Detailed Explanation of Seed Propagation and Large Seedling Cultivation Techniques for Amur Lilac

Amur lilac can emit a rich fragrance. It prefers light but is also shade-tolerant, cold-tolerant, drought-tolerant, and barren-tolerant in cultivation conditions. It is generally used for urban and rural landscaping, and its ornamental effect in cultivation is excellent, so it is deeply welcomed by people. Let's take a look at the full cultivation techniques for Amur lilac below.

I. Seed Propagation and Seedling Raising

1.1 Capsule Cutting and Seed Removal, Drying and Storage

The capsules mature in September. Cut the fruit clusters from the base, spread them out to dry on clean, dry cement ground, and turn them frequently. The fruit skins dry and split, and the seeds fall off naturally. Never tread on them vigorously or strike them with a wooden stick, to prevent damaging the seeds and causing breakage. After drying in strong light for 7-10 days, use a winnowing basket to remove fruit skins and debris, so that the seeds are cleaned, then put them into gauze bags and store them in a dry place.

1.2 Preparation of the Sowing Bed

In mid-to-late October or mid-to-early April of the following year, choose a flat or relatively flat plot. The soil texture is best sandy loam to medium loam. Make beds 0.8-1 m wide, 5-20 m long, and 8-10 cm high in a north-south or other direction. Evenly spread finely crushed farm poultry and livestock manure on the bed surface, with an application rate of 4-5 kg/sq m. Turn the bed surface to a depth of 15-20 cm, break up clods, rake the bed surface level, and build the four edges of the bed surface into raised ridges 4-5 cm high and 5-6 cm wide, so that water does not run off during watering. If a tractor is used to turn the soil, farm manure can be applied first, then the soil turned, and then the beds made.

1.3 Seed Germination Treatment

If sowing is planned for the following year, in mid-March, that is, 20-30 days before sowing, soak the seeds in 40-50°C water. After the water cools, soak again for 2-3 days so that the seeds fully absorb water and swell. Mix the seeds evenly with 3-4 times their volume of river sand, put them into woven bags, and place them in a 20-25°C location to wait for germination. During this period, turn the seed-sand mixture once every 2-3 days, and replenish water if it is lacking. When 1/4 of the seeds are seen to have sprouted, prepare for one-time sowing.

1.4 Sowing

The sowing period is mid-to-early October of the year the seeds are collected or around mid-April of the following year. For autumn sowing, there is no need to wait for the seeds to germinate, but they should be soaked in water for 2-3 days before sowing. Along the bed direction or across the bed direction, open furrows 2-3 cm deep on the bed surface, with a furrow spacing of 15-20 cm. Spread the mixed seed-sand into the furrows, cover with soil about 1 cm thick. The sowing rate is 30 g/sq m, that is, 15-20 kg/667 sq m.

1.5 Post-Sowing Management

1.5.1 Mulching and watering. After sowing, cover the bed surface with rice husks or straw curtains 1-1.5 cm thick. Spray water onto the covering so that the bed surface soil particles are soaked 4-5 cm deep or more. Covering with rice husks helps retain moisture, helps seeds germinate and emerge, and also avoids the problem of removing the covering. Both autumn sowing and spring sowing should be covered and watered immediately after sowing. For winter sowing, if there is little snow in winter and drought without rain in early spring, water as soon as possible, otherwise seedling emergence will be uneven. For spring sowing, 7-10 days after sowing, a second watering should be given. During the growing season, water promptly in case of excessive drought.

1.5.2 Thinning and replanting. When the seedlings grow to 4-6 leaves, pull out the overly dense seedlings on rainy days and plant them in places where seedlings are missing. The spacing for thinning and final spacing is 4-5 cm.

1.5.3 Weeding and topdressing. From May to September, according to weed conditions, weed once every 20-30 days to ensure no weed damage on the bed surface. In late June, if the leaves are not dark green, spread diammonium phosphate or urea once on the bed surface at 20 kg/667 sq m. If there is no rainfall within 2 days after topdressing, water to prevent fertilizer burn, which also helps the seedlings absorb it as quickly as possible.

1.5.4 Pest and disease control. From May to August, if aphids, caterpillars, and other pests are found, spray 10% deltamethrin-omethoate diluted with water at 2000-2500 times for killing. After sowing and before emergence, if there are mole crickets on the bed surface, carbofuran can be spread on the bed surface. In addition, to prevent and reduce disease, it is best to spread 50% carbendazim powder on the bed surface before sowing and mix it with the soil. In the current year, seedling height and ground diameter of the seedlings should reach more than 40 cm and 3 mm, and they can be dug and transplanted in early April of the following year. To make the root system well developed, the seedlings can be left in the original bed for one more year in the second year, and transplanted in early spring of the third year.

