How to plant the Chinese jujube tree
Today, we will introduce the experience of planting Chinese jujube trees and the management techniques for planting and cultivating Chinese jujube trees, with the following specific content:
The Chinese jujube is one of the main wild economic tree species in the shallow mountain and hilly areas of the Taihang Mountains. Its seeds contain triterpenoid saponins and flavonoid compounds, which have liver-protecting, calming, sedative, and diaphoretic effects, making it a core Chinese medicinal material for treating insomnia and other conditions. In recent years, with the continuous increase in market demand, the area of artificial planting of Chinese jujube trees has significantly increased. Research on improving the survival rate of Chinese jujube planting and post-planting management techniques, promoting early fruiting, high yield, and stable yield, is beneficial to the healthy and sustainable development of the Chinese jujube industry.
1 Chinese jujube tree planting techniques
1.1 Selection of Chinese jujube seedlings
When selecting Chinese jujube seedlings, choose strong, disease-free, and complete-rooted seedlings. Eliminate unqualified weak, diseased, and injured seedlings and sort the seedlings. Under similar site conditions, cultivation techniques, and management levels, the quality of Chinese jujube seedlings has a significant impact on their survival rate and growth and development. Poor-quality seedlings have a low survival rate and weak growth after survival. Larger seedlings have a higher survival rate than smaller ones, so it is preferable to choose larger Chinese jujube seedlings for planting.
1.2 Pre-planting treatment
Before digging out the Chinese jujube trees, water them thoroughly to ensure the trees have sufficient water, which can prevent the roots from tearing during digging. When digging, try to bring as many fibrous roots as possible to reduce root damage and ensure intact seedling roots. Before transplanting Chinese jujube,剪掉 the secondary branches of the seedlings, otherwise, after planting, the large evaporation of the above-ground part can easily cause the tree to lose water, affecting its survival rate. In areas with conditions, soaking the seedling roots in an ABT root-promoting powder solution of 50-100 mg/kg before planting can significantly improve the survival rate. Root repair should also be carried out before planting, cutting off dry, diseased, insect-infested, and weak roots, and ensuring that the cut surfaces are smooth for wound healing.
1.3 Planting
Spring planting of Chinese jujube trees should be carried out after the soil thaws and before the seedlings germinate, while autumn planting should be carried out after the leaves fall and before the soil freezes. When digging holes, the topsoil and subsoil should be piled separately, and each hole should be fertilized with 10 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer and 0.5 kg of superphosphate. When planting, the seedling roots should be spread out and straightened, following the steps of "burying three times, treading twice, and lifting the seedling once" to ensure that the roots and soil are closely bound together. The depth of the buried soil should be about 5 cm higher than the original position of the seedling. After watering, the soil will slightly settle, and the depth of the buried soil will be basically the same as the original position of the seedling.
2 Pruning techniques
2.1 Trunk shortening
In the first year of planting the Chinese jujube tree, the trunk should be shortened to cultivate strong scaffold branches. Trunk shaping should be carried out in early spring before germination, with a height of 50 cm. After shortening the trunk, the first secondary branch below the cut should be removed from the base, and the main stem's枣头 should be trained into a central leader branch. Then, select three secondary branches, leaving one node on each for heavy shortening to promote the growth of枣头 and cultivate the first layer of main branches. All branches below the first layer of main branches should be removed to save nutrients and accelerate tree growth and development. For Chinese jujube varieties with high germination rates and strong branching ability, trunk shortening is usually carried out in the first year of planting. For varieties with low germination rates and weak branching ability, trunk shortening is generally not performed in the first year of planting, but rather when the trunk diameter reaches 2 cm or more.
2.2 Gouging
Before the Chinese jujube trees germinate in March, remove the secondary branches above the main buds on the trunk or perennial branches and make a crescent-shaped wound 1 cm long and 1-2 mm wide, reaching the wood of the branch, to promote the germination of main buds and branching. By gouging the trunk or lateral branches, you can direct the cultivation of fruiting branch groups, evenly distribute the overall branch groups of the tree, improve ventilation and light conditions, cultivate a reasonable tree structure, extend the economic lifespan, increase yield, and improve economic benefits.
2.3 Bud removal
In April and May, remove the unnecessary young main buds from the main branches and branch groups to reduce the unnecessary nutrient consumption of the tree and maintain a reasonable tree structure. When removing buds, follow the principles of removing weak buds, retaining strong ones, removing inner buds, and retaining outer ones. First, remove the buds that are in unsuitable positions to save nutrients and promote the healthy growth of new buds; second, due to the pinching of the main buds, if not removed in time, it can easily cause tree closure, leading to blossom and fruit drop, reducing fruit yield and quality.
2.4 Pinching
In June and July, when the new Chinese jujube branches are not yet lignified, pinching is used to control the nutritional growth of the branches, which is beneficial for cultivating strong fruiting branch groups and fruiting of the枣吊 in the same year. Chinese jujube pinching is divided into枣头 pinching, secondary branch pinching, and lignified枣吊 pinching.枣头 pinching refers to removing the main bud at the top of the Chinese jujube to eliminate the apical dominance, reduce the consumption of nutrients by the branches and leaves, alleviate the competition for nutrients between growth and fruiting, promote the acceleration of bud differentiation and flower bud formation in the lower secondary branches and枣吊, and promote flowering and fruit setting in the same year. Secondary branch pinching is not time-limited, and the earlier the pinching, the more obvious the effect on promoting the growth, flowering, and fruit setting of the枣吊. Lignified枣吊 branches grow strongly, and timely pinching after flowering and fruit setting can promote the growth and development of other枣吊.
