Planting Methods and Cultivation Technique Essentials for the Chinese Honeylocust (Gleditsia sinensis)
Gleditsia tree (Gleditsia sinensis), whose standard Chinese name is "zaojia", is a legume family plant and a deciduous tree. Its pods are pod-shaped, can be used as medicine, and also serve as soap. It is a plant endemic to China. It generally grows in valleys, mountain slope forests and roadsides, and has not yet been introduced and cultivated artificially. There is a book collection of the same name, "Gleditsia Tree".
How to treat Chinese honeylocust seeds
1. Seed treatment. The seeds of the "thorn-making tree" are the thickest and hardest seeds among seeds in terms of their leathery seed coat. They are dark brown, flat-oval, and the hidden embryo bud is not obvious, located at the slightly concave point of the pointed end of the oval. Because the hard leathery coat makes it very difficult for water to enter, special treatment must be taken for them to germinate.
1. Boiling water soaking method: Place the seeds in a container, pour 100°C boiling water from a kettle onto the seeds, stirring with a wooden stick while pouring. When the added water exceeds the seeds, stop adding water, continue stirring until the water temperature is 40°C, then seal the container mouth tightly and soak for 12-20 hours. Separate out the seeds that have swelled and float on the surface. Place them in another container, cover with pure cotton cloth to keep moist, and wait to sow or sow in batches. For seeds that have not swelled, repeat the above method of adding boiling water. Seeds that have not swelled after several soakings are seeds that cannot germinate.
2. Sandcloth abrasion method: The sandcloth abrasion method is to rub the seed coat on the large end of the seed on No. 0 fine sandcloth (do not rub the embryo bud at the pointed end). As long as the seed coat is rubbed so that the seed can easily take in water, it will swell. Soak the rubbed seeds in room-temperature water for 12 hours and they can then be sown. The sand abrasion method has a higher germination rate than the water soaking method, and this method is generally adopted.
How to cultivate the Chinese honeylocust tree, cultivation techniques for Chinese honeylocust
Planting season: In the north, sowing from April to June is suitable; in the Central Plains and areas to the south, sowing from March to July; in different regions, it is best when the natural temperature is stable at 13°C. Planting adopts two methods: raising seedlings first and then transplanting, or direct sowing.
1. Seedling method: Apply sufficient decomposed farmyard manure in the seedling bed (unfermented raw manure is prohibited), about 4 cubic meters per mu as base fertilizer (do not use chemical fertilizer). Water the seedling bed thoroughly, and after the water has completely soaked into the ground, evenly scatter the seeds on the seedling bed and cover with 5 cm of loose fine soil. Ridge seedling raising can also be used: open a 5 cm deep furrow on the ridge, irrigate sufficiently, and dibble the swollen seeds in the furrow at a spacing of 5 cm, covering with no more than 4 cm of soil.
2. Direct sowing method: Direct sowing should be carried out when soil moisture is good, the ground is moist, and irrigation conditions are available. Open a 5 cm deep furrow along the defense line. If the soil moisture is insufficient, irrigate before sowing. The sowing method can follow the dibbling method of the ridge seedling raising described above. The covering soil must not exceed 6 cm. If there are underground pests, an appropriate amount of pesticide should be mixed into the swollen seeds to ensure the seedling emergence rate.
How to transplant the Chinese honeylocust tree
When the seedlings grow to 25-30 cm, they can be transplanted along the defense line. When transplanting, it is best to keep the soil ball. First open a 15 cm deep planting furrow along the defense line. The planting depth should be at the original soil mark of the seedling in the seedling bed. Space them 20 cm apart. After planting, irrigate thoroughly. When cracks appear in the ground on both sides of the seedling, carry out one intertillage when the moisture is suitable, so as to preserve soil moisture. After the seedlings have completely survived, an appropriate amount of urea can be applied when watering or raining to promote seedling growth. One-year-old seedlings should be transplanted after leaf fall in autumn or before bud break in spring.