II. Seedling Transplanting and Large Seedling Cultivation

2.1 Selection and Preparation of the Transplanting Site

In April or October, choose flat land or gentle slopes with a soil layer thicker than 60 cm and a texture of medium loam to medium clay as the planting site. Relatively heavy clay soil is convenient for digging seedlings with soil balls after several years, while sandy soil to sandy loam is difficult for lifting with soil. Remove debris and form ridges with a ridge height of 20 cm and a ridge spacing of 60 cm.

2.2 Seedling Quality and Transplanting

Use 2-year-old or 1-year-old seedlings. The diameter at the root collar should be greater than 1 cm, the seedling height should be no less than 80 cm, the seedling stem should be fully lignified, the root mass should be no fewer than 6 roots, and root length should be greater than 20 cm. The suitable transplanting period is early October to early November or April. Before planting, the seedling roots should be properly shortened, retaining a length of 10-15 cm, and the seedling roots should be soaked in cold water for 24-48 h. On the ridges or in the ridge furrows, at a spacing of 60 cm x 60 cm, dig holes 15 cm deep and 25-30 cm in diameter, place farm manure at the bottom of the holes at 1-2 kg per hole. Return a small amount of soil, place the seedling roots into the holes, fill with soil and tread firm. The seedlings need to be upright and not slanting. The planting depth should make the root collar level with the hole surface; on slopes, it may be 2-3 cm deeper as appropriate. Irrigate heavily in the ridge furrows to wet at least 30 cm of the soil surface. After 7-10 days, irrigate a second time. After the water infiltrates, cover the hole surface or root collar area with 5 cm of pine needles or other leaves.

2.3 Tree Form and Shaping

For cultivating large Amur lilac seedlings, the following 3 tree forms can be considered. The first is the single-trunk round-crown form, in which the trunk, that is, the main trunk and central leader, has an upright advantage, with branches growing upward and outward above 2 m, tree height above 2.5 m, middle crown height around 1.5 m, and the crown naturally round; the second is the clump form, with 4-5 large branches distributed upward and outward from the ground surface, branch inclination 10°-15°, branches borne above 0.5 m from the ground, and tree height and crown width reaching about 2.5 m and 2 m respectively; the third is the flat fan form, with 3-4 large branches growing upright and obliquely upward from above 20 cm from the ground, each large branch forming a flat fan, with the large branches about 0.1-0.2 m apart. The fan width from left to right reaches 0.5-1 m, and small branches begin above 1 m from the ground. If cultivating the clump form, after planting, cut off the seedling stem 10 cm above the ground to promote 4-5 branches. In March of the second year, pull the several branches outward in all directions and fix them so that they assume the required angle. If cultivating the fan form, after the seedlings are planted, cut the seedling stem flat at 25-30 cm above the ground to promote 3-4 shoots in the current year. In March of the following year, pull the branches to both sides and fix them so that they form a flat fan. If cultivating the single-trunk form, do not cut the trunk. Use the apical bud advantage to let it grow independently. In the following 2-3 years, in February to March, thin out the branches on the main trunk from the base, or remove them promptly during the growing season. When the central leader reaches above 2 m, retain the branches and no longer remove or thin them. For clump or fan tree forms, the base 0.5-1 m should be in a bare-pole state, and branches should be retained above that, but when branches grow too strongly, their length and thickness should be controlled so that they do not overpower the main structure.

2.4 Other Management

In the 3rd-4th year after transplanting, the seedlings may touch one another, so in early-to-mid April, retain seedlings at a spacing of 1.2 m x 1.2 m, and move the surplus plants out and transplant them at a spacing of 1.2 m. In the 6th-7th year, retain plants and transplant again at a spacing of 2.4 m. From May to September each year, weed promptly and control pests. In case of severe drought, arrange watering. In early-to-mid April each year, it is best to apply N.P.K compound fertilizer once, with the amount per plant being tree age multiplied by 100 g, 20-30 cm from the root collar, in a ring ditch 5 cm deep, applying the fertilizer into it. After 6-8 years of multiple management measures, when seedling height and crown width reach the required specifications, they can be released from the nursery.

How to Cultivate Large Camellia Seedlings? Large Camellia Seedling Cultivation Techniques

How to cultivate large camellia seedlings? Camellia can also be called camellia flower and belongs to the Theaceae family. It originated in eastern China and is a traditional famous flower of our country. It is now widely planted in the Yangtze River basin, Pearl River basin, Yunnan, and other places. Camellia flower colors include red, yellow, white, pink, white petals with red spots, and other colors. Propagation can be sexual or asexual. Next, the editor will explain in detail the cultivation techniques for large camellia seedlings.