2.5 Branch bending
Branch bending is generally carried out in June and July. During the growing season, gently press the base and middle-lower parts of the current year's枣头 first and secondary branches several times to change the vertical growth of the branches to horizontal growth, which can moderate the growth momentum and is beneficial for flowering and fruit setting. If the branches are too tender, they can easily break when bending; if the branches are fully lignified, bending is not easy to perform.
3 Soil, fertilizer, and water management techniques
3.1 Irrigation
After planting the Chinese jujube trees, immediate irrigation should be carried out. The second irrigation 7-10 days after planting is also crucial for the survival rate of the seedlings. After watering, when the soil is slightly dry, it is necessary to loosen the soil, level the tree basin, and cover it with plastic film. The third irrigation should be carried out in late May, and then stopped. A winter irrigation should be carried out before the soil freezes after defoliation, which can ensure a survival rate of over 95% for移植.
3.2 Topdressing
To promote plant growth, combine irrigation with the application of 50 g of compound fertilizer and 1 kg of manure to each plant. Dig a small hole on each side of the plant 20 cm away, mix urea and manure, and apply them. In July, spray 0.3% potassium phosphate fertilizer on the leaves to ensure sufficient leaf nutrition and promote the production of organic matter through photosynthesis, which is beneficial for tree growth and development.
3.3 Tillage, weeding, and mulching
After irrigation, tillage should be carried out to ensure that the moisture is not lost. First, manually remove the weeds in the plant rows to ensure no weeds. After tillage, promptly cover the soil with mulching film to retain moisture, using black plastic film for trench mulching. When laying the film, press the soil on both sides of the film to prevent air leakage. After laying the film, water the plants to maintain soil moisture.
4 Pest and disease control techniques
4.1 Control principles
First, prevention is the main strategy, with comprehensive control. Starting from the characteristics of Chinese jujube tree production and the concept of ecosystem, attention should be paid to both immediate control effects and long-term production characteristics, while also protecting beneficial organisms and reducing side effects. Second, prioritize major pests and diseases while also preventing and treating minor ones. In different regions and at different growth stages of Chinese jujube trees, focus on the main pest and disease species, concentrate efforts to solve the most harmful pests and diseases to production, and take preventive measures for minor pests and diseases. Third, carry out group prevention and control while paying attention to individual plants. Mainly control the occurrence and harm of pests and diseases in the population, while individual plant infections are often the basis and precursors of population infections, and提前应对 measures should be taken.
4.2 Control techniques
First, strengthen the quarantine of seedling pests and diseases, which is an important way to prevent the spread of pests and diseases such as枣疯病 and枣粉蚧; second, fully utilize agricultural comprehensive control techniques, cultivate and use pest and disease-resistant varieties, maintain garden hygiene, timely remove pest and disease residues and branches, and destroy the breeding and overwintering sites of pests and diseases; third, use physical factors such as light, temperature, and radiation, and simple equipment to control Chinese jujube pests and diseases, which has no pollution and does not destroy ecological balance; fourth, promote biological control techniques, use beneficial organisms and their metabolic products to control pests and diseases, which has the characteristics of being non-harmful and sustainable; fifth, scientifically use chemical agents for control, ensure the quality of spraying, and prevent the development of resistance.
4.3 Specific control methods
After planting, the Chinese jujube tree should mainly focus on the prevention and control of pests and diseases such as green stink bugs, jujube gall midges, red spiders, and leaf rust. Green stink bugs and jujube gall midges should be prevented and controlled before germination and after harvest, using a combination of emamectin benzoate and thiamethoxam. For red spider control, apply adhesive glue to form a closed adhesive ring 2 cm wide in the middle of the tree trunk. If the pest density is high, apply again after 40 days to prevent red spiders from transferring to the tree to cause harm. For leaf rust control, spray a 1:2:200 lime Bordeaux mixture before the rainy season, and after a month, spray 20% myclobutanil 2000 times.
5 Overwintering and cold protection techniques
5.1 Mounding soil for cold protection
Soil mounds should be built on the north side of the tree base to protect the rootstock, which not only helps the tree resist the cold but also reduces water evaporation.
5.2 Irrigation to prevent freezing
Before the severe cold arrives, irrigation should be carried out once. The best time for watering is after defoliation and before the soil freezes. If it is not possible to water in time, the watering period can be postponed, but it is not suitable to water when the temperature is below zero.
5.3 Trunk cold protection
Scrape off the rough, old, and flaky bark from the trunk, wrap the cracked parts of the tree, apply whitewash to the trunk, bind straw, which can not only prevent sunburn and control pests but also prevent rabbits from biting the bark, helping the tree to overwinter safely.
The above is a comprehensive explanation of how to plant Chinese jujube trees and the management techniques for planting and cultivating Chinese jujube trees. I hope it can serve as a starting point to solve your green plant problems.