Care methods for the Peace Tree, tips for growing green plants and flowers

- , name traceability

This green leafy plant known as the "Peace Tree" is an evergreen small tree of the genus Cinnamomum in the family Lauraceae. Its real name is Lanyu cinnamon, and its scientific name is cinnamomum kotoense kanehira et sasaki. The addition to this term is the name "Hongtouyu", which is the name of Lanyu in Taiwan, China. It was originally produced on Lanyu Island. Its aliases include Hongtouyu cinnamon, Hongtoushan cinnamon, Fanglanshan cinnamon, large-leaf cinnamon, Taiwan cinnamon, etc.

2. Morphological characteristics

Lanyu cinnamon is an evergreen small tree with a dignified form and yellow-brown bark. The plant height can reach 10 m to 15 m, and the branchlets are yellow-green, smooth and hairless. Leaves are opposite or nearly opposite, ovate or ovate-oblong, with an acute-tipped lanceolate apex. The leaves are relatively large, 10 cm to 22 cm long and 5 cm to 8 cm wide, bright green on the surface, with a metallic luster on the back, gray-green, triplinerved from the base, with conspicuous raised and lateral veins about 1 cm away from the leaf base. When extended, small veins sometimes appear on the leaf sides, and the veins on both sides are conspicuous, forming shallow honeycomb-like shapes. The petiole is about 1.5 cm long, red-brown to brown. The fruit is ovoid, about 1.4 cm long and 1 cm in diameter. The fruit cup is cup-shaped, with a short flared edge, hairless. The fruit stalk is about 1 cm long, hairless. This is a beautiful potted plant, and it is a very beautiful landscape tree.

3. Ecological habits

Lanyu cinnamon prefers warmth and humidity, with ample sunlight and bright light. It is cold-tolerant, frost-free, fog-loving, and high-temperature-tolerant, but not drought-tolerant, waterlogged, dry cold wind. It is recommended to use acidic and sandy soil that is loose, fertile, well-drained, and rich in organic matter. In its native environment, it is rich in Phalaenopsis orchids, so it is recommended to create a warm and humid environment under human cultivation conditions. The fruiting period is from August to September.

4. Propagation techniques

Lanzhou cinnamon is usually propagated by sowing. In southern China, ripe purple-black fruits can be sown from September to October. After cleaning off the peel and pulp, float away the empty seeds, spread them in a shaded place to dry. If the good or bad land has not been prepared due to weather, you cannot plant immediately. You need to store the seeds in moist sand and place them in a cool place. Be careful to prevent the seeds from becoming moldy. After the seeds crack and are exposed, plant them or bag them. Before sowing, seeds that have not germinated in the sand can be soaked in a 0.3% formalin solution for 30 minutes. Pour off the excess liquid and seal for 2 hours. Rinse with water to remove the liquid attached to the seed coat. Soaking the seeds in water for 24 hours can increase the germination rate. If seed sterilization is not carried out, the seeds can be soaked directly in warm water at about 40°C, which can also increase the germination rate. Usually sow in furrows as needed, with row spacing of 20 cm to 25 cm, plant spacing of 5 cm to 7 cm, and soil coverage thickness of 1.5 cm to 2 cm. Cover with straw to retain moisture, and germination occurs 20 days to 30 days later. Keep the seedbed moist, remove the grass from the soil after 1/3 of the soil is covered, and then cover with grass. When the seedlings grow 3 to 4 true leaves, they can be given liquid fertilizer twice a month. After autumn, applications stop, and cold protection work is carried out. The winter temperature should not be lower than 5°C. Because the plant has few roots, transplanting should be carried out as soon as possible, or germination can be done in a sand bed, and sprouted seeds can be transplanted into bags. Bag cultivation or producing commercial seedlings in southern growing bags has a very good effect.

In addition, flower enthusiasts can also try growing seedlings.

5. Key management points

1. The suitable temperature for growth is from 20°C to 30°C. Small trees are not tolerant of low temperatures. In cases of frost lasting more than 5 days, plants cultivated or grown in the open field are prone to bark cracking, withered leaves, and even the whole plant freezing to death. Whether it is a small potted plant in a home garden or large-scale production and management cultivation, the winter greenhouse temperature should be maintained at no lower than 5°C, so that the leaves can always maintain their green beauty. Larger plants can endure a low temperature of about 0°C for a short time when there is no cold wind in the shed. Before the frost arrives, potted plants in the Yangtze River basin should be moved into sheds. After Qingming, they will be moved out of the house after Qingming. Be careful to prevent cold damage caused by night frost or cold. In midsummer, when the temperature exceeds 32°C, shading and leaf spraying should be provided to humidify and cool, so as to maintain strong growth potential.

Lanyu cinnamon needs better light, but it is relatively resistant to shade. Its light requirements change with age. Young trees are resistant to shade, and plants 3 to 5 years old have higher plant growth under shaded conditions. Plants 6 to 10 years old need more ample lighting. After potted plants enter summer, they can be placed under tree shade or under a canopy with 40% to 50% shading. If the light is too strong, it will cause the leaves to turn yellow and lose their appearance, reducing their ornamental value, especially if potted plants are displayed indoors for a long time and are moved outdoors in summer for restorative maintenance, one must be careful. They should be placed in a 40% to 50% shaded environment for protection. Do not be too hasty, otherwise it is easy to cause leaf burn. In addition, in late spring and early summer, after rainy days encounter scorching sun, shading should also be done in time, otherwise it will cause leaf burn, which is difficult to recover. The green spirit of the leaves in a short time.