1 Cultivation of One-Year-Old Camellia Seedlings

1.1 Nursery Site Selection and Land Preparation

Nursery site selection: choose sandy soil with convenient irrigation and drainage, loose texture, moisture and fertility, and previous crop of rice as the nursery site;

Nursery land preparation: the nursery land can be broken up and refined with a tractor or diesel rotary tiller. Before land preparation, base fertilizer should be applied, with 40 kg compound fertilizer and 50 kg oil cake applied per mu, and the base fertilizer turned into the soil during land preparation. Make beds 20 days before cuttings. The bed surface width is 1.2 m, bed height 25 cm, path ditch width 30 cm. After the beds are made, spray the bed surface and path ditches with 500 g dinitroaniline + 70 kg water + 0.5% potassium permanganate solution per mu to reduce weed growth and disinfect the soil. After that, spread a 3 cm thick layer of fresh, finely crushed yellow subsoil on the seedbed. After the seedbed is made, cover it with plastic film and set aside.

1.2 Cutting Time

Cutting time: May-June each year is the best season for camellia cutting propagation, that is, when the new shoots produced by the current year's camellia mother trees turn from green to reddish brown.

1.3 Mother Tree Selection

Mother tree selection: choose a robust mother tree variety of 10-15 years that you like, requiring the variety to grow and develop normally and be free of pests and diseases.

1.4 Branch Selection

Branch selection: choose thick and strong branches borne in the middle and upper part of the crown, because thick and strong branches borne in the middle and upper part of the crown receive sufficient light, have good nutrition, are vigorous in life, and are easy to propagate into new plants.

1.5 Cutting of Branches

Cut branches on rainy days or in the morning when there is dew. After cutting, wrap them with a wet cloth and place them in a cool place. For cutting the branches, generally retain 6-10 cm and a thickness of about 0.3 cm. Cut the upper end of the branch flat and cut the lower part into a slant. Retain 1-2 leaves at the upper end of the branch and remove all other leaves. Soak the base of the prepared cuttings in a mixed solution of fresh yellow mud slurry and ABT rooting powder 200 mg/kg for 12 hours. This helps promote new roots and improves the survival rate.

1.6 Cutting

When cutting, first use a bamboo stick to make holes diagonally in the seedbed, then insert the cuttings into the holes to a depth of about 1/2 the length of the cuttings. After inserting, press the soil inward toward the center of the cuttings with both hands so that the cuttings are in close contact with the soil. After cutting, water thoroughly, then spray with methyl thiophanate or carbendazim 500 times solution for sterilization. After disinfection work is done, immediately build a frame with bamboo strips or wooden sticks and cover it with a shade net to make a shade shed. The shed height is required to be 80-100 cm from the bed surface. A three-pin 70% shade net or a two-pin net with double-layer covering can be used. Later, cutting, watering, and shading should be done together to avoid water loss from the cuttings.

1.7 Post-Cutting Management

1.7.1 Control of humidity and temperature

In clear and dry weather, water 1-2 times per day according to soil conditions, and at the same time control the temperature at around 25°C. When the temperature exceeds 35°C, set up a shade net. Generally, by building a shade shed well and watering timely to retain moisture, the survival rate of camellia cuttings can be above 90%.

1.7.2 Light control

At 50 days after camellia cutting, the base has healed and new roots have grown. Therefore, in September, gradually remove the shade net, and after October remove it completely to accelerate lignification and enhance wind and cold resistance.

1.7.3 Fertilization

From August to September, topdress 2-3 times. The fertilizer can be lightly applied human feces and urine, using 1 ladle of human feces and urine mixed with 1 bucket of clear water, or compound fertilizer 0.2 kg mixed with 50 kg water, fully dissolved and stirred, then poured. Afterward, sprinkle clear water to wash the seedlings to avoid fertilizer damage.

2 Large Seedling Cultivation

2.1 Site Selection and Land Preparation

Transplant around the Beginning of Spring before new shoots sprout. When lifting seedlings, use a hoe or toothed rake. The seedlings should be sorted into first-grade with first-grade and second-grade with second-grade, and overly long main roots and lateral roots should be cut off. When planting, plant first-grade seedlings together and second-grade seedlings together, which helps the seedlings grow evenly with little differentiation. When planting, make sure they are planted upright, roots spread out, and soil pressed firm. The planting depth should be appropriate, generally 3-5 cm deeper than the seedling root collar. After planting, water thoroughly.

2.2 Management After Planting

After planting, combine weeding with shallow cultivation and loosening of the soil using a small hoe. For fertilization, decomposed dilute human feces and urine can be poured. Apply fertilizer 4-5 times before June and 2-3 times after September, with 30-40 g compound fertilizer per hole, and cover with soil after fertilizing. At the same time, according to the growth condition of each tree, carry out pruning, shoot tip removal, and appropriate shading management.

2.3 Pruning and Shaping

After 3-4 years of cultivation, camellias can be transplanted again with soil, and the branches, leaves, and crown should be properly pruned, and overly long lateral fibrous roots cut off.

A Brief Discussion of the Key Points of Seedling Propagation and Large Seedling Cultivation Techniques for Silk Tree