Cultivation and Management of Taxus mairei

Taxus is an evergreen tree with reddish-brown bark, shallowly longitudinally lobed, slightly curved and sickle-shaped leaves, dark green leaves and two gray-green stomatal bands. Dioecious, seeds oblate-ovoid, globose solitary, flowering from March to April, seeds mature in November.

Taxus mairei is mostly propagated by seeds. After the seeds are ripe in November, the fleshy seed coat is washed and dried, then buried in a shady dry place with wet sand, covered with plastic film and grass curtains. The seeds should be turned twice a month in summer and autumn, and the seeds can be sowed and raised at the beginning of March of the following year.

The seedbed should choose a leeward and well-drained slightly acidic sandy soil, with a bed width of 1 meter, a ditch width of 40 centimeters, a high ridge from east to west, and a steel plate 25 centimeters high and 4 centimeters thick on both sides of the ridge, with a depth of 10 centimeters. The bed soil requires deep ploughing and fine farming, and carbofuran is applied to control underground insect pests. Use vermiculite, river sand, peat, garden soil, and add carbendazim or methyl thiophanate and other fungicides, mixed into the matrix into the steel plate, 3 to 5 cm higher than the middle of the side plate. Cover with plastic film and seal and fumigate for 3 to 5 days before sowing. The seeds are distributed evenly on the bed, with about 200 seeds per square metre. After sowing, the seeds are slightly flattened with a wooden board, covered with mixed matrix soil 1 to 2 cm thick, and covered with grass curtains or plastic film for heat preservation and moisturization. Spray water properly in case of dry weather, generally sprouting and sprouting after 40 days. At this time, we should remove the plastic film or grass curtain, and set up a 2-meter-high shade shed above the seedling bed to cover the shade net to prevent direct sunlight. Keep the seedbed moist, build a low arch shed and cover the plastic film on rainy days to prevent too much moisture in the seedbed. Do a good job of drainage and ventilation of seedling bed, timely prevention and control of diseases and insect pests. Apply rotten fresh cake fertilizer and water every 10 days in the seedling stage, and avoid chemical fertilizer and concentrated fertilizer.

After a year of careful maintenance and management, the seedlings can reach a height of 15 to 25 cm and have 2 to 3 bifurcated branches. Early April. The planting land should choose leeward, dry, slightly acidic sandy soil rich in humus, with a depth of 20 cm and 5 kg of mature organic fertilizer per square meter. From high to close, dig deep trench, ridge width 100 cm, ditch width 30 cm. 5 rows per row, 20 cm between rows and 15 cm between plants. The transplant should be in cloudy days and should be moved along with the species. Need to transplant with earthen balls. Immediately after transplanting, pour water once, and build a 2-meter-high shade shed on it, cover the shade net on sunny days, and remove it on rainy days and at night. Strengthen fertilizer and water management during the growing period, generally applying rotten cake fertilizer and water every 10 days. Do a good job in the control and management of diseases and insect pests. Strengthen shading and cooling in summer and spray water when necessary to create a cool and humid environment conducive to seedling growth.

Taxus is not only an excellent material for making high-grade furniture, but also a medicinal material with great medical value, but also an excellent tree species for landscaping. With the maturity and development of its artificial reproduction and cultivation technology, the application range of Taxus will be more extensive.