Common Flower Seedling Raising Techniques
The editor brings you the content of flower propagation, common flower seedling raising techniques, let's understand them together.
Seedling Raising by Sowing
I. Determination of Sowing Time:
The sowing period is a major link in the seedling raising work. The sowing period affects the growth period and the age of the seedlings. ①An appropriate sowing period can make the seeds germinate earlier and improve the germination rate. ②It makes the seedlings emerge uniformly and grow strong. ③The seedlings have strong resistance to drought, cold, and diseases. ④It can save land and labor. The determination of the sowing period should be based on the biological characteristics of the plant and climatic conditions.
General Principle: "Suitable time, suitable place, and suitable plants."
"Suitable place" means according to the nature of the soil, sandy soil can have an earlier sowing period, and clay soil can have a later sowing period. "Suitable time" is to determine the appropriate sowing period based on the biological characteristics of the plant. "Suitable plants" means selecting the appropriate sowing period based on the biological characteristics of the plant. There are mainly the following types of sowing periods:
1. Spring sowing: It is the most widely used season in seedling production, with March to April being suitable in Shandong. Its advantages are: ①The time from sowing to seedling emergence is short, reducing the number of management times in the nursery. ②The soil is moist and not compacted in spring, and the temperature is suitable for seed germination and uniform seedling emergence. ③After the seedlings emerge, the temperature gradually increases, avoiding the harm of low temperature and frost. ④Less damage from birds, animals, diseases, and insects. Annual herbaceous flowers and woody flowers stored in sand can be sown in spring.
2. Autumn sowing: Most biennial, perennial plants, and garden trees can be sown in autumn, and some bulbous flowers can also be sown in autumn. Generally in September to October. The advantages of autumn sowing are: ①The seeds can pass through the dormancy period in the nursery and complete the pre-sowing germination stage. ②The seedlings emerge early and uniformly, are strong, and have a high survival rate. ③Enhances the cold resistance of the seedlings. ④Saves the need for seed storage and germination treatment. ⑤Alleviates the contradiction of busy spring work and labor shortage. Plants suitable for autumn sowing include: ①Plants with long dormancy periods such as red pine, Manchurian ash, white wax, and linden; ②Seeds with hard seed coats or large seeds: oak, walnut, chestnut, hawthorn, mountain peach, and Japanese apricot; ③Biennial herbaceous flowers and bulbous flowers that can germinate and overwinter in low temperatures, such as tulips, pansies, etc.
3. Summer sowing: Seeds that mature in summer and autumn and are not suitable for storage, such as poplar, mulberry, and birch, should be sown immediately after collection.
Post-Sowing Management: It is best to sow after rain or thoroughly water before sowing to facilitate germination. After sowing, keep the soil moist and reduce surface temperature. Summer sowing should be as early as possible to allow the seedlings to fully lignify before winter for safe overwintering.
4. Winter sowing: Winter sowing is actually an extension of early autumn sowing and early spring sowing. It is possible to sow all year round in a greenhouse.
II. Sowing Density and Reasonable Close Planting:
Sowing density is the number of seedlings per unit area (or unit length).
Reasonable close planting should ensure that there are enough basic seedlings per unit area, and under this density, the ventilation and sunlight should be good for the healthy growth and development of the plants. Both high and low densities are not conducive to improving the yield and quality of the seedlings.
1. High density leads to: ①Insufficient nutrient area for seedlings; ②Poor ventilation and insufficient sunlight; ③Reduced photosynthesis affecting seedling growth; ④High height-diameter ratio, weak seedlings, less leaf mass, and unfull terminal buds; ⑤Root growth is inhibited, roots are not developed, root spread is small, lateral roots are few, and less dry matter accumulation; ⑥Susceptible to disease and insect damage, low survival rate of seedlings.
2. Low density results in: ①Low seedling yield per unit area, low land utilization; ②Easy to grow weeds; ③Increased loss of soil moisture and nutrients; ④Not easy to manage. Reasonable close planting can overcome the disadvantages of both high and low densities.
2. Determining the Appropriate Density:
Firstly, it should be based on the biological characteristics of the flowers. For flowers with fast growth and large crown, the density should be small, such as mountain peach, Paulownia, and Pterocarya. Conversely, it should be larger. For species that need to be transplanted the following year, the density can be higher. For species used directly for grafting as rootstocks, the density can be lower to facilitate operations. For woody flowers with long cultivation periods, the density should be small, otherwise, it should be large. For nurseries with good soil fertility and climate, the density should be small, otherwise, it should be large. With high intensification, the density can be reduced. Conversely, it should be larger. The size of the seedling density also depends on the spacing between plants. The general spacing for seedling beds is about 8-25cm, and for field nurseries, it is about 50-80cm, with smaller spacing不利于 ventilation and sunlight.
