How to prevent and control pests and diseases during the seedling stage of Michelia maudiae
1. Root rot, stem rot, and anthracnose
When the above diseases are found, diseased seedlings should be pulled out promptly and burned together, and sprayed with a 1%-3% ferrous sulfate solution once every 4-6 d for 2-4 consecutive times, and quicklime should be spread on the seedbed at 15 kg/667 sq m, or 50% carbendazim at 1 kg/667 sq m should be used for soil disinfection, or a 0.1%-0.125% solution of 50% carbendazim should be sprayed for control.
2. White grubs and cutworms
Underground pests such as white grubs and cutworms: they bite and eat the root crown of seedlings, easily causing seedling death. You can do a good job of clearing ditches and draining water during the rainy season, and use a 0.1% solution of 90% trichlorfon and malathion emulsion, inserting holes in the seedbed with bamboo sticks and then pouring the solution in; the effect is relatively good.
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Seed propagation methods for Michelia maudiae
Soil selection
Michelia maudiae is a shallow-rooted tree species, so sandy soil with deep and fertile layers, sufficient water, and good drainage should be selected.
Applying base fertilizer to the soil and using medicinal solutions for soil disinfection and pest elimination can effectively reduce the incidence of underground pests.
Seed selection
The seeds of Michelia maudiae can be sown immediately after collection, and propagation is simple. But if we want to obtain excellent adult Michelia maudiae plants, we still need to sow carefully.
March in spring is a good time for sowing. Before sowing, the seeds can be soaked in a 0.5% potassium permanganate solution for 2 hours, then placed in warm water and left to stand for 24 hours. This step is for accelerating germination.
After the seeds absorb water and swell, remove them, dry them, and then mix them with calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer to increase the nutrients for the plants.
Sowing period
When sowing, bury the seeds about 1-2 cm into the soil, then cover the seed surface with a layer of burnt mud ash about 1 cm thick. Then completely cover the seeds with loess.
After sowing, cover with wolftail grass, which helps keep the soil loose and maintain a certain humidity, benefiting successful seed germination.
Later care and management
About 1 month after sowing, the seeds can basically break through the soil and germinate. At this point, the "coat" of wolftail grass can be removed.
The seedlings of Michelia maudiae are relatively fragile and susceptible to erosion by various pests, so at this stage we should pay attention to preventing and controlling pests and diseases. For specific control methods, everyone can check our previous articles!
Seedling cultivation techniques for Michelia maudiae
Michelia maudiae Dunn., also known as wild houpo, glossy-leaved white magnolia, and Mo's michelia, is an evergreen tall tree of the Magnoliaceae family. This tree species grows fast, has good timber, strong adaptability, is easy to propagate, and has few pests and diseases. It is a fast-growing evergreen broad-leaved timber tree species, and is also an excellent native tree species in our province. Its branches and leaves are dense, it remains green and does not wither in winter, its tree form is beautiful, and in early spring the whole tree is full of white flowers, with large flowers and a delicate fragrance, giving it relatively high ornamental value and economic value. It is an excellent tree species for courtyard landscaping and ornamental greening and for greening around homes. To adapt to the adjustment of forest types and tree species structure and the need for beautification of cities and villages, we studied the seedling-stage growth rhythm and seedling cultivation techniques of Michelia maudiae.1 Observation of seedling-stage growth rhythm
In the experiment, 667 sq m of Michelia maudiae was cultivated, sown on November 23, 2000, and seedlings emerged on April 5, 2001. A 1 sq m sample plot was selected, and seedling height and ground diameter were measured plant by plant once on the 20th of each month. After 1 year of cultivation, 15,200 seedlings were produced, with an average seedling height of 53 cm and an average ground diameter of 0.90 cm. The observation results showed that the growth patterns of ground diameter and seedling height of Michelia maudiae were basically the same, namely from slow growth to medium growth to rapid growth to growth stopping. Generally, growth was slower from April to June, medium in July, fastest from August to October, and slower and then stopped from November to December. Grasping this growth pattern provides a scientific basis for setting appropriate timing, frequency, and amount for thinning and topdressing.
2 Seedling cultivation techniques
2.1 Nursery site selection
Michelia maudiae is a shallow-rooted tree species, so the nursery site should be selected with good irrigation and drainage conditions, moderate sunlight, deep and fertile soil layers, sufficient water, and well-drained sandy loam.
2.2 Seedbed preparation
Before sowing, the nursery site should be deeply plowed, and land preparation should be meticulous, achieving "three plowings and three harrowings." Apply sufficient base fertilizer, applying 2500 kg of barnyard manure per 667 sq m, and at the same time use 5 kg of 70% thiophanate-methyl per 667 sq m for soil disinfection and apply 2 kg of 90% trichlorfon for soil pest elimination. After soil disinfection, begin building the bed, with a bed height of 25 cm, bed width of 110-120 cm, and walking ditch width of 30-35 cm. The bed surface should be slightly turtle-backed in shape, with drainage ditches opened well around it, deep on the side ditches and shallow in the middle ditches, so that ditches do not accumulate water after rain stops.
