Cultivation Methods and Daily Management Tips for the Yew

The yew is an evergreen tree with reddish-brown bark; shallow longitudinal fissures, leaves linear and slightly curved in a sickle shape, dark green, with two grayish-green stomatal bands. Dioecious, seeds flat and ovate, cones solitary, flowering from March to April, seeds ripening in November.

Yews are mostly propagated from seed. After the seeds ripen in November, they can be harvested; then the fleshy seed coat is washed clean and dried, and immediately stratified in moist sand and buried in a shaded, dry place, covered with plastic film and straw mats. In summer and autumn, the seeds should be turned twice a month, and by early March of the following year they can be sown and raised as seedlings.

The seedbed should be chosen on a slightly acidic sandy loam plot that is sheltered from the wind and well drained, with a bed width of 1 m and a ditch width of 40 cm, and high ridges running east-west; on both sides of the ridge, bury steel plates 25 cm high and 4 cm thick, to a depth of 10 cm. The bed soil should be deeply plowed and finely worked, and carbofuran applied to control underground pests. Use one part each of vermiculite, river sand, peat and garden soil, and add fungicides such as carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl, mix into a substrate and fill it into the steel plates, level with the side plates and 3 to 5 cm higher in the middle. Cover with plastic film and seal for fumigation for 3 to 5 days, then sow. Scatter the seeds evenly over the bed surface, at a sowing rate of about 200 seeds per sq m; after sowing, press flat slightly with a wooden board, cover with 1 to 2 cm of mixed substrate soil, and cover with straw mats or plastic film to keep warm and moist. In dry weather, spray water appropriately; generally after 40 days they will sprout and emerge. At this point, remove the plastic film or straw mats, and set up a 2 m high shade shed above the seedbed, covered with shade netting to prevent direct sunlight. Keep the seedbed moist; on rainy days, set up a low arched shed and cover with plastic film to prevent excessive moisture in the seedbed. Do a good job of drainage and ventilation for the seedbed, and control pests and diseases in time. During the seedling stage, apply decomposed dilute cake fertilizer water once every 10 days; avoid chemical fertilizers and concentrated fertilizers.

After a year of careful maintenance and management, the seedlings can reach 15 to 25 cm in height, with 2 to 3 forked branches. In early April. The planting site should be chosen as a wind-sheltered, dry, humus-rich, slightly acidic sandy loam plot, deeply plowed 20 cm, and apply 5 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per sq m. Form high ridges and dig deep ditches; ridge width 100 cm, ditch width 30 cm. Plant 5 rows per ridge, with a row spacing of 20 cm and a plant spacing of 15 cm. Transplanting is best done on cloudy days, and should be done as you transplant. They must be transplanted with a soil ball. After transplanting, water thoroughly at once, and set up a 2 m high shade shed above; cover with shade netting on sunny days, and it can be removed on cloudy and rainy days and at night. During the growing period, strengthen fertilizer and water management, generally applying decomposed cake fertilizer water once every 10 days. Do a good job of pest and disease control and management. In summer, strengthen shading and cooling work, and spray water to cool down when necessary, so as to create a cool and humid environment conducive to seedling growth.

The yew is not only a premium material for making high-grade furniture, but also a medicinal material of great medical value, and moreover an excellent tree species for landscaping. With the maturation and development of its artificial propagation and artificial cultivation techniques, the yew's range of applications will become even broader.