than 1 m. After transplanting is completed, you can appropriately carry out hoeing, pruning, pest and disease control, or manual pest removal and fertilizing, etc. Avoid deep hoeing for weeding.
Summary: the above mainly introduced mulberry sapling propagation techniques for you, and gave a detailed introduction to the transplanting management methods for mulberry saplings, hoping it can be of help to you.
What are the effects and functions of mulberry? Mulberry cultivation techniques
[Common questions]What are the effects and functions of mulberry? How should it be planted?
[Expert answer]Mulberry is the ripe fruit of the mulberry tree, a deciduous shrub or small tree of the genus Morus in the family Moraceae. Mulberry can be eaten and used for winemaking, and the mulberry leaves, fruit and root bark can all be used as medicine, with relatively high medicinal value, so it is deeply favored by consumers and has good planting returns. The effects and functions of mulberry and the cultivation techniques of mulberry are introduced as follows:
Image: Mulberry cultivation
I. Effects and functions of mulberry
1. Strengthens the spleen and stomach and aids digestion:Mulberry contains nutrients such as tannic acid, fatty acids and malic acid, which can promote the digestion of fat, protein and starch, so it has the effect of strengthening the spleen and stomach and aiding digestion, and can be used to treat diarrhea caused by indigestion.
2. Darkens hair and beautifies:In addition to containing large amounts of nutrients needed by the human body, mulberry also contains a hair-darkening agent that can make hair black and glossy, so it can be used for beauty.
3. Prevents vascular sclerosis:Mulberry contains tannic acid, malic acid, vitamin C and fatty acids, etc. The fatty acids it contains are mainly linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid and linolenic acid, etc. In addition, mulberry is rich in resveratrol. Resveratrol is an effective antioxidant that can inhibit the lipid peroxidation reaction of low-density lipoprotein, prevent the cytotoxins produced by the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein, and thereby protect cells from lipid peroxidation. Resveratrol can also reduce platelet aggregation, thereby preventing arteriosclerosis.
4. Anti-cancer and cancer-preventing:Mulberry contains a large amount of rutin; rutin can prevent the formation of colon cancer, can cool the blood and stop bleeding, clear the liver and purge fire, and has anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects. Therefore, regularly eating mulberry also helps prevent and treat cerebral hemorrhage, high blood pressure, retinal hemorrhage, chronic bronchitis and so on.
5. Improves eyesight and resists aging:Regularly eating mulberry can improve eyesight and relieve symptoms of eye fatigue and dryness; it is also a good fruit and good medicine for middle-aged and elderly people to strengthen the body, beautify the face and resist aging.
Image: Mulberry
II. Mulberry cultivation techniques
1. Nursery site selection:Choose land that is flat, with deep soil, loose texture, fertile, with good drainage and irrigation and sufficient sunlight as the nursery site (continuous cropping is not suitable). Deep plow; after plowing the nursery land, apply decomposed organic fertilizer at 3000-4000 kg per mu, superphosphate at 15-20 kg, and carbofuran at 2 kg, then harrow thoroughly and evenly, and make beds. The bed width is 1-1.2 m, the height is 15 cm, and the furrow width is 30 cm. Drainage ditches should be opened around the seedbed.
2. Sowing method:Sowing can be done in spring or autumn, mainly in spring; around Qingming is the most suitable time for sowing, and autumn sowing is carried out in early to mid-September. The mulberry varieties currently promoted are the hybrid mulberries Guisangyou 12 and Guisangyou 62. For seeds with a germination rate of about 90%, sow 0.75 kg per mu. After mixing the seeds with fine soil and a small amount of chlordane powder (3 liang per mu), evenly broadcast them on the seedbed, then cover thinly with a layer of fine soil, then cover with rice straw and water thoroughly.
