Detailed Guide to Osmanthus Tree Planting Methods and Cultivation Management Techniques

Growing Techniques Jan 1, 1970 0 views

Osmanthus is an evergreen tree of the genus Osmanthus in the family Oleaceae, also known as muxi yangui, jinsu, jiulixiang, and others. It has a cultivation history of more than 2,500 years in China and is one of China's ten traditional famous flowers, as well as one of the most precious flowering trees in modern urban greening. It originated in the southwest and central-south regions of China and is now widely cultivated in the provinces and regions of the Yangtze River basin, while in North China and Northeast China it is mostly grown in pots. It has a graceful tree form, luxuriant branches and leaves, verdant foliage, and remains evergreen through the four seasons, especially enticing with its subtle and elegant floral fragrance, truly "dominating the three autumns and surpassing all other flowers." It has been designated as the city flower of world-famous tourist cities such as Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Guilin.

Overview of Osmanthus Cultivation

1. Osmanthus varieties: There are many varieties of osmanthus, mainly including jingui (golden osmanthus), yingui (silver osmanthus), dangui (orange osmanthus), and sijigui (four-season osmanthus). The jingui tree is tall with a rounded crown, large dark green glossy elliptical leaves with wavy margins and thick blades, golden-yellow flowers with the strongest fragrance; yingui has smaller leaves that are elliptical, ovate, or obovate, relatively thin, with yellow-white or pale yellow flowers, slightly less fragrant than jingui, and a flowering period about 1 week later than jingui; dangui has smaller leaves that are lanceolate or elliptical with pointed tips and rough surfaces, with orange-yellow or orange-red flowers and relatively faint fragrance; sijigui has elliptical, relatively thin leaves, with yellow or pale yellow flowers, a long flowering period, blooming several times except in severe cold and extreme heat, but mostly in autumn, with faint fragrance and smaller leaves, mostly growing in shrub form.

2. Osmanthus habits: Osmanthus prefers a warm and humid climate and has a certain degree of cold resistance, but is not tolerant of severe cold. It likes light and also tolerates shade; seedlings need a certain degree of shading. It has low requirements for soil and prefers slightly acidic soil on high, dry terrain rich in humus, with deep, fertile, moist, and well-drained sandy soil being most suitable. It is not tolerant of drought or barren soil, and avoids saline-alkaline soil and waterlogged areas. Planting in overly wet areas with poor drainage will cause poor growth, root rot, leaf drop, and ultimately death of the entire plant.

3. Osmanthus cultivation value: Osmanthus has a wide range of applications. It is often planted in gardens, along roadsides, on lawns, and in courtyards, and is the best greening tree species for government offices, schools, military units, enterprises and institutions, streets, and homes. Because it has a certain resistance to harmful gases such as sulfur dioxide and hydrogen fluoride, it is also an excellent flowering tree for greening industrial and mining areas. When paired with mountains, rocks, pavilions, terraces, towers, and chambers, it appears even more dignified and elegant, pleasing to the eye and delightful to the spirit. It is also an excellent material for potted plants; when made into bonsai, it can be enjoyed for its form, stone-like flowers, and fragrance, truly "three benefits in one." In addition, osmanthus wood is hard, lustrous, and beautifully grained, making it a fine material for carving. Osmanthus is an important raw material for making osmanthus sugar, osmanthus tea, osmanthus wine, and osmanthus cake. The essence extracted from osmanthus is widely used in the food industry and chemical industry. The bark can extract dyes and tanning materials, and the leaves can be used as seasoning to add a fresh fragrance to food.

Osmanthus Propagation Methods

1. Cuttage and grafting: Osmanthus propagation methods include seeding, cuttage, grafting, and layering. In production, cuttage and grafting are the most common. Cuttage propagation has the advantages of simple technique, large propagation quantity, high speed, high survival rate, and low cost, making it the most widely adopted and commonly used propagation method by nursery producers and flower enthusiasts.

① Cuttage timing: Cuttage can be done from early March to mid-April using 1-year-old spring shoots, which is the best cuttage time. It can also be done from late June to late August using semi-mature branches of the current year with a heel, but this has high requirements for temperature and humidity control.

② Cutting collection and treatment: Select healthy, plump, pest-free branches from the middle-upper and outer parts of young to middle-aged trees as cuttings. Cut the branches into 10-12 cm lengths, remove the lower leaves, and keep only 3-4 leaves at the top. If conditions permit, soak the cuttings in a 50 to 100 ppm GGR6 solution for 0.5-1 hour, which is greatly beneficial for rooting.

