What season is best for planting Syringa
This article provides an explanation on the best season for planting Syringa and the timing and methods for Syringa cutting propagation. Next, the editor will introduce.
Syringa belongs to the Oleaceae family, Syringa genus, deciduous shrubs or small trees. It is the city flower of Harbin and is a famous garden plant. It has large inflorescences, abundant blooming, elegant flower color, fragrance, strong habits, and easy cultivation. Therefore, it is widely cultivated and applied in gardens. It is widely cultivated in courtyards in the North China, Northwest, and Northeast regions as a spring flowering plant and is a famous ornamental plant.
Native to North China, Syringa has strong cold resistance and drought resistance, prefers sunny, moist, fertile, and well-drained soil. From April to June every year, when the temperature rapidly rises from 10℃ to about 28℃, various Syringa plants grow rapidly and bloom. It takes 3-5 years for seeds to bloom, and cutting or grafting seedlings can bloom in 1-2 years. The blooming becomes more prosperous after 5 years. It dislikes acidic soil and is averse to waterlogging, humidity, and heat.
I. Syringa Propagation Methods: Syringa propagation methods include seeding, cutting, layering, and division.
Seeding Propagation: Seedlings from seeding do not easily retain their original traits and can result in new flower colors appearing. The cultivation period is also longer. All varieties of purple Syringa can only bloom after 3-4 years of seedlings, and the subgenus of Ligustrum can bloom after 4-5 years. However, cutting or grafting seedlings can bloom in 1-2 years. Therefore, seeding propagation is generally not adopted.
When Syringa fruit turns purplish-red between May and June every year, select plants that are over 5 years old for harvest. It is best to sow immediately after collection. If not sown in time, it is best to peel off the fruit flesh and store it in moist fine sand, then sow in August to September in autumn. The row spacing is about 15 cm and the seed spacing is about 5 cm. After sowing, cover with about 1 cm of soil. Fresh fruit will germinate in 35-45 days, and autumn sowing will germinate in about 10 days. When the seedlings grow to 4-5 cm, they can be transplanted to the seedbed for育苗. When the seedlings are 6-10 cm tall with 4-6 pairs of true leaves, they can be planted.
Cutting Propagation Method: Maintain a temperature of 20-30℃ during cutting, with the bed air humidity over 80%. Hardwood cuttings are usually performed after autumn defoliation, using one-year-old lignified branches, cutting 8-10 cm in length, and inserting them into the prepared seedbed, with a depth of two-thirds of the cutting length. After insertion, spray water, strengthen maintenance, keep the seedbed moist, and the survival rate is high. If spring cutting is to be done, the cuttings should be collected in the late autumn (November) after defoliation and stored in sand.
To accelerate the rooting of Syringa cuttings and increase the number of roots, plant growth hormones can be used to treat the cuttings, which has a significant effect on promoting rooting. Common growth hormones include indole butyric acid, indole acetic acid, naphthyl acetic acid, 2,4-D, and rooting powder, all of which have a good effect on promoting Syringa rooting. For example, using 50-100ppm indole butyric acid to treat old branches, and 5-225ppm indole butyric acid to treat young branches for greenwood cutting. For old and young branches, bundle the branches and soak them in the solution for 12-24 hours. Dipping the cutting ends in 1000ppm 2,4-D powder also has a significant effect on promoting rooting. Soaking the base of the branches in 0.1-0.5% potassium permanganate for 10-24 hours can also sterilize and promote rooting.
Layering Propagation: Syringa layering propagation can be done through high and low layering methods. Low layering is performed in early spring on 1-3-year-old branches. First, bend the Syringa branches near the base or the tip into a 180-degree arc, bury the arc part in the soil, place a stone on it to prevent the branches from flipping out of the soil after rooting. Keep the soil moist after layering, and once rooted, cut the plant below the root formation from the mother plant and plant it elsewhere to become a new plant.
High layering is done by selecting vigorous, upright 2-4-year-old branches on the tree crown. At a distance of 20-30 cm from the base, first strip half to two-thirds of the bark using the ring stripping method, then wrap the wound with a mixture of fertilizer and high-quality compound fertilizer into a ball shape, cover the outside with plastic film to keep it moist. The high layering is usually done in early spring (February to March). By August to September, white roots can be seen through the plastic film, and the layering should be cut 3-5 cm below the layering ball. The cut layering must be immediately planted in a false bed.
Division Propagation Method: Division propagation is done during the Syringa dormancy period. Select 3-4-year-old plants, dig them up, and divide them. When planted in the spring, they can bloom in the same year, but the flowers are small. By the second year, blooming is normal.
II. Syringa Planting: When planting Syringa, it is best to choose a sunny, fertile, and deep-soiled location in the courtyard. It is best to dig the seedlings with soil clumps and trim the branches properly. After planting, pay attention to watering and cover with a thin layer of grass to retain moisture.
III. Syringa Management: After planting Syringa, pay attention to watering to ensure there is no water shortage during the first year of growth. Syringa does not like heavy fertilization. Over-fertilization can easily cause the plant to grow excessively and not bloom. Unripe farm manure should not be used, as it can easily damage the Syringa tree. Adult trees should be pruned to remove withered, weak, and diseased branches to adjust the tree shape, which is conducive to ventilation and light. After blooming, the flower heads should be cut off to prevent Syringa from setting fruit, thereby reducing nutrient consumption and making the next year's blooming more prosperous. After the Syringa flowers fade, if seeds are not left, the残 flowers along with the two buds below the flower spike can be cut off, which not only keeps the plant tidy but also promotes the germination of new branches, facilitating the formation of more flower buds and resulting in more blooming the following year.
The above is the complete content on the best season for planting Syringa and the timing and methods for Syringa cutting propagation, which green plant enthusiasts can refer to.