How to propagate Ilex crenata
Let me tell you about how to propagate Ilex crenata and the related knowledge of Ilex crenata cutting time and methods. It's some very good experience and knowledge, so I recommend collecting it!
Ilex crenata is a type of holly plant that can grow up to 5 meters tall; the leaves are small and dense, convex on the surface, elliptical or obovate in shape. The leaf color is bright, the edges are serrated, and there are short villi along the main vein on the front, while the rest of the area and the back are hairless, with 3-5 pairs of inconspicuous lateral veins. Ilex crenata has many branches and a moderate growth rate, making it one of the plants suitable for pruning and highly ornamental. In landscape gardening, Ilex crenata can be planted alone, in groups, or as hedges, with a broad application prospect.
1 Morphological characteristics
The male and female flowers of Ilex crenata have different shapes. Male flowers consist of 1-7 single flowers forming an umbel, with pedicels about 4-9 mm long, short secondary axes only 1 mm long. The male flowers of Ilex crenata have four petals, which are open and elliptical, small and delicate. The stamens are short, not as long as the petals, with anthers about 0.8 mm long. The mature ovary is pointed at the top, with an overall conical shape. Female flowers are usually composed of several single flowers forming an umbel; the pedicels are generally 3.5-6 mm long, with slightly thicker pedicels at the top supporting position, having longitudinal ridges, and 1 or 2 small bracts in the middle; the ovary is ovate, the stigma is disc-shaped, and 4-lobed. Female flowers usually bloom from May to June, and the fruit grows from August to October.
2 Cutting propagation
2.1 Cutting bed and time
In terms of nursery site selection, it should be combined with various factors such as the site's own conditions (irrigation and drainage channels, flatness of the terrain), the completeness of water and electricity infrastructure, and the convenience of transportation, etc. Before cutting, clear the grassroots, stones, garbage, and other debris from the soil and rake the ground flat, preparing the seedbed 15-20 cm below the ground. The prepared seedbed is 120 cm wide, with a 40 cm wide walkway reserved, and the surface of the seedbed should be as flat as possible, ensuring the construction of water and electricity infrastructure is complete and available for normal use. In addition, the seedbed should be disinfected, with a commonly used disinfectant being 50% carbendazim wettable powder 500 times solution, and then covered with plastic film for 2-3 days after disinfection. The cutting time is affected by seasonal factors and weather conditions, with the best cutting time in summer from May to June, and in autumn from September to the first ten days of October. During high-temperature weather, avoid cutting at the hottest time of the day.
2.2 Selection and treatment of cuttings
The selection of the mother plant cuttings should be based on three to four-year-old, vigorous growth, and free from diseases and pests, laying a good foundation for subsequent plant growth. If choosing the current year's non-fully lignified branches, not only should the transportation speed be accelerated but also preservation work should be done. The treatment of cuttings mainly includes pruning, moisturizing, and disinfection. Pruning should select leaves larger than 3 cm, retaining 6-7 leaves, and the rest of the leaves do not need to be retained. The cutting interface should be kept smooth, and the prepared cuttings should be placed in a shady place for moisturizing. Use 80% mancozeb wettable powder 800 times solution as a disinfectant for cutting disinfection, with the cut end immersed in a depth of 3-4 cm for 2 minutes.
2.3 Cutting method
The cuttings should be prepared immediately before use to ensure the highest freshness and vitality during cutting. The spacing between cuttings is 2-3 cm, row spacing is 5 cm, and depth is 2-3 cm. After cutting, water should be applied until the soil is completely soaked, and the arch shed should be made of plastic material, with an external shading net (shading rate of about 75%) and internal hanging thermometers and hygrometers.
3 Post-cutting management
3.1 Humidity and temperature control
After cutting, it is necessary to monitor the temperature and humidity changes in the shed for 30 days to ensure relative humidity is greater than 90% and the maximum temperature does not exceed 38°C, with a shading rate of 75%-85%. Regularly check for any damage or sealing issues in the plastic film to avoid water loss.
3.2 Seedbed management
After cutting, the seedbed should be thoroughly watered, usually in the morning or evening, and excess water should be drained in time to avoid cutting decay. Monitor the root growth of the cuttings in time, and every half month after rooting, spray a mixture of 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate and 0.1% urea solution on the leaves, spraying three times to evenly cover the leaves.
3.3 Uncovering the film and hardening off
In the hot and humid summer, with poor air circulation, it is necessary to ventilate the seedbed every month. By July, the film can be removed, and by the beginning of September, the shading cloth can be removed. In autumn, the ventilation interval is slightly longer, about 40-50 days, by uncovering the ends of the film for ventilation, and after ventilation is completed, the film is covered again. From February to March of the following year, the film and shading net can be gradually removed.
4 Seedling transplanting and management
4.1 Seedling transplanting
Seedling transplanting requires higher soil quality, so it is necessary to turn the soil and remove grassroots, weeds, stones, and other debris before transplanting. The transplanting date should also be adjusted according to the cutting season. If the cutting is in summer, the transplanting date is from mid-October to early November of the same year. If the cutting is in autumn, the transplanting date is from early March to early April of the following year. The row spacing of the transplanted seedlings is 20 cm × 15 cm, with the proper transplanting depth to avoid root compaction due to excessive transplanting depth.
