How to cultivate Forsythia? Master these planting techniques
Forsythia is a type of landscaping flower. When it blooms, the flowers are gorgeous and have very high ornamental value. Its fruit also has good medicinal value, so it can be said to combine ornamental and medicinal value in one. Below, the editor will introduce forsythia planting and cultivation techniques in detail.
1 Growth habits of forsythia
1.1 Morphological characteristics
Forsythia is a deciduous shrub plant with the characteristic of clustered branches. The plant height of forsythia is about 3 m. The small branches are mainly yellow-brown, the branches droop and are arch-shaped, and the stem tips are four-angled and hollow in the middle. The leaves of forsythia are opposite, mainly simple leaves or compound leaves, and the leaves are mainly ovate or elliptical. The corolla of forsythia is golden yellow, and the flowers open before the leaves. The flowering period is about 4 months. The fruit is elliptical, yellow-brown on the surface, woody, with longitudinal wrinkles on the pericarp surface. Most fruits have small spots, and each side has 1 longitudinal groove, with a relatively sharp tip. The fruit stalk is about 1.6 m long. It blooms before the leaves in early spring, with a relatively strong fragrance and brilliant color. Qinghai region in China has become an important forsythia production area in recent years, with good promotion results. Qinghai forsythia is mainly planted under forests, in mountain gullies, valleys, and areas with relatively high altitude.
1.2 Growth habits
Forsythia is a light-loving plant with good shade tolerance. It likes a warm climate and also has good cold resistance, making it suitable for promotion in Qinghai and other places. Forsythia has strong adaptability to soil and can grow well in neutral, weakly acidic, and alkaline soils. The root system of forsythia is relatively developed. Although the main root is not sufficiently developed, the lateral roots are longer and there are many fibrous roots. Forsythia shows extremely strong cold resistance, and has strong sprouting ability and fast soil penetration. It likes to survive in well-drained soil rich in humus and can grow fully on sloping land.
2 Forsythia planting and cultivation methods
2.1 Seed treatment techniques
For forsythia seeds, plants with robust growth and relatively short branches should be selected as mother plants. According to the cold-loving characteristics of forsythia, seeds from individual plants with plump fruit and no pests or diseases should be selected. For forsythia seed selection, mature fruits can be collected in October each year, spread out to dry in a cool place, and after drying in the shade, the seeds are shelled. When storing, mix with wet sand at a ratio of 1:3. Before sowing forsythia, germination should be promoted in early March of the following year. During germination, a mixed solution of gibberellin and alcohol can be used for soaking. After germination, when planting, ditches should be opened on the ridge surface, and hole sowing should be adopted. After sowing, cover with soil and press firmly to ensure close contact between seeds and soil. Forsythia seedling raising is generally in April each year. In winter, the sowing time can be chosen before the soil freezes. Forsythia seeds do not need special treatment. After emergence, when the seedlings reach 5 cm in height, thin them to a fixed spacing. When they reach 10 cm, loosen the soil and water. During forsythia planting, compound fertilizer can be used. When filling the soil halfway, gently lift the seedling to promote full spreading of the root system. If the soil is too dry during planting, water appropriately.
2.2 Land selection and preparation techniques
For forsythia breeding, land selection should choose plots with relatively high terrain. Because the altitude in Qinghai region is relatively high, it is suitable for planting forsythia. The key is to choose land sheltered from the wind, facing the sun, and flat. In order to ensure the growth of forsythia, soil with deep and fertile layers should be selected to ensure soil drainage. Land preparation for planting forsythia should be carried out in autumn, and deep plowing is needed before planting. The plowing depth should reach 25 cm. During land preparation, fertilization should be done well, specifically using phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, urea, etc. During land preparation, various debris should also be removed, and the plot should be arranged into ridges 15 cm high and 120 cm wide, with a ridge ditch width of 30 cm.
