Sowing and raising prickly ash seedlings requires careful management

For de-oiling treatment, the amount of prickly ash seed used per mu is 7-10 kg. The seed coat of prickly ash is hard and contains oil, so it does not absorb water easily and emergence is relatively difficult. There are many empty seeds, accounting for more than about 50%, so before treatment, water separation must be carried out first, using a strainer in water to remove empty and shriveled seeds, and then the plump seeds are subjected to de-oiling treatment.

The de-oiling method is: (1) Prepare the solution. Dissolve 200 g of washing powder in warm water, then stir it evenly into 50 kg of cold water and pour it into a water vat or basin, with the water temperature at 50°C-60°C; (2) Rub off the oil. Pour the seeds to be treated into the washing powder solution and repeatedly crush and rub them with a wooden stick or similar until the glossy black color of the seed coat turns brown; (3) Soak and wash. Because the solution is mixed with the rubbed-off oil, its viscosity is relatively high. After rubbing and washing, soak in clean water for 6-10 hours to soften the seed coat, then rinse repeatedly with clean water until the seed coat has no oil, then remove and dry in the air until sowing.

The sowing time can be spring sowing, autumn sowing, or sowing in early winter before the ground freezes. Generally, sowing is done from early spring to early summer or in late autumn and early winter.

For the sowing method, use a sowing drill to sow the treated seeds or open furrows and broadcast them. Sow 7.5-9 kg per mu, then rake level. Where conditions permit, straw can be used as mulch to help increase temperature and preserve soil moisture.

Pre-sowing sprouting promotion. Pre-sowing sprouting promotion helps achieve full stands and vigorous seedlings. The method is: mix the rinsed seeds evenly with 2-3 times their volume of fine sand or fine wet cinder or fine wet soil, with a thickness not exceeding 30 cm, sprinkle water in time to keep moist, and sow when 1/3 have sprouted. After sowing, spray water in time to help the sprouts break through the soil and emerge. Never use flood irrigation.

Seedling retention density. The sowing bed is best oriented north-south, with a bed width of 1 m, row spacing of 15-20 cm, and plant spacing of 6-10 cm. When the seedlings are 8-10 cm tall, thin and finalize them in time, and replant missing spots promptly. If the soil fertility is good, retain fewer seedlings; if the soil fertility is poor, it may be appropriately denser (80-100 plants per sq m is suitable). The number of seedlings retained per mu is 30,000-60,000.

Seedling management. Newly emerged seedlings are small and weak, while weeds grow vigorously, so weeds must be pulled in time along the rows. When the seedlings grow to 10 cm, do a good job of watering, thinning, and finalizing the stand, with plant spacing of 10-15 cm, retaining 40-45 seedlings per sq m, and about 30,000 seedlings emerging per mu. In early July, if there is continuous rainy weather, broadcast 5 kg of urea per mu to promote seedling growth and improve seedling quality. Generally, the seedlings can grow to more than 50 cm in the same year.

Scientific transplanting. Transplanting seedlings is better in spring, summer, and winter. In spring, carry it out when the prickly ash buds begin to sprout; in summer, carry it out during the plum rain season; in winter, carry it out around the Beginning of Winter.

Disease and pest control. For aphid infestation, promptly spray omethoate or dichlorvos. After the "Beginning of Autumn," spray 800-1000 times methyl thiophanate to prevent early defoliation disease. After the prickly ash seedlings have all emerged, spray Bordeaux mixture once to prevent damping-off disease in the seedlings. After the rainy season, use thiram once more to control sooty mold.