2.3 Sowing
Seeds can be sown immediately after collection, or stored in moist sand until late February to early March of early spring for sowing. To increase the seed germination rate and reduce the trouble of sand storage, the seeds can be sown directly after drying in the shade. Before sowing, soak the seeds in a 0.5% potassium permanganate solution for disinfection for 2 h, place them in warm water to accelerate germination for 24 h, and after the seeds absorb water and swell, remove them and place them in a bamboo basket to dry. After the seeds are dried, mix them with calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer.
Use drilling, with a row spacing of 25 cm and a sowing rate of 8-10 kg/667 sq m. The sowing furrow is 1.5-2 cm deep. After sowing, cover the seeds with burnt mud ash at a thickness of about 1 cm, then cover with yellow subsoil 1-2 cm. To keep the seedling soil loose and moist and benefit seed germination and emergence, it is necessary to cover with wolftail grass, with a thickness such that the soil is not visible. After sowing, field management of the nursery should be strengthened. In addition to scattering rodent poison on the walking paths and around the area, promptly do a good job of clearing ditches and draining water on rainy days and sprinkling water to maintain moisture in dry weather.
2.4 Seedling-stage management
In early April, when the average temperature is around 15°C, the seeds begin to break through the soil and germinate. When 70%-80% of the seedlings have emerged, the wolftail grass can be removed on a cloudy day or in the evening of a sunny day. On the 2nd d after removing the grass, spray alternately with a 0.125% solution of 70% thiophanate-methyl and 0.5% Bordeaux mixture of equal amounts 2-3 times to prevent the occurrence of diseases.
In the early growth stage of Michelia maudiae (April to mid-June), the height growth accounts for 13.6% of the annual growth. The seedlings grow relatively slowly and have poor stress resistance, so work such as weeding, loosening soil, and appropriate fertilization should be done well. From late April to late May, apply dilute human manure and urine at a concentration of 3%-5% and decomposed cake fertilizer at 2% every 10-15 d. After June, water around the seedling roots with 0.2% compound fertilizer, and try not to pour the solution onto the leaves.
To improve seedling quality, accelerate seedling growth, and reasonably control seedling density, in May during cloudy and rainy weather, overcrowded small seedlings should be moved out promptly, and small seedlings interplanted under large camphor trees for three-dimensional cultivation experiments, with a plant-row spacing of 10 cm x 20 cm. The small seedlings' height and ground diameter growth were relatively good, and good results were achieved. Final thinning was carried out in early July, leaving 30-35 seedlings per square meter.
From late April to early July, seedlings are susceptible to root rot, stem rot, and anthracnose. Diseased seedlings should be pulled out promptly and burned together, and a 1%-3% ferrous sulfate solution should be sprayed once every 4-6 d for 2-4 consecutive times, and quicklime should be spread on the seedbed at 15 kg/667 sq m, or 50% carbendazim at 1 kg/667 sq m should be used for soil disinfection, or a 0.1%-0.125% solution of 50% carbendazim should be sprayed for control. From late April to mid-May, seedlings are easily bitten at the root crown by underground pests such as white grubs and cutworms, easily causing seedling death. You can do a good job of clearing ditches and draining water during the rainy season, and use a 0.1% solution of 90% trichlorfon and malathion emulsion, inserting holes in the seedbed with bamboo sticks and then pouring the solution in; the effect is relatively good. From May to June, they are easily infected by scale insects. When the population density of scale insects on the leaves is too high, spray a 0.1% solution of 50% malathion or 40% dimethoate, or a 0.125% solution of 25% phosmet for control. From late June to mid-October is the vigorous growth period of Michelia maudiae, and its height and diameter growth account for 68.9% and 60.0% of the annual growth respectively. At this time, the temperature is high and the weather is scorching, so drought resistance work should be done promptly. Cover the seedbed with a shade shed more than 1.20 m high, cover the seedbed with a single-layer shade net with 55% light transmittance, and irrigate with running horse water, filling the walking paths with enough water, and draining immediately after the seedbed is soaked through. Also alternately soak and water around the seedling roots with 0.2% compound fertilizer and urea, and try not to pour the solution onto the leaf surface. After August, combined with loosening the soil, broadcast 5-8 kg of compound fertilizer each time to promote seedling growth. Stop topdressing in late September. During this period, swallowtail butterflies are likely to eat the young leaves of the seedlings, causing poor seedling growth; spray a 0.1% solution of 50% trichlorfon and malathion emulsion for control.
When the seedlings enter the late growth stage, topdressing should be stopped, and a 0.3%-0.5% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution should be sprayed every 10-15 d for 2 times, which can promote lignification of the seedlings so they can overwinter safely.
3 Summary
(1) The annual growth pattern of sown seedlings of Michelia maudiae is: slow growth from seed germination and emergence to June, medium growth speed in July, fastest growth from August to October, and slower growth until growth stops from November to December.
(2) Michelia maudiae is an excellent native broad-leaved ornamental tree species in Zhejiang Province. As long as work on nursery site selection, seedbed preparation, sowing, and seedling-stage management is done well according to its biological characteristics and growth pattern, high-quality and robust Michelia maudiae seedlings can be cultivated.
(3) When small seedlings of Michelia maudiae are cultivated three-dimensionally with large camphor trees, both the small seedlings and the large trees grow relatively well, which not only improves land utilization but also improves economic benefits.