2.3 Cultivation management
Cultivation management work needs to strengthen supervision of the entire forsythia planting process. First, planting and pollination operations should be carried out during the planting process, specifically maintaining good row spacing. Row spacing usually needs to reach 2 m, and plant spacing should be maintained at 1.5 m. Tall plants and short plants should be planted together, using mixed interplanting between plants or rows. Second, in terms of fertilizer and water management, waterlogging should be effectively prevented, and fertilization should be reasonable according to growth conditions. During the growth of forsythia, phosphoric acid and ammonium fertilizer, etc., should be used. Third, in order to improve the fruit-setting rate of forsythia, the method of spraying boron during the flowering period should be used. At the same time, the dosage of various chemicals should be controlled well to effectively prevent pesticide residue problems. Fourth, strengthen shaping and pruning during the flowering period, specifically doing well in pruning young trees and adult trees. When the plant reaches 1 m, cut off the top tip and keep 4 strong branches on the main trunk. Pruning of adult trees is mainly winter pruning, mainly pruning slender weak branches, diseased and pest branches, etc. In order to shorten the planting cycle, aging plants can also be renewed.
2.4 Harvest management
Forsythia is mainly divided into Qingqiao, Huangqiao, and Lianxinqiao. In Qinghai region, Huangqiao is the main type. Harvest work is mainly carried out in early January, mainly harvesting forsythia with thick shells, yellow color, and no seeds or impurities. It is necessary to ensure that during forsythia harvest there are no twigs, the seeds are plump, and there is no impurity or mildew.
2.5 Pest and disease control
During the planting process of forsythia, pest and disease problems should also be effectively prevented. Common forsythia pests and diseases mainly include leaf spot disease, moth disease, and stem borers. Therefore, chemicals such as Zhuangdiling can be sprayed, and when pruning, pesticide can be smeared or cotton dipped in medicine can be used to plug borer holes. In order to effectively prevent pest and disease invasion, lime powder can be used to kill insects, and manual capture or physical vibration frequency devices can be used to capture pests and diseases. In order to improve control effectiveness, necessary preventive management measures should also be taken in advance according to specific conditions during the active period of pests and diseases.
In the editor's view, forsythia is not only a very good ornamental flower, but also a very good economic crop. It is worth planting for those who like flowers and plants. Everyone can give it a try.
Cultivation and management techniques of forsythia
Forsythia is also known as Huangshoudan, Huanghuagan, Huangshoudai, and Shoudaidan, and belongs to the genus Forsythia in the family Oleaceae. It is produced in the northern, central, and northeastern provinces of China, and is now cultivated in many places. In spring, forsythia blooms all over the tree, and the golden branches sway with the spring breeze in a very natural and elegant way. It is an important early-spring flowering shrub. Its planting key points are introduced below for reference only.
I. Morphological characteristics and biological characteristics
Forsythia is a deciduous shrub, up to 3 m tall, with clustered, upright stems, spreading branches, and arching drooping branches; branchlets are yellow-brown, slightly four-angled, with obvious white lenticels, and hollow pith. Leaves are simple or 3-leafleted, opposite, ovate to elliptic-ovate, 4-9 cm long, hairless, acute at the apex, rounded to broadly cuneate at the base, with coarse serrations at the leaf margin. Flowers appear before leaves, usually solitary, rarely 3 in leaf axils; calyx lobes 4, oblong; corolla golden yellow, lobes 4, obovate-elliptic; stamens 2; there are two flower forms, one with stamens longer than pistils and one with pistils longer than stamens, and the two flower forms do not grow on the same plant. Flowering period is April-May. Capsule is ovate, 2-loculed, seeds winged, fruiting period is June-September.
Forsythia likes light, but has a certain shade tolerance. It can grow normally in open woodland, but the number of flowers is not as great as in places with sufficient light. Forsythia is cold-resistant and can overwinter safely in the northeastern provinces. It likes moisture, tolerates drought, and fears waterlogging. It grows best in moist soil, but should not be planted in low-lying areas, as standing water can easily cause root rot and plant death. It has low requirements for soil and can grow normally in loam, plain sandy soil, and light clay soil, but grows best in sandy loam and plain sandy soil. It has a certain salt-alkali tolerance and grows well in saline-alkali soil with pH 08.8 and salt content 0.2%.