3. Moisture. Lanyu cinnamon needs a moist potting soil environment. For this reason, potted plants should always keep the soil moist, but should not be waterlogged, and the relative humidity of the environment should be maintained above 80%. In hot summer or dry autumn air seasons, including in winter, water should often be sprayed on the leaves and surrounding environment to create a relatively humid local space and small environment to promote its strong growth. . Watering should be controlled after autumn, and watering should be done less in winter. If there is water in the potting soil, it will cause the plant to turn yellow, and the lower leaves will fall off after turning yellow. In severe cases, the roots of the plant will die, and special attention should be paid during the rainy season.

4. Soil. Potted or bagged Lanyu cinnamon should be made from loose, breathable, well-drained, fertile acidic culture soil or humus soil rich in organic matter. If the soil is compacted or the pH is higher than 7.5, it will cause the leaves to turn yellow, severely affect growth and sprouting, affect regeneration, and even shorten the cultivation life. For this reason, small plants should be repotted every year - large plants can be replaced with soil every 2 years, and the soil should be loosened every month during the growing season. Especially after heavy rain, pots should be checked in time, and if water is found in the pot, replace the loose potting soil. For potted plants, the annual turnover time is better arranged after spring emergence and before sprouting.

5. Fertilizer. Lanyu cinnamon plants are full, the leaves are large, growth is relatively strong, and the amount of fertilizer required is also large. In addition to the requirement of cultivating soil fertility, from spring to early autumn, potted orchids can be used every month, and fertilizer or thin cake fertilizer can be used every month. After entering autumn, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should be applied continuously twice, such as 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution, to increase the cold resistance of the plant and promote the quality of young buds and early growth, so that they can survive the winter. Topdressing should be stopped in winter to prevent damage to the roots, causing leaves to turn yellow or shrink, otherwise it will be difficult to restore the plant's original appearance.

6. Pest control

1. Diseases

1. Anthracnose mainly affects seedlings and adult leaves. Infected leaves, mostly leaf blades, leaf tips, and leaf margins, are brown, irregular in shape, often extending or merging into gray-brown large spots, with brown and wavy edges. There are many small black spots on the lesions, namely its acervuli. Conidia are spread by wind and rain. When humidity is high, the spores invade and infect leaves or seedlings, which is harmful under continuous rainy days, insufficient sunlight, soil viscosity, or moisture in the greenhouse. It is more prevalent within 24 months. Control methods: promptly discover and remove a small number of diseased leaves; add phosphorus and potassium fertilizer during the growing season to improve plant resistance; at the beginning of the disease, use 25% charcoal wettable powder 500 times, or 60% charcoal wettable powder 700 times liquid, or 75% methyl thiophanate wettable powder 600 times liquid, alternately spray every 10 days to 15 days - times, 3 times to 4 times.

From April to May, brown spot disease occurs on the new leaves of the plant. Oval yellow-brown lesions begin to appear on the leaf surface, and then continuously expand. Black small spots and lesions appear on the front of the lesions. The backs of the leaves are purple, so the entire leaf turns yellow and withers, causing a large number of leaves to fall. Control methods: 1% Bordeaux mixture can be used for prevention; when a small number of diseased leaves appear, burn them in time; at the beginning of the disease, 50% carbendazim wettable powder 500 times liquid or 50% benomyl wettable powder 1000 times liquid, or 50% disinfectant king aqueous solution 1000 times, alternately spray 3 times to 4 times every 10 days.

3. Brown root disease. The roots of the tree gradually turn yellow and droop. When severe, the brown leaves dry and dry, the stem loses water and shrinks, the roots turn brown and rot, and the diseased plant dies. In a short time. The source of the disease, the diseased soil, and the remaining diseased residual strains are the main sources of infection caused by wind and rain or contact, and usually occur as a single plant. Control methods: severely damaged plants and plants that die from disease should be rooted out and burned, and disinfected with 50% carbendazim wettable powder 600 times liquid; in the early stage of the disease, 50% methyl thiophanate-sulfur suspension 800 times liquid, or 50% root rot wettable powder 800 times liquid, for prevention and treatment.

2. Pests

1. Leaf roller occurs mostly in summer and autumn. It rolls several new leaves into a nest, and the larvae lurk inside to feed on the leaves. It can be controlled with 90% trichlorfon crystal 800 times solution, or 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate 1000 times, by spraying.

2. Locusts. The tender leaves and young buds of Lanyu cinnamon are prone to damage from aphids sucking, causing the leaves to become greasy, which in turn causes sooty mold and affects plant growth and display. Control methods: after planting grass and wood ash on the plants, wash with water; spray the bitter juice of the leaves to effectively kill insects; spray with 10% imidacloprid WP 2000 times.