4.2 Post-transplanting management
During transplanting, the new shoots of the seedlings should face up and the roots downward, and all should be wrapped in compacted soil for better preservation. The time from transplanting to planting should be as short as possible. After transplanting, water the seedbed thoroughly and drain excess water in time to avoid root rot. The watering frequency varies with the season, with spring being relatively dry and soil moisture loss fast, so water every half month to ensure sufficient water supply. In summer, monitor soil moisture and water in the morning or evening. When preparing the land for transplanting, turn the soil and apply 400-500 kg/acre of decomposed organic fertilizer; in spring and summer, when the seedlings are in a lush growth period, apply nitrogen fertilizer to supply nutrients to the leaves, while in autumn and winter, when the seedlings are in a slow growth period, apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to promote root and stem strengthening.
4.3 Shaping and pruning
Pinching has certain requirements for the growth of seedlings and should be done on the semi-woody new shoots of the current year's transplanted seedlings, selecting the new shoot parts of long branches or main branches and avoiding branches infected with diseases and pests. For ball-shaped seedling pruning, at least one-year-old seedlings should be selected and pruning should be completed during their growing period. Pruning should be moderate, pruning branches that exceed the average edge to maintain the roundness of the overall seedling.
5 Disease and pest control
Warm, humid, and sunny environments are most suitable for the growth of Ilex crenata 'Golden Leaf'. Ilex crenata has bright colors, moderate growth rate, easy branching, providing excellent conditions for shaping, and has strong resistance to diseases and pests. The main diseases and pests that occur in Ilex crenata 'Golden Leaf' are stem rot disease, branch blight, and white scale insects.
Stem rot disease refers to the occurrence of patchy, edematous, brown discoloration, rot, and odor on the stem surface near the ground. These phenomena will gradually spread from local to overall, producing white granules, affecting the survival of the seedlings. The disease is prone to occur from April, with May to July being the high incidence period. The cause of the disease is due to the accumulation of water in the soil that is not drained in time and poor ventilation leading to rot. Therefore, during planting, control the planting density, improve the drainage system to ensure that water can be drained in time, and regularly ventilate the soil to avoid the massive reproduction of harmful microorganisms. In addition, different fertilizers can be applied according to seasonal factors to help the seedlings grow strong, thereby reducing the probability of being invaded by diseases and pests. Since the initial symptoms of the disease are relatively obvious, the disease can often be controlled at the initial stage. The specific method is to spray the affected area with 50% carbendazim wettable powder 1000 times solution, spraying 3-4 times.
Branch blight occurs at the top of the branch or at the site of外伤 due to pruning. This disease blocks the transport of nutrients in the branch, causing the branch to wither, leaves to fall off, and affecting the life of the entire plant. There are no obvious symptoms at the initial stage of the disease, so it is often ignored by people. When the disease and pests have completely invaded the seedlings, it is difficult to achieve a good effect with treatment. Therefore, relevant personnel should do a good job in the prevention of seedling diseases and pests, and spray 70% mancozeb wettable powder 800 times solution after pruning. From May to June, spray 70% methyl thiophanate or 75% carbendazim wettable powder 600 times solution, spraying once every 10 days for 20-30 days.
White scale insect larvae hatch in early May and attach to the branches near the mother plant, absorbing the nutrients of the branches to maintain their own growth, causing significant damage to the seedlings. Before the seedlings germinate,喷施石硫合剂50倍液 can be used to reduce the reproduction of white scale insects.
6 Landscape design application
In garden landscapes, Ilex crenata is often seen, and its bright colors, easy branching, and moderate growth rate greatly enhance its ornamental value. The leaves of Ilex crenata are delicate, with compact growth, meeting the color and decorative needs of garden landscapes. It can be used as a ground cover to change the traditional application of "shrub + herbaceous", saving the herbaceous planting process and conforming to the development concept of industry conservation.
Landscape design needs to consider the interaction between different plant growth based on layering to make the landscape both beautiful and scientific. The landscape configuration of Ilex crenata should note the following points.
First, Ilex crenata is a leafy ornamental plant, and the leaf significance should be highlighted by combining the color and shape characteristics of the leaves with suitable plants, such as selecting dark-colored or contrasting leaf plants to create a more vibrant leaf color; selecting pure white or red-flowered leaf plants can enhance the color collision and form a colorful picture.
Second, Ilex crenata should also be combined with seasonal factors for matching, highlighting seasonal characteristics. In spring and summer, there are many flowering plant varieties that can be matched together, while in autumn and winter, when there are few flowering plant varieties, the red fruit characteristics of Ilex crenata can be emphasized, or combined with梅花,海棠 fruit to create an exclusive autumn and winter atmosphere.
Third, Ilex crenata has many branches and variable shapes. In landscape design, it should not be limited to a few fixed shapes. In addition to shrub balls and shrub hedges, square, tower, and artistic shapes are also good choices that can brighten the viewer's eyes, such as using columnar non-thorny holly as the core of landscape design, combined with Pennisetum alopecuroides and Cornus alba to add ornamental interest.
7 Conclusion
Among the holly plants, there is no shortage of fruit varieties for autumn and winter viewing, which have full plant shapes, compact growth, bright colors, and strong ornamental development value. At present, the types of holly plants widely used in landscape gardening are relatively few, such as Ilex aquifolium, Ilex crenata, and Ilex coriacea. Other holly plant varieties should be developed to increase the diversity of landscape design. The landscape design of Ilex crenata should pay attention to the following points. First, expand the types of Ilex crenata that can be used to make the landscape design diverse and innovative. Second, change the shapes in multiple ways, such as columnar, pyramidal, square, and layered shapes. Third, explore a variety of autumn and winter colorful plants to create more novel patterns for Ilex crenata ornamental gardens.
The comprehensive knowledge explanation of how to propagate Ilex crenata and its cutting time and methods provided above, hoping it can help you.