3. Seedling management:Within 10 days after sowing, ensure the seedbed has sufficient moisture. When two cotyledons grow in 7-10 days, remove the straw on a cloudy day or in the evening. After 15-20 days, when 4-5 true leaves have grown, weed and apply topdressing. Apply 2 kg of urea per mu diluted in water, once every 7 days. After 4-6 [months], when the seedlings grow to over 60 cm high, they can be lifted from the nursery as needed.
4. Mulberry field preparation:Mulberry is a perennial plant, and its high-yield period lasts more than 20 years. Mulberry has strong adaptability and does not demand much from the soil, but the fertility of the land has a great relationship with the yield and quality of mulberry leaves. Therefore, choose fertile land with deep soil, level ground, and both drainage and irrigation capacity. The land for planting mulberry must be fully plowed and cleared of weeds, and furrows opened at a row spacing of 80-90 cm (40 cm deep, 35 cm wide), with sufficient base fertilizer applied in the furrows (apply fully decomposed organic fertilizer at 5000 kg per mu, and calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer or superphosphate at 50 kg), then backfill soil and mix with fertilizer, break up the soil and fill it level, then stretch lines and mark rows for planting. Planting should be concentrated and contiguous, and kept at a certain distance from crops such as rice, fruit trees and sugarcane, so as to avoid contaminating mulberry leaves with pesticide spray and causing silkworm poisoning.
5. Sapling selection:When digging mulberry saplings, take care to protect the root system of the saplings, and grade them by size; the root crown diameter should be more than 0.3 cm and the height more than 40 cm; small, weak saplings from the lower part should not be used. Before planting, cut off overly long, dried, damaged or diseased sapling stems, and overly long roots should also be pruned near the branching point; dip the roots in mud slurry and they can then be planted.
6. Planting method:Winter planting is best, followed by spring planting. At a plant spacing of 18-20 cm and a row spacing of 80-100 cm, plant along the marked lines using the spade-insertion method; the planting depth should bury 35 cm of the green stem, and firm it with the foot; plant about 5000 plants per mu, water with settling water after planting, and cut off the upper sapling stem 10 cm above the ground; if drought occurs, water to keep the saplings alive.
Image: Mulberry cultivation
7. Applying winter fertilizer:Winter fertilizer plays an important role in the annual growth of mulberry and the yield and quality of mulberry leaves. It should be applied after winter pruning, that is, around the winter solstice, together with winter plowing of the mulberry field. Winter fertilizer should mainly be organic fertilizers such as compost, barnyard manure and mixed soil manure, at 3000-5000 kg per mu; applying pond mud or ditch fertilizer mud between the rows to mound the mulberry also works very well.
8. Applying bud-promoting fertilizer:Apply when the mulberry buds have grown to 2-3 leaves, mainly with quick-acting nitrogen fertilizers such as decomposed human manure and urine, urea or compound fertilizer. The dosage is 15 kg of urea per mu, or 25 kg of compound fertilizer per mu.
9. Fertilizing for each leaf harvest:That is, apply fertilizer once for each leaf picking. Dosage: 50 loads of manure water per mu or 25 kg of urea per mu; it is best to combine water and fertilizer. While ensuring fertilization for each leaf harvest, apply an additional organic fertilizer after summer pruning. The common fertilizing method is furrow application: open furrows between the rows, cover with soil after application to conserve fertilizer, and fertilizing should be combined with intertillage and weeding.
10. Mulberry leaf harvest:For the first leaf picking for spring and autumn silkworms, harvesting can only be done after the new shoots have grown to more than 70 cm, and the remaining weak lower branches should be pruned off, leaving 3-4 strong branches per clump. Each time you pick leaves, leave 5-6 leaves on the upper part of the branch; the lower leaves can all be picked.
[Editor's concluding remarks]Mulberry is a food people often eat; it is rich in nutrients and deeply welcomed by the market, so it has relatively high planting returns. The above introduced for everyone the effects and functions of mulberry and the cultivation techniques of mulberry, hoping it can be of some help to everyone!