The general density for one-year-old seedlings is: 150-300 plants/m²; fast-growing coniferous trees can reach 600 plants/m². One-year-old broad-leaved tree seedlings, large seeds, or fast-growing trees: 25-120 plants/m², medium-growing species: 60-160 plants/m².
3. Calculation of Sowing Quantity:
⑴Sowing quantity: X = (1 + C) * A * W / P * G * 10002
Where: X ─ Actual sowing quantity (Kg) required per unit length (or area)
A ─ Number of seedlings produced per unit length (or area)
W ─ Thousand-seed weight (G)
P ─ Seed purity (as a decimal)
G ─ Seed germination potential (as a decimal)
C ─ Loss coefficient
10002 ─ Constant
C ─ Values vary depending on plant species, nursery conditions, and seedling raising skill level. For large seeds weighing over 700g, C = 1; for medium and small seeds (thousand-seed weight 3-700G).
Vegetative Propagation
Vegetative propagation is a method of using adventitious buds on roots or new shoots produced on underground stems to form new individuals after they have rooted in the soil and are cut off from the mother plant. Vegetative propagation usually occurs in spring and autumn. It is a method of propagation that utilizes the vegetative and regenerative abilities of plants.
Regenerative Ability: It refers to the ability of a part of the plant's vegetative organs (roots, stems, leaves) to form parts that it does not have, such as leaf cuttings that can grow roots and buds, and stem cuttings that can grow leaves and roots.
I. Types of Vegetative Propagation:
1. Using adventitious buds on roots to produce root suckers, which become new plants connected to the mother plant after rooting.
2. Using buds on the nodes of underground stems or basal buds of stems to produce new shoots, which also become plants connected to the mother plant after rooting, and become independent new individuals after being cut off from the mother plant.
II. Methods of Vegetative Propagation:
1. Perennial Herbaceous Plants: Cut the suckers occurring at the rootstock or underground stems and plant them to become independent plants.
⑴Root Suckers: Adventitious buds grow on roots, extend above the ground to form small plants, such as hollyhock, perennial phlox, etc.
⑵Stem Suckers: Buds grow at the base of stems to form new plants, such as spring orchid, daylily, daylily, and one-stemmed aster.
For example, with orchids: During division, the plant is turned out of the pot, washed clean with water, decaying roots are removed, and at the place where the distance between two plants is large (commonly known as: the road), it is cut with a sharp knife to form two clusters, and charcoal powder or fresh plant ash is applied to the cut surface, placed in a well-ventilated and shaded place to dry for 1-2 days.
2. Flowers with Underground Stems and Tubers: Flowers with underground stems (cannas) and tubers (dahlias) are dug up before winter and stored in sand in a room. In the second year, in spring (March-April), they are taken out and buried in loose soil, with the芽眼 exposed. When the芽眼 clearly germinate, the underground stem or tuber is cut into many small pieces with buds and planted separately in the open field or pots.
3. Flower Bulbs and Corms: Bulbs (narcissus) and corms (gladiolus) often produce small bulbs and bulbils at the base of the bulb, which can be cut off with a sharp knife. When cutting, do not damage the base plate and dry the cut surfaces before storing or planting directly in the growing medium.
4. Suckers, etc.: Aloe, Sedum, and拟石莲 have short, thick, rosette-like shoots (called suckers) at the base of the roots or between the leaves, which can naturally root and be planted separately after separation.
Some flowers produce special buds called bulbils in the leaf axils, such as the bulbils produced by卷丹 and the bulbils or tubers produced by观赏葱 in the inflorescence.
Stolons: Some flowers produce long internode stolons in the leafy rosette, with adventitious roots, leaves, and flowers on the nodes, which can also be used as propagation material.
For example,吊兰 has stolons, and at the tip of the stolon, a small plant with leaf buds and aerial roots is produced, which can be cut off and planted separately.
龙舌兰 has leaf buds and adventitious roots near the soil surface, which can be used for propagation.
5. Flowering Shrubs:
Shrub-like flowers, such as roses, lilacs, nandina, acacia,臭椿, and jujube, produce adventitious buds on the roots, which form branches after emerging from the soil and can be cut and planted. This is usually done in conjunction with transplantation. The separated plants should have at least two main roots, and some leaves should be cut before planting to reduce evaporation and ensure survival.
The above () introduces the experience and knowledge of common flower seedling raising techniques, hoping that reading this article can bring you some help!