II. Water and fertilizer management
Forsythia is drought-tolerant but likes a moist environment. In the first three years of planting, watering management should be strengthened. In addition to watering the first three times well, it should also be watered 1-2 times each month from April to September depending on temperature and rainfall. July and August are periods of abundant rainfall. If the weather is not especially dry, water less or not at all. At the end of November or early December, water thoroughly for freeze protection. In the following year, thawing water should be watered well in early March. Watering should be controlled during the flowering period. After flowering, when new leaves sprout, water thoroughly once. From April to September, it should also be watered 1-2 times depending on temperature and rainfall. In the third year, management should also follow the watering method of the first two years. From the fourth year on, each year water thawing water and freeze-protection water well in early March and at the end of November, water during high-temperature periods in spring and summer depending on rainfall, and at other times it can rely on natural growth.
Forsythia likes fertilizer. With sufficient fertilizer, the branches and leaves are luxuriant and the flowers are large and colorful. When fertilizing forsythia, in addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer when planting, dried chicken manure or sesame paste residue should also be applied once at the end of autumn that year in combination with watering freeze-protection water. In the second year, apply nitrogen fertilizer once after flowering, apply a phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer once during the flower bud differentiation period in July and August, and apply dried chicken manure once again at the end of autumn. From then on, management can follow this method every year.
III. Pruning methods
The common plant type of forsythia is a clustered round-headed shape. After the seedlings are planted, the selected main branches are heavily shortened to promote branching. During winter pruning, thin weak branches and root suckers sprouting from the root crown are removed. For thin curved branches with weaker growth, 1/5 of the total length can be cut off, retaining only plump flower buds in the middle of the branch. For upright long flowering branches with relatively vigorous growth and slightly heavier tops, choose 3-4 to leave unpruned, and the remaining overly long flowering branches should be shortened by renewal pruning. For water sprouts, heavy shortening can be used to promote more branching and increase flowering branches, or they can be left as renewal branches for future use.
In addition, forsythia can also be pruned into an umbrella shape. This plant type is very elegant and free when a breeze blows during the flowering season, and is often used to decorate rockeries, etc. When planting, choose the most robust branch and shorten it at 40-50 cm above the ground, and remove all other branches. New branches emerge from the top of the retained main trunk. Choose 3-4 branches with relatively even distribution and suitable opening angles as main branches, remove all the rest, and shorten the retained main branches so that they produce more lateral branches. Because forsythia branches are slender and soft and tend to droop, it can be shaped into an umbrella form. After the umbrella shape is basically formed, root suckers should be removed frequently, branch tips should also be pinched frequently, and overly dense lateral branches should also be removed to keep it ventilated and light-transmitting.
IV. Pest and disease control
The common disease of forsythia is leaf spot disease, caused by infection by imperfect fungi. The pathogen first infects the leaf margin, and as the disease develops it gradually spreads toward the middle of the leaf. The boundary between diseased and healthy parts is obvious. In the late stage of the disease, the entire leaf withers and dies. This disease begins in mid-to-late May, and July and August are the peak periods. High-temperature and high-humidity weather and poor ventilation favor the spread of the disease. To control leaf spot disease, first pay attention to pruning, removing miscellaneous branches and overly dense branches to keep the plant ventilated and light-transmitting. Second, strengthen water and fertilizer management, pay attention to nutrient balance, and do not apply excessive nitrogen fertilizer. If it occurs, spray 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder 1200-fold solution or 50% carbendazim wettable powder 800-fold solution for control, once every 10 days. Spraying 3-4 times continuously can effectively control the disease.
Common pests of forsythia include: Ricania speculum, Euricania ocellus, Pseudaulacaspis pentagona, Aspidiotus hederae, Deporaus marginatus, Catocala sp., Dendrolimus sp., and Sphinx sp.
