When is the best time to plant Forsythia?

Forsythia is a common Chinese medicinal herb that blooms yellow flowers in spring and is very stunning when in bloom. Forsythia suspensa is a variety that can be planted once and yield benefits for many years, with high economic benefits. So when is the right time to plant Forsythia? Let’s learn more about it below.

When is the best time to plant Forsythia?

Forsythia is best planted in spring and autumn, and the best time to plant in spring is in March and April. The best time for autumn planting is from September to October.

How to plant Forsythia?

1. Site selection and land preparation

Choose sandy loam with thick soil layer, looseness, fertility and good drainage; for planting, choose a gently sloping area that is sheltered from the wind and facing the sun and plant in batches to facilitate pollination and increase the fruit setting rate. After selecting the site, deep plow the land, apply sufficient base fertilizer, and level and harrow the soil.

2. Seed propagation

On the prepared seedbed, dig furrows and sow in rows with a row spacing of 20-25cm, spread the selected seeds evenly into the furrows, cover with 1cm of fine soil, and then cover with straw or pine needles . Keep the bed soil moist after sowing. Seedlings begin to emerge about 20 days after sowing. Remove the covering after all the seedlings have emerged. One year later, the seedlings can be transplanted and planted when they are about 50 cm tall.

3. Planting

It can be done after the leaves fall in winter and before the buds sprout in early spring. In the planting site, dig holes with a row spacing of 2m and a plant spacing of 1.5m, with a depth of about 70cm. 220 plants can be planted per mu, with one seedling planted in each hole. When filling the soil, you can add decomposed organic fertilizer and water it after planting.

4. Intertillage and weeding

Before transplanting, use a small shovel to weed the seedbed, usually once a month depending on the situation; after transplanting, loosen the soil and weed once every winter, and dig trenches beside the plants to apply decomposed organic fertilizer. When watering in the summer, you can also apply topdressing along with watering, such as urea. Stop topdressing in autumn to help the plants overwinter.

5. Pruning and shaping

When the transplanted seedlings are 1m tall, cut off the tops 70-80cm from the ground after the leaves fall in winter. In summer, multiple branches are produced by pinching, and 3-4 well-developed side branches are selected in different directions to cultivate them into main branches. Later, leave 3-4 strong branches on the main branches, cultivate them into secondary main branches, and grow side branches on the secondary branches. After 2-3 years of pruning, the tree will be formed into a low trunk, dwarfed, hollow inside and round outside shape. Pruning can also remove dead branches, overlapping branches, crossed branches, overgrown branches, and diseased and insect-infested branches. After each pruning, dig trenches, apply fertilizer, and build up the soil to retain moisture.

6. Pest and disease control

To control borers, cut off the affected branches or use 40% oxydemeton-methyl solution and dip cotton wool to block the holes and kill the borers. Pests such as blind bugs and stinging moths can be killed by spraying 1000 times diluted 40% dimethoate. Snails can be controlled by spreading lime powder in the morning or being caught manually.

That’s it