Detailed Explanation of Castanea henryi Planting Methods and Technical Points
Castanea henryi is a type of chestnut, and chestnuts are mainly divided into Castanea henryi and Castanea mollissima (Chinese chestnut). Castanea mollissima is grown in most parts of China, while Castanea henryi mainly comes from the mountainous areas north of Fujian. Castanea henryi is one of China's important woody grain crops; it can be processed into chestnut flour or canned goods, and it also has effects such as tonifying the kidney and boosting qi, and promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis. It can be used for conditions such as inability to move the waist and legs, and internal cold with diarrhea. So how do you grow Castanea henryi? Below, the editor will introduce its planting method to everyone.
1. Site Selection and Preparation
Castanea henryi has the characteristics of preferring light, tolerating drought, fearing waterlogging, and not tolerating flooding. The terrain of the planting site should be relatively high and flat; generally the planting site will have a certain slope to facilitate drainage. Next, the area near the planting site should have convenient transportation for easy transport, and the planting site should be fertile soil, far from polluted areas, with fertile soil texture, sufficient sunlight, a sunny slope, and sandy loam. We scientifically dig planting holes according to different terrains and landforms; there is no need for full reclamation, only loosening the soil near the planting holes. The planting holes are 1 m long, 1 m wide, and 80 cm high. After digging, spread sufficient decomposed farmyard manure into the planting holes, cover with a layer of soil 3 to 4 cm thick to conceal it, leaving the remaining depth of the planting hole at about 40 cm, and then wait for planting.
2. Planting and Field Establishment
The row spacing of the planting holes is generally about 5 m to 6 m, and the plant spacing is about 5 m. Then plant the treated Castanea henryi seedlings according to the planting holes. The planting time is generally February in spring, or between October and November in autumn. Place one seedling in each hole, hold the seedling upright with your hands, backfill with soil, water thoroughly, and finally press the soil firm with your feet.
3. Shaping and Pruning
For Castanea henryi, we generally prune according to the natural open-center form. After field establishment, when the seedlings have newly grown about 30 cm, we can begin pruning. First, we mainly cultivate three main branches, then thin out excess and diseased branches, and when the trunk grows to a certain length, remove the terminal bud to promote the growth of side branches and cultivate secondary and tertiary trunks. For fruiting Castanea henryi trees, we shape them by pruning according to the principle of removing dense branches, dead branches, old branches, diseased branches, and weak branches.
4. Water and Fertilizer Management
Water and fertilizer management is mainly divided into two periods, namely the young tree stage and the fruiting tree stage. After field establishment and survival, one topdressing is needed, mainly urea. The growth period of young trees requires sufficient nutrients, so we should carry out topdressing according to the principle of frequent application of light fertilizer. Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus ternary compound fertilizer, cake fertilizer, soil and miscellaneous fertilizer, and calcium fertilizer can be used respectively. For Castanea henryi trees in the fruiting stage, we need to fertilize in four steps, namely bud-breaking fertilizer, pre-flowering fertilizer, fruit-preserving fertilizer, and post-harvest fertilizer. At different stages, use nitrogen fertilizer, potassium fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer, and compound fertilizer respectively, combining foliar fertilization and trench fertilization methods.
5. Pest and Disease Control
The main diseases of Castanea henryi include chestnut blight and chestnut blight; we can use antibacterial agents plus dimethoate emulsion and zineb respectively for control. The most common insect pests include chestnut gall wasp, peach fruit borer, skin noctuid, and chestnut weevil, which can be controlled with fenpropathrin, fenitrothion, dimethoate emulsion, and phoxim respectively. Of course, all these pests can also be controlled with trichlorfon or dichlorvos, and the effect is quite good.
The planting method of Castanea henryi is actually very simple and basically the same as the planting method of Castanea mollissima; the water and fertilizer management, pruning and shaping methods, and so on are all the same. However, when planting, we still need to pay attention to some details, which can achieve twice the result with half the effort. That's all for today's sharing by the editor. If everyone still has other questions, remember to leave a message and comment for the editor.