If they occur, during the period when nymphs gather on branches to cause damage, spray 10% imidacloprid wettable powder 2000-fold solution or 25% fenpyroximate suspension concentrate 1000-fold solution to kill Euricania ocellus and Ricania speculum; during the peak hatching period of nymphs, spray 95% jiemanling emulsifiable concentrate 400-fold solution or 20% sukemie emulsifiable oil 1000-fold solution to kill Pseudaulacaspis pentagona; during the adult period of Deporaus marginatus, spray 3% highly permeable fenoxycarb emulsifiable concentrate 3000-fold solution for killing; during the larval period of Catocala sp., spray 20% acetamiprid concentrated soluble liquid 3000-fold solution for killing; during the young larval period of Dendrolimus sp., spray 3% highly permeable fenoxycarb emulsifiable concentrate 3000-fold solution for killing; when Sphinx sp. damage is severe, spray 1.2% nicotine anabasine 1000-fold solution for killing.
V. Propagation methods
The propagation methods of forsythia include: sowing, division, cuttings, and layering.
1. Sowing
After the fruit matures in autumn, collect the fruit, dry it, and beat it to obtain pure seeds. Put the seeds in a clean cloth bag and store them at 5-10°C. In the morning of March of the following year, promote germination. Soak the seeds in a 1:2000 gibberellin alcohol solution for 4 hours to break dormancy, then thoroughly mix the seeds with wet river sand at a weight ratio of 1:800. At 10-20°C, they will germinate in about 30 days. Then sow by drilling. The bed width is 150 cm, the height is 20 cm, the depth is 3 cm, and the row spacing is 30 cm, with 4 rows per bed. After sowing and covering with soil, press slightly so that the seeds and soil are closely combined. Cover with a straw curtain to keep the soil moist, and seedlings will emerge in about 20 days. Transplant in the following spring.
2. Cuttings
After the flowering period, select two-year-old branches from robust plants without pests or diseases as cuttings. The cuttings are 12-15 cm long, with a flat upper cut and a horse-hoof-shaped lower cut. Each cutting should have no fewer than 3 buds. Before cutting, soak the lower end of the cuttings in ABT rooting agent solution for 30 minutes. The cutting spacing is 10 x 10 cm, and the depth is 8-10 cm. After cutting, build an arched shed on the cutting bed, provide appropriate shading, and keep it moist. Transplanting can be carried out in the following spring.
3. Layering
In spring, select relatively long branches, bend them downward, and bury them in soil 3-5 cm deep. After watering thoroughly, keep the soil moist. Roots will form in about 2 months. In autumn, cut off the front end of the buried part, heel them in, and plant them in the following spring.
4. Division
After leaf fall in autumn, select plants with vigorous growth and many suckers, dig them up, split them with a sharp knife, and transplant them with soil.
Forsythia: cultivation techniques and applications
I. Morphological characteristics
Forsythia is a deciduous shrub, up to 3 m tall. The stem is upright, the branches are hollow and often drooping, and the internodes are hollow without pith. Leaves are simple, opposite, stalked, ovate, serrate at the margin, pointed at the apex, rounded or wedge-shaped at the base, and some form trifoliate pinnate compound leaves. It blooms before leaves, with bright yellow flowers 1-3 per axil, petals 4-lobed, lobes oblong. Capsule is ovate, 2-loculed. Seeds are winged. Flowering period is April-May, fruiting period is June-September. There are many forsythia varieties, including Forsythia mandschurica, Forsythia ovata, Forsythia intermedia, Forsythia suspensa, and Forsythia viridissima var. koreana.
