How to care for Ulmaceae plum
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Ulmaceae plum is a shrub of the Rosaceae peach genus, 2-3 meters high; also known as Elm plum, small peach red, Elm leaf phoenix branch, etc. It is named because its leaves resemble Elm leaves and its flowers look like plum blossoms. Ulmaceae plum has lush branches and leaves, and its flowers are colorful and beautiful, making it suitable for planting in park lawns, roadsides, or corners of gardens and near ponds. It has high ornamental value and can also be used as a potted plant or as a cut flower. Ulmaceae plum is the main flowering plant for spring viewing in the northern regions, blooming with dense flowers before leaves like the Chinese flowering peach.
Ulmaceae plum is native to North and Northeast China, loves light, is slightly shade-tolerant, cold-resistant, and can survive at -35℃. It is not strict about soil requirements, preferring neutral to slightly alkaline and fertile soil. It has a developed root system and is drought-resistant but does not tolerate flooding. It has strong disease resistance and grows on slopes or beside ditches at low to medium altitudes under trees or on forest edges.
The leaves on short branches of Ulmaceae plum are usually clustered, while the leaves on one-year-old branches are alternate; the leaves are broadly elliptical to obovate, 2-6 cm long and 1.5-3 (4) cm wide, with short acuminate tips, often 3-lobed, and broad cuneate bases. The upper surface has sparse pubescence or is hairless, while the lower surface is covered with short pubescence. The leaf edges have coarse or double sawtooth serrations; the petioles are 5-10 mm long and pubescent. The flowers are 1-2, opening before the leaves, 2-3 cm in diameter; the pedicels are 4-8 mm long; the calyx tubes are broadly campanulate, 3-5 mm long, hairless or slightly pubescent when young; the sepals are ovate or ovate-lanceolate, hairless, with sparse small serrations near the tip; the petals are nearly circular or broadly obovate, 6-10 mm long, rounded at the tip, sometimes slightly concave, pink; there are about 25-30 stamens, shorter than the petals; the ovary is densely pubescent, and the style is slightly longer than the stamens.
I. Propagation methods of Ulmaceae plum: The propagation methods of Ulmaceae plum include seed propagation and grafting. Since seed propagation cannot maintain the original characteristics of the variety and may result in some reverting to single-petal flowers, reducing ornamental value, grafting is a better method. The rootstock for grafting includes single-petal Ulmaceae plum, mountain peach, or hairy peach seedlings. The rootstock usually needs to be cultivated for more than two years, with a base diameter of about 1.5 cm. Before grafting, the tree stump should be cut off, leaving 5 to 7 cm above the ground surface. Bud grafting is done from late August to mid-September, and branch grafting is done in mid-to-late March of the following spring. Branch-grafted branches can bloom the next year, and summer bud-grafted branches can bloom in the third year, while seed propagation takes three years to fully bloom.
II. Cultivation and Management: Ulmaceae plum prefers a cool climate, is cold-resistant, drought-resistant, and thin-soil-tolerant, and not strict about soil requirements. It grows well in deep, fertile, loose sandy loam and slightly acidic soil rich in humus. The cultivation and management of Ulmaceae plum are relatively relaxed, only requiring the pruning of rootstock suckers and updating branches after flowering. The flowering branches should be cut off to promote the growth of new branches because the flower buds of Ulmaceae plum are on the new branches. Old branches that are not updated have weak growth and fewer and瘦 flower buds, resulting in fewer flowers the next year. After pruning, appropriate fertilization and watering are necessary to promote the healthy growth of new branches. Fertilize once before winter and during the differentiation period of flower buds from June to September. After early spring flowering and leaf expansion, Ulmaceae plum consumes a lot of nutrients, and top-dressing at this time is very beneficial for the post-flowering growth of the plant, making it grow vigorously with lush branches and leaves. During the flower bud differentiation period from June to September, some phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be applied.
In summer, Ulmaceae plum is prone to leaf-eating pests such as刺蛾 (ichneumon fly), 舟形毛虫 (boat-shaped caterpillar), 饺子虫 (dumpling caterpillar), and aphid infestations on new shoots. These can be controlled by spraying with 1500 times dilution of carbaryl or 1% tobacco water.
The above sharing on how to care for Ulmaceae plum and the specific content of cultivation and management are for everyone's reference and operation.