How to propagate the Chinese yew (Taxus chinensis)? Introduction to common propagation methods and techniques

To propagate the Chinese yew, you should first select good soil and a suitable plot, choosing loose, humus-rich, neutral or slightly acidic high-mountain terraces, and the deep, moist brown earth and dark brown earth on both banks of gullies and streams. Deep plow, level, and dig holes at a spacing of 0.4 m x 1.0 m or 0.4 m x 0.4 m, with holes 40 cm deep, ready for planting.

The propagation methods of the Chinese yew include seed propagation and cutting propagation, mainly by raising seedlings and transplanting.

I. Seed seedling raising

1. Seed collection and germination

In mid-to-late October, harvest the seeds when the Chinese yew fruit turns dark red. These seeds are physiologically after-ripened and need 1 year of moist sand storage before they can germinate. To increase the germination rate, the outdoor natural alternating wet sand storage stratification method is often used to promote germination of Chinese yew seeds.

2. Nursery site selection

The nursery site is best chosen as paddy field soil with deep soil layers, loose structure, rich organic matter, good drainage, and not exposed to the western sun (it must be paddy field soil harvested that same year). After harvesting the mid-to-late rice, plow deeply once when the soil is dry, break up the soil once, and then divide into beds. The wide bed is 1.5 m (net bed surface width 1.2 m, path width 0.3 m); the bed height is 20 cm, and the length of the seedbed depends on the nursery site.

3. Nursery site fertilization

While preparing the land and making the beds, apply about 8000 jin of decomposed pig and cattle manure per mu, 200 jin of quick-dissolving high-quality compound fertilizer, and mix in 6 to 8 jin of carbofuran to control underground pests. After turning the fertilizer into the soil layer and leveling the bed surface, fill the bed surface with yellow subsoil, 5 cm thick.

4. Timely sowing

Sowing of Chinese yew seeds is divided into broadcast sowing and drill sowing: broadcast sowing is to evenly scatter the Chinese yew seeds on the seedbed filled with yellow subsoil, cover the seeds with yellow subsoil, to the extent that the seeds are no longer visible, and then cover the entire seedbed with moss. For drill sowing, select a 15 cm wide wooden board and press sowing furrows into the seedbed filled with yellow subsoil, 2 cm deep, with a distance of 15 to 20 cm between sowing furrows. Sow the Chinese yew seeds evenly in the furrows, cover the seeds with yellow subsoil, 1 cm thick, and then cover the sowing furrows with moss.

Sowing is generally done in early spring. After the Chinese yew seeds have been stored for 1 year, when 30% of the seeds have split open and shown white, promptly sieve out the seeds, disinfect them in a 0.2% potassium permanganate solution for 10 minutes, then rinse them clean with water, and after drying off the surface water, sow them evenly in the furrows. Drill sowing is the main method, with a seed spacing of 5-7 cm. Broadcast sowing may also be used. After sowing, dig up yellow loam soil from under a pine forest that contains mycorrhizae and has been sieved, and use it to cover the seeds, to the extent that the seeds are no longer visible.

It should be noted that: first, strictly control the sowing rate, using 15 kg of seed per mu, otherwise it will seriously affect the qualified emergence rate of two-year-old Chinese yew seedlings; second, after sowing, broadcast sowing must cover the entire seedbed with moss, while drill sowing only needs to cover the sowing furrows with moss. After the seedlings emerge, do not remove the moss either; keep it on the seedbed for a long time.

5. Seedling stage management

The emergence rate of Chinese yew seeds is above 70%. During the seedling stage of the Chinese yew, pay attention to shading; when sowing, cover with rice straw to the extent that the soil is no longer visible, and build a shade shed during the seedling stage, with a light transmittance of 60%. Then lay moss to protect the seedlings, protecting the seedbed from sun and rain, and often keep the soil loose and moist.

The advantages of using moss to protect seedlings are: protecting the seedbed from rain splash and direct sunlight, so that the seedlings are not burned by sunlight and are prevented from suffocating and dying due to mud sticking to stems and leaves to form mud sticks, and often keeping the soil loose and moist, reducing the labor of intertillage and weeding. However, the covering moss should be thin, not too thick; if there is a long drought without rain, fine yellow loam may be used to press down the moss, or a sprayer may be used to spray water to keep the seedbed moist.

II. Cutting seedling raising

During the dormant and sprouting period of the Chinese yew, choose a mixed substrate of sand, sawdust, and perlite as the cutting soil. Select 1-4 year old lignified seedling-grown branches of the Chinese yew, cut the cuttings into small sections 10 cm, 15 cm, or 30 cm long; when cutting the branches, the cuts are required to be smooth, with the lower cut in a horse-ear shape, and remove the leaves below 2/3. Choose agents such as ATP, ABT, NAA, IBAA, etc. to treat the cuttings, then insert them and cover with film; the cutting survival rate is generally above 85%. During the seedling stage, pay attention to keeping warm and build a low shed for shading. Transplant the following year.

From May to June each year, cut the current year's semi-lignified branches of the Chinese yew as cuttings, choosing mother trees under 10 years old. The length is 15-20 cm; cut off the lower small branches, cut the needles into a horseshoe shape, and soak them in ABT No. 7 rooting powder at a concentration of 30 x 10-6 to 50 x 10-6, for 3-12 hours. Then insert the cuttings into a seedbed whose substrate is river sand. The seedbed is required to be 1 m wide, with a suitable length, and the cutting depth is 3-5 cm. The row spacing is 10 cm x 8 cm, and water is sprayed immediately. Build a frame on the seedbed, cover it with plastic sheeting, spray water 2-3 times a day, and after half a month spray water once a day. Generally keep the ground temperature at 20-30 degrees C, avoid strong light, and roots will form in 30-40 days. During this period, foliar fertilizers such as brassinolide may be sprayed to promote growth.

After the Chinese yew seedlings have rooted, manage them carefully to promote vigorous growth, and properly ventilate and provide light for hardening the seedlings to increase stress resistance. After hardening the seedlings, they can be transplanted into a large seedbed.

Chinese yew seedlings generally grow in the seedbed for 2-3 years, with regular spraying of auxin and foliar fertilizer and careful management each year. When the seedlings are 50-100 cm tall, they can be planted in mountain afforestation in continuous stands. The planting time can be late autumn or spring, with a spacing of 3 m x 4 m, and they can also be planted on streets and in parks as ornamental trees.

III. Transplanting

Generally, after 1-2 years of seed seedling raising of the Chinese yew, or about 1 year of cutting propagation, the Chinese yew seedlings can be transplanted when they grow to 30-50 cm tall. Transplanting is carried out in October-November or February-March before sprouting, planting 1 seedling per hole, watering, and providing appropriate shading.