II. Cultivation methods
1. Propagation: Common forsythia propagation methods include sowing, division, and cuttings. ① Sowing: Collect forsythia seeds in August-September in autumn, select mature fruits, sun-dry them, beat them, and remove impurities to obtain pure seeds. Store at 5-10°C. Around March 10 of the following year, begin promoting germination (25-35 days before sowing). The method is to soak the seeds in a 1:2000 gibberellin alcohol solution for 3-4 hours to break dormancy; then thoroughly mix with wet river sand at a weight ratio of 1:1000 and place at 10-20°C. They will germinate in about 30 days. Then drill-sow into a prepared bed 120 cm wide and 15 cm high, with a depth of 2 cm, row spacing of 30 cm, and 3 rows per bed. Water and weed in time. In the same year they can grow to 60-90 cm. ② Division propagation: Before freezing at the end of autumn, divide clustered forsythia with 3-5 branches as a group, cut them vertically from the mother plant, soak in rooting powder aqueous solution for 3 minutes, immediately plant into prepared holes, and water thoroughly for overwintering. It can also be divided and transplanted in April in spring when the soil layer has thawed about 35 cm, according to the above method. ③ Cutting propagation: After the flowering period, select vigorous two-year-old branches from the forsythia mother plant, cut them from the base, cut them into 35-40 cm sections, soak the morphological lower end in rooting powder aqueous solution for 10-20 minutes, then insert into a prepared bed at a plant spacing of 10 cm and row spacing of 25 cm. Use iron rods or thin bamboo to make arched supports, cover with plastic film, provide appropriate shading, and water thoroughly. The survival rate is above 95%. Transplanting can be done in the following year.
2. Management: Forsythia is a temperate plant. It likes warm, humid climates and is also very cold-resistant. It likes light and is slightly shade-tolerant. It is not very strict about soil and can tolerate drought and barren conditions. It can grow normally in neutral, slightly acidic, or alkaline soil. When cultivating, choose a sunny, well-drained plot. When planting, apply 2 kg of farmyard manure in each hole. Generally, no additional topdressing is needed afterward. In special cases, if there is weak growth, apply barnyard manure to the roots after leaf fall, and water thoroughly after application. After flowering, cut off dead branches and overly dense branches to promote more new branches. Aging branches can be renewed during the dormant period by cutting the trunk 10-20 cm above the ground. Forsythia has strong bactericidal and insecticidal ability and rarely has diseases and pests.
At present, the supply of forsythia in the medicinal material market is insufficient and prices are rising. Farmers can use barren hills and land returned from farmland to forest for large-scale planting, which can both harvest Chinese medicinal materials and green the barren hills.
III. Applications
1. Medicinal: Forsythia is slightly cold in nature and bitter in taste. Its functions are to clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling, and dissipate nodules. It is mainly used to treat: fever with restlessness, erysipelas, carbuncles, pustular sores, scrofula, and other conditions. Forsythia fruit contains components such as forsythol. Forsythia decoction has a strong killing effect on many pathogenic microorganisms. Forsythol has the greatest killing efficiency against Staphylococcus aureus and Shigella dysenteriae, and has a strong inhibitory effect on influenza virus. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine often uses forsythia in combination with other Chinese herbal medicines, with good results in treating breast cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, etc. Forsythia can be processed into various patent medicines, tablets, or capsules such as Yinlian Jiedu Wan.
2. Ornamental: Forsythia blooms before leaves in early spring. Strings of bell-shaped flowers hang all over the branches, like yellow ribbons, golden and dazzling. It is suitable for planting in parks, schools, courtyards, hotels, tourist areas, beside homes, and along roadsides. It can be planted singly or in patches. If planted together with Prunus triloba, Weigela, Syringa oblata, etc., whose flowering periods are similar, the red, yellow, and pink interweave, with strong color contrast and dazzling brilliance, and it is greatly loved by city residents.
3. Edible: Forsythia seeds can be used to extract edible oil.
4. Beauty: After collecting forsythia flowers and unripe fruits, boil them in water for 20 minutes. Wash the face with this water every morning or before bed. It has good bactericidal, mite-killing, and skin-nourishing effects. With long-term use, it can eliminate melasma and butterfly spots on the face and reduce acne and wrinkles.