How to Plant Forsythia
Share with everyone the experience of planting Forsythia and the detailed characteristics and planting methods of this flowering plant. Let's learn about it together next.
Characteristics of Forsythia
Forsythia is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 3 meters tall. The stems are erect, the branches are hollow, often drooping, and the internodes are hollow without pith. The leaves are opposite, petiolate, ovate, with serrated edges, pointed at the apex, rounded or cuneate at the base, and some form compound leaves with three leaflets. The flowers bloom before the leaves, bright yellow, 1-3 flowers per axil, with 4-lobed petals that are elliptical in shape. The fruit is ovoid, with two chambers. The seeds have wings. The flowering period is from April to May, and the fruiting period is from June to September. There are many varieties of Forsythia, including Forsythia in Northeast China, ovate Forsythia, golden bell Forsythia, weeping Forsythia, and variegated Forsythia.
Cultivation Methods
1. Cultivation: The common methods of cultivating Forsythia include sowing, dividing, and cutting.
① Sowing: Collect Forsythia seeds in August-September, select mature fruits, dry them in the sun, tap them to remove impurities, and obtain pure seeds. Store them at 5-10°C, and around March 10th of the following year (25-35 days before sowing), start germination. Soak the seeds in a gibberellic acid alcohol solution at a ratio of 1:2000 for 3-4 hours to break dormancy; then mix them with wet river sand at a ratio of 1:1000 and place them at a temperature of 10-20°C for about 30 days to germinate. Then, broadcast them into prepared beds that are 120 cm wide and 15 cm high, at a depth of 2 cm, with a row spacing of 30 cm and 3 rows per bed. Water promptly and remove weeds; they can grow to 60-90 cm in the first year.
② Dividing: Before the ground freezes in autumn, cut clusters of Forsythia, with 3-5 branches per group, vertically from the mother plant, soak them in a rooting hormone solution for 3 minutes, and immediately plant them in prepared holes, watering thoroughly to overwinter. This can also be done in spring, when the soil has thawed to a depth of about 35 cm.
③ Cutting: After flowering, select vigorous two-year-old branches from the Forsythia mother plant, cut them into 35-40 cm segments, soak the lower end in a rooting hormone solution for 10-20 minutes, and then insert them into prepared beds at a spacing of 10 cm apart and 25 cm between rows. Use iron rods or thin bamboo as arch-shaped supports, cover with plastic film, and provide some shading, watering sufficiently. The survival rate is over 95%. They can be transplanted the following year.
2. Management: Forsythia is a temperate plant that prefers warm and humid climates and is also cold-resistant, enjoys sunlight but can tolerate some shade; it is not very particular about soil, can tolerate drought and poor soil. It grows normally in neutral, slightly acidic, or alkaline soils. When planting, choose a sunny, well-drained area, apply 2 kg of farm manure per hole at planting, and usually no additional fertilization is needed. In special cases, if there are signs of weak growth, apply manure to the roots after defoliation and water thoroughly. After flowering, cut off the withered and dense branches to promote new growth; aging branches can be pruned to a height of 10-20 cm from the ground during the dormant period for renewal. Forsythia has strong antibacterial and insecticidal properties and rarely suffers from diseases or pests.
Currently, the supply of Forsythia in the medicinal herb market is insufficient, and prices are rising. Farmers can plant large areas on barren hills and land converted from farming to forest, which can be used to harvest medicinal herbs and also greenify the barren hills. Application 1. Medicinal: Forsythia is slightly cold and bitter in nature, with the function of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and dissipating nodules. It is mainly used to treat symptoms such as irritability due to heat, erysipelas, carbuncles, boils, lymphadenopathy, and leprosy. Forsythia fruit contains forsythol and other components, and Forsythia decoction has a strong killing effect on various pathogenic microorganisms. Forsythol is most effective against Staphylococcus aureus and dysentery bacillus and has a strong inhibitory effect on influenza virus. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine often combines Forsythia with other herbs to treat breast cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, lung cancer, and skin cancer with good results. Forsythia can be processed into various preparations such as silver Forsythia detoxifying pills, tablets, or capsules.
2. Ornamental: Forsythia flowers early in spring, with bell-shaped flowers covering the entire branch, resembling yellow ribbons, golden and bright, suitable for planting in parks, schools, courtyards, hotels, tourist areas, beside houses, and roadsides. They can be planted singly or in groups. When planted with Prunus triloba,锦带 (Kintomi), and Syringa oblata that bloom around the same time, the red, yellow, and pink colors交织 together, creating a strong color contrast and are very popular among citizens.
3. Edible: Forsythia seeds can be used to extract edible oils.
4. Beauty: The flowers and unripe fruits of Forsythia, when collected and boiled for 20 minutes, can be used to wash the face every morning or before bed, which has good antibacterial, acaricidal, and skincare effects. Long-term use can eliminate facial lentigo and butterfly spots, reduce acne and wrinkles.
The above content on how to plant Forsythia and the detailed characteristics and planting methods can help you. I hope everyone will also come to see more green plant and flower experience and knowledge!