How to propagate poison arrow tree

1. Seed collection and processing

In early May every year, the skin of the fruit of the poison arrow tree begins to turn red or