③ Cutting medium preparation: Use slightly acidic, loose, well-aerated, and water-retentive soil as the cutting medium. Before cuttage, disinfect and sterilize the medium with carbendazim, quintozene, and other chemicals.

④ Post-cuttage management: The main task is controlling temperature and humidity, which is key to whether the cuttings can root and survive. The optimal rooting soil temperature is 25-28°C, and the optimal relative humidity should be maintained above 85%. This can be controlled through shading, plastic arch tents, watering, and ventilation. Secondly, attention should be paid to mold prevention, as high temperature and high humidity easily breed mold; carbendazim and thiophanate-methyl can be used alternately for spraying and sterilization each week. Grafting propagation has the advantages of fast seedling formation, vigorous growth, early flowering, and minimal variation, and is also one of the more commonly used methods.

⑤ Rootstock cultivation: 1-2 year old seedlings of Ligustrum lucidum, Ligustrum quihoui, and Fraxinus bungeana are mostly used as rootstocks. Among these, grafting osmanthus onto Ligustrum lucidum has a high survival rate and fast initial growth, but the wound heals poorly and is prone to breaking off when exposed to strong winds or external collisions.

2. Grafting propagation: Grafting is carried out around Qingming Festival. There are two most commonly used methods in production: cleft grafting and side grafting. The scion should be selected from fully lignified 1-2 year old healthy, disease-free branches from mature trees, with leaves removed and petioles retained. For cleft grafting, the rootstock should be cut off 4-6 cm above the ground before grafting in spring before the seedlings sprout. The thickness of the scion should match that of the rootstock, and the cut surface of the scion should be smooth. The key to successful cleft grafting lies in aligning the cambium layers of the rootstock and scion and tying them tightly. For side grafting, the rootstock does not need to be cut off; the scion bud is directly inserted into the rootstock, and the rootstock is cut off after successful grafting. Regardless of the method used, it is best to graft immediately after collecting the scion. If the scion is collected from elsewhere, be sure to maintain its freshness. Grafting is best done on sunny, windless days. After grafting, check the survival rate and carry out supplementary grafting, bud removal, rootstock cutting, removal of binding tape, water and fertilizer management, and pest and disease control.

3. Seed propagation: Osmanthus can also be propagated by seed. However, since some varieties do not bear fruit or bear few fruits, and seedlings grown from seed take a long time to flower, requiring more than 10 years to bloom, with great variation, nursery producers and home flower enthusiasts rarely use this method. Osmanthus seeds mature around May. After collecting seeds, sowing can be done in two periods: one is sowing immediately after collection, which eliminates the seed storage step, and some seeds will germinate and emerge in autumn. Its disadvantage is that overwintering management of seedlings is difficult and they are prone to frost damage. The second is stratifying the seeds in sand after collection, then selecting the seeds from the sand and sowing them the following spring. They germinate and emerge in April. The advantages of this method are: seedlings grow fast and seedling management is less difficult. When using seed propagation, attention should be paid during the seedling stage to preventing and treating seedling damping-off disease, strengthening water and fertilizer management, timely thinning and supplementary planting, cultivating and weeding, and doing well in shading, cooling, and cold and frost protection.

4. Layering propagation: Layering should be carried out in spring before buds sprout. Because osmanthus branches are not easy to bend, ground layering is generally not used; only air layering is used. For air layering, select vigorous 2-3 year old branches from superior mother plants, make a ring bark cut 0.3 cm wide on the branch, then apply a 100 ppm GGR6 solution or the same dose of naphthalene acetic acid to the ring cut, then use plastic film filled with mountain soil, leaf mold, moss, etc. to wrap the wounded part, water thoroughly, and tie the bag opening securely. Observe frequently and replenish water in time so that the wrapping material is always kept moist. After cultivation through summer and autumn, new roots will grow. In the following spring, cut the rooted branch from the mother plant, remove the wrapping material, transplant it with soil into a pot, water thoroughly, place it in a shaded area for care, and after a large number of new shoots have sprouted, expose it to full sunlight.

