Techniques for cultivating multi-top cycads
The editor will answer your questions about the introduction of cycads for home gardening, the cultivation techniques of multi-top cycads, read on!
Cycads are one of the commonly used species in modern landscape greening, favored for their upright, graceful, evergreen, and sturdy posture, symbolizing longevity, health, and auspiciousness, and known as the "plant panda". Among the many cycad varieties, the cycas revoluta from the coastal areas of our province has the highest ornamental value. To meet market demands, in recent years, the gardening department has vigorously developed cycad production, cultivating a large number of cycad seedlings. However, most of the existing cultivated plants are single-top, single-trunk plants, while cultivating multi-top cycads can not only enhance their ornamental value but also increase economic benefits. In the past decade, during the research on cycads, the author has accumulated some experience in cultivating multi-top cycads, which is reported as follows.
1 Materials and Methods
1.1 Materials
The species is cycas revoluta from Fujian, using cycad plants of different ages, cycad bulbs, and seeds as the experimental materials.
1.2 Methods
1. Decapitation method: Cut off a section from the top of the mature cycad to form a tree stump, and the following year, adventitious buds (small bulbs) will grow at the top of the trunk, and in the third year, decide whether to keep or remove them according to the shaping needs to form a multi-top cycad. 2. Oblique planting method: Plant the cycad trunk at a 45-degree angle to the ground, and many small bulbs will grow at the rootstock the following year, and select and retain according to the shaping needs. 3. Scalding method: Scald the top bud of the cycad with a soldering iron, and after a certain period, small bulbs will sprout from the base, and they will be carved year by year. 4. Splicing method: Retain the top buds of two (or more) small cycad bulbs, make a diagonal cut to remove about 1/3 of the stem side, then splice the cuts together, and use plastic strips to tie them tightly as in grafting, and they will heal and bond. 5.凿伤法: Use a chisel or a large nail to damage the top bud, and multiple new buds will sprout around the wound, thus obtaining a multi-top cycad. 6. Trunk division method: Cut the trunk horizontally (or diagonally) into several sections, then split them vertically into blocks and bury them horizontally (or diagonally) in the sandbed with the epidermis upwards, and under proper conditions, the tubers will sprout one or several bulbils, and they will be cultivated. 7. Assembly method: Plant two (or more) compatible plants together. 8. Ball connection method: Dig up the connected small bulbs from the asexual reproduction on old trees and plant them. 9. Double embryo method: Some seeds produced by sexual reproduction can grow two small seedlings tightly connected, naturally forming a multi-top cycad.
2 Results and Analysis
It can be seen that except for the trunk division and splicing methods, the survival rate of multi-top cycads obtained by the other cultivation methods reached 100%, with the trunk division method being the worst at only 70%. In terms of the number of buds, the decapitation method produces the most adventitious buds, reaching 5-10; followed by the凿伤法, which can produce 5-8 buds per plant; the double embryo method is the least, with only 2. Although the scalding method produces only 3-5 buds per plant, the age of the donor tree required is only 3-5 years; the ball connection method requires the shortest tree age, 1-2 years. The double embryo method needs to be cultivated through sowing.
3 Summary and Discussion
Among the nine tested cultivation methods, although the decapitation, oblique planting, scalding, and凿伤法 methods vary in operation, their basic principles are roughly the same, all aiming to destroy the apical dominance of the plant to make dormant buds germinate or produce adventitious buds for cultivation. The decapitation method cuts the trunk, destroying the apical dominance, and at the same time, callus can form at the top cross-section, differentiating to produce adventitious buds; the oblique planting method, due to the geotropism of plant growth, destroys the apical dominance, causing multiple small bulbs to grow at the base of the trunk; the scalding and凿伤法 methods, due to the scalding or wounding of the top bud, destroy the apical dominance, allowing dormant buds to break dormancy and sprout, and on the other hand, meristematic tissue forms near the wound and differentiates into adventitious buds that then form bulbs. The decapitation method may produce the most adventitious buds due to the large area of injury and the resulting callus. The double embryo method uses seeds produced by sexual reproduction to cultivate multi-top cycads, but this type of seed that can grow two small seedlings cannot be bred deterministically, it is completely random, so it is difficult to apply in large quantities. In addition to this, the other methods can be completed artificially and can be used as ways to cultivate multi-top cycads of different shapes.
When applying specifically, the following issues should be noted:
1. The production of multi-top cycads should be carried out during the dormant period when the temperature is low, there is little rain, and the air humidity is low, as the plant stores abundant nutrients, and it is not easily infected after cutting, with faster wound healing.
2. The cut wound needs to be exposed to sunlight or infrared light and then sealed with wax to avoid direct contact with soil or air.
3. Cycads have a fleshy stem and roots, so excessive watering should be avoided, as it can cause root and stem rot or leaf overgrowth, making the leaves sparse and long.
4. Cycad bonsai need full sunlight to grow well, so after placing them indoors for a period, they need to be exposed to sunlight, especially during the leaf sprouting season, otherwise, the leaves will be long and sparse, making them less ornamental.
5. The cultivation of multi-top cycads is a refined biotechnology that requires careful carving and fine work to produce high-quality plants.
The above is the small experience of the cultivation techniques of multi-top cycads, hoping it can bring help to you in life!