Cultivation Management

One-year-old osmanthus seedlings grown through sowing, cuttage, and other methods have poor resistance to drought, cold, and barren conditions, so they are not suitable for immediate use as greening seedlings. They should first be transplanted to nursery fields and cultivated for 2-5 years until they grow into medium-sized seedlings before being transplanted again. The key points of cultivation management are briefly introduced as follows:

1. Land preparation: Select a slightly acidic (pH 5.0-6.5) sandy loam with sufficient sunlight, deep soil layers, rich in humus, strong permeability, and convenient drainage and irrigation as the cultivation nursery field. In the autumn and winter of the year before transplanting, first plow the entire nursery field once, and dig holes according to a spacing of 1 m x 1.5 m (after 2 years, when the trees have grown thicker and taller, remove every other tree so that the spacing becomes 2 m x 1.5 m), with planting holes of 0.4 m x 0.4 m x 0.4 m. Apply 2-3 kg of decomposed mild farmyard manure (pig manure, cow dung) and 0.5 kg of phosphate fertilizer per hole as base fertilizer. Mix the base fertilizer with the surface loam and fill it into the holes. After the fertilizer is fermented by winter snow and spring rain, it is easily absorbed by the seedlings.

2. Transplanting: Transplanting is best done when the sap has not yet started flowing or has just begun to flow, generally from early February to early March. When taking out seedlings, keep as many roots as possible and damage as few as possible. After taking out the seedlings, plant them as soon as possible. If seedlings need to be transported from elsewhere, pay attention to moisture retention to prevent dehydration. After planting, compact the soil and water thoroughly once so that the root system of the seedling is in close contact with the soil.

3. Water and fertilizer management: After transplanting, if heavy rain causes waterlogging in the nursery field, dig ditches to drain the water. In case of drought, water to combat it. In addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer, apply fertilizer 3 times per year: in late March, apply 0.1-0.3 kg of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer per plant to promote height growth and more tender shoots; in July, apply 0.1-0.3 kg of quick-acting phosphorus and potassium fertilizer per plant to improve drought resistance; in October, apply 2-3 kg of organic fertilizer (such as farmyard manure) per plant to improve cold resistance and prepare for overwintering.

4. Pruning and shaping: Osmanthus has strong sprouting ability and a natural tendency to form shrubs. It produces two flushes of shoots each year in spring and autumn. If not pruned and disbudded in time, it is difficult to cultivate tall plants, and it easily forms a phenomenon of dense upper branches and sparse lower branches, strong at the top and weak at the bottom. When pruning, except for shortening branches that are growing poorly due to tree vigor or branch vigor, thinning is generally the main approach. Only appropriately thin out overly dense outer branches, and cut off water sprouts and diseased and pest-infested branches to improve ventilation and light penetration. Promptly remove sprouting branches from the base of the trunk to avoid consuming nutrients within the tree and disrupting the tree form.

5. Loosening soil and weeding: In spring and autumn, cultivate once each in conjunction with fertilization to improve soil structure. Before overwintering, mound soil around the base once and whitewash the trunk once to enhance cold resistance. Weed 2-3 times per year to prevent weeds from competing with seedlings for water, nutrients, and light.

6. Pest and disease control: Osmanthus has relatively few pests and diseases, mainly including anthracnose, leaf spot disease, red spiders, and oystershell scale. These can be controlled with Bordeaux mixture, lime sulfur mixture, thiram, thiophanate-methyl, dichlorvos, dicofol, and other chemicals.

Key Points for Transplanting Large Osmanthus Trees

1. Transplanting time: Mid-January to early February is best. At this time the tree is in a dormant state, and shortly after transplanting its activity increases, making it easy to survive. Avoid transplanting in summer.

2. Branch cutting: This is to reduce nutrient consumption within the tree and water transpiration. The amount of branch cutting depends on the age of the tree and the strength of its growth vigor. Old trees over a hundred years old should have few or no branches retained due to weak growth vigor. Trees with strong growth vigor and younger trees can retain more branches appropriately. When cutting branches, first remove diseased and pest-infested branches, water sprouts, and crossing branches. Afterward, apply petroleum jelly or Bordeaux mixture to the wounds to prevent pest and disease damage and rain erosion.

3. Root cutting: To improve the survival rate of transplanting large osmanthus trees, cut 1/2 of the roots in spring 1-2 years before transplanting. The cutting point should be 2-3 times the trunk diameter away from the trunk. Then apply a 50 to 100 ppm GGR6 solution or 0.1% indole acetic acid solution to the cut roots, cover with soil, water thoroughly, and let new roots grow.

4. Root ball extraction: The size of the soil ball to be dug is generally 4-6 times the ground diameter of the trunk. If the ground diameter is too thick to transport, it must not be less than 3 times. While digging, wrap the soil ball with wet straw curtains and straw ropes to prevent it from falling apart. Large roots of the tree should be sawed off, and rooting powder such as GGR6 should be applied to the cut surfaces. After digging, wrap and tie firmly with wet straw curtains and straw ropes, with the straw ropes tied up to 2.5 m high on the trunk.

5. Transportation: During transportation, load, unload, and handle gently. When loading onto the truck, secure the large tree firmly and use cushioning materials between trees to prevent collision and avoid damaging the bark or breaking the soil ball. Keep moist during transit.

6. Planting: One month before planting, first dig the planting hole with specifications 1.5-2 times the size of the soil ball, then fill the hole with mycorrhizal soil and add 5-10 kg of decomposed mild farmyard manure and 2 kg of quick-acting phosphate fertilizer, and water to prepare. When planting, use a crane to lower the large tree gently into the planting hole, use scissors to cut open the packaging straw curtains and straw ropes, then backfill with soil, tread firmly, and water thoroughly.

7. Care and management

① Install support frames: Set up triangular frames around the main trunk of the large tree to prevent the tree from shaking due to human and animal collisions and strong winds.

② Install shade nets: After April, install shade nets on three sides of the large tree (except the northwest side) to prevent direct sunlight from scorching the bark and to reduce water transpiration. They can be removed in October when the weather turns cool.

③ Watering: Newly planted large trees have damaged root systems and weak water absorption, so the amount of watering should not be too much to avoid root mold and rot. However, it should not be too little either, otherwise the tree will lose water and die.

④ Infusion: Infusion can meet the tree's demand for water and nutrients and greatly improve the transplanting survival rate. Infusion is generally carried out from April to September. Before infusion, use a woodworking drill to drill 3-5 infusion holes at a 45-degree angle from top to bottom at the base of the large tree, deep to the pith. Then prepare the medicinal solution by dissolving 0.1 g of ABT6 rooting powder and 0.5 g of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per liter of water. Hang the bottle containing the solution at a high place, insert the trunk injector into the infusion hole, open the infusion switch, and the liquid can be infused into the tree. After the solution is fully infused, pull out the needle and plug the infusion hole with a cotton ball. When infusion is needed again, remove the cotton ball to infuse. The number of infusions and the interval depend on the degree of drought, temperature, and the plant's water demand. After the plant has completely passed the critical period, seal the infusion holes with Bordeaux mixture.

Osmanthus Tree Planting Methods and Osmanthus Tree Cultivation Precautions

I think everyone has heard the beautiful verse "Man at leisure, osmanthus falls." Osmanthus plays different roles on many occasions, and because of its inherent fragrance it is loved by many people. So how is the osmanthus tree cultivated? Next, a brief introduction to osmanthus tree cultivation and planting techniques is provided for everyone's reference in daily life.

The osmanthus tree, also known as hanggui, is the city tree of Hanzhong City. Osmanthus belongs to the genus Osmanthus in the family Oleaceae. It originated in the southwest, south China, and east China regions of China, and wild resources currently exist in Sichuan, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Zhejiang, and other places. China's cultivation history spans more than 2,500 years; the "Classic of Mountains and Seas: Classic of the Southern Mountains" already mentioned that the Zhaoyao Mountain had many osmanthus trees. Osmanthus is cultivated in Japan and India. In 1771, Chinese osmanthus was introduced to the United Kingdom via Guangzhou and India, and afterward spread rapidly. Today, many countries in Europe and America as well as various countries in Southeast Asia commonly cultivate it, making it an important fragrant flowering plant.

Osmanthus tree planting methods:

Variety selection

Different varieties of osmanthus have different flowering times. For example, yueyuegui and sijigui are early-flowering varieties with the characteristic of blooming several times a year. Some varieties require a long vegetative growth period from seedling to flowering, such as jingui, yingui, and dangui, which often take several years to bloom. Therefore, try to choose short, compact, and robust early-flowering varieties for planting.

Pot soil preparation

Osmanthus prefers to grow in slightly acidic soil rich in humus (pH 5.6-6 is suitable). Never use alkaline soil or heavy clay soil for planting. The growing medium can be prepared with 4 parts humus soil, 3 parts sandy soil, and 3 parts decomposed dry farmyard manure, adding a small amount of fish scales, bone meal, etc., or mixed with 5 parts mountain soil, 3 parts leaf mold, and 2 parts sandy soil. To overcome the alkalinity of soil and water, during the growing period, spray with a 0.1%-0.2% ferrous sulfate solution about every half month to make the branches and leaves dark green, which also benefits growth.

Likes light, fears smoke and dust

Osmanthus likes sunlight, prefers warmth, and tolerates high temperatures, but is not cold-resistant. During the growing period, it should be placed in a wind-sheltered, sunny location for care. From June to August, which is the period of flower bud differentiation and formation, providing about 10 hours of sufficient sunlight and high temperatures of 30-35°C daily can promote bud formation and increase the flowering rate. However, in summer, do not shade it, as this would hinder flower bud differentiation. During overwintering, if the temperature is below 4°C and light is insufficient, it easily leads to leaf drop in early spring, affecting flowering the following year.

Osmanthus likes cleanliness, tolerates smoke and dust, but fears chlorine. If grown in areas with air pollution, it will grow poorly, with smaller leaves that are prone to falling off, and few or even no flowers.

Timely watering

The frequency of watering osmanthus depends on the weather at the time and the growth condition of the plant. Generally, water once every 2-3 days in spring; in summer, when temperatures are high and evaporation is great, and it is the stage of osmanthus development and flower bud differentiation, water once a day; in early to mid-September, the pot soil needs to remain moist, otherwise it will not bloom easily. However, during the flowering period, do not water heavily to prevent flower drop. In rainy weather, drain promptly to prevent waterlogging and root rot. Normally, maintain a soil moisture content of about 50% in the pot. Before bringing indoors in winter, water thoroughly once, and during the care period, water once around every 10 days at noon on sunny days, but the water temperature should be close to room temperature.

Skillful topdressing

Osmanthus likes fertilizer and needs enhanced topdressing. From April to May, apply once about every half month; from June to July, apply once every 7-10 days. Apply the last application in early August. In this way, osmanthus will not only grow luxuriantly but also bloom abundantly and fragrantly. Decomposed cake fertilizer water, chicken, duck, and pigeon manure, fish scale water, superphosphate, and bone meal can be used. If fertilizer is insufficient, there will be fewer branches, fewer flowers, and no fragrance.

Proper pruning

Osmanthus has a well-developed root system and strong sprouting ability. Mature osmanthus trees produce two flushes of shoots each year. Therefore, to make it bloom abundantly and have luxuriant foliage, maintaining the physiological balance between reproductive growth and vegetative growth requires proper shaping and pruning. After Mid-Autumn Festival, cut off all water sprouts produced in summer and autumn, leaving healthy spring-grown branches. Before budding the following spring, cut off weak branches, densely growing branches, and diseased and pest-infested branches. This not only facilitates ventilation and light penetration but also concentrates nutrients entirely on spring branches and flower buds, creating good preconditions for autumn flowering and achieving "multiple benefits in one action."

I. Methods of planting osmanthus trees:

First, the editor will briefly introduce the methods of planting osmanthus trees. There are many methods of planting osmanthus trees, among which the most common planting methods are seeding, grafting, cuttage, and layering. There is also certain scientific knowledge in this series of planting methods. For example, the seeds we select generally need an after-ripening period, meaning they need to be stored in sand for about half a year before sowing, or their seeds can be inserted into plain sandy soil and peat soil for care, which gives a relatively high seed survival rate.

II. Cultivation methods of osmanthus trees:

Next, let me introduce the cultivation methods of osmanthus trees. The cultivation methods of osmanthus trees are open-field cultivation and pot cultivation. In China, both methods are commonly used in both the north and south. In the north, most people choose pot cultivation for osmanthus trees. For pot cultivation, choose a location with sufficient sunlight, good drainage, and deep soil layers, so that the planted osmanthus tree has a chance of survival. Also, fertilization should be carried out each month, but the amount of fertilizer should be controlled and must not be excessive. After fertilizing, everyone should also remove weeds around the osmanthus tree, and usually pay attention to pest and disease prevention, which will accelerate the growth of the osmanthus tree.

III. Precautions for osmanthus tree cultivation:

Finally, the editor will introduce the precautions for osmanthus tree cultivation. Since osmanthus trees like acidic soil, when cultivating osmanthus trees, you can appropriately choose some acidic soil for cultivation. If there is no suitable soil nearby, you can choose sandy soil or leaf mold for cultivation, as its nutrients are very sufficient. Secondly, one point to note is that watering should be done at the appropriate time, which can ensure the smooth growth of the osmanthus tree.

After reading the above introduction on osmanthus tree planting methods and cultivation precautions, do you have a better understanding of osmanthus tree cultivation? If you want to know more about osmanthus trees, please continue to follow.

Methods of Planting Osmanthus Trees and Precautions for Osmanthus Tree Cultivation

I think everyone has heard the beautiful verse "Man at leisure, osmanthus falls." Osmanthus plays different roles on many occasions, and because of its inherent fragrance it is loved by many people. So how is the osmanthus tree cultivated? Next, the editor will give a brief introduction to osmanthus tree cultivation and planting techniques for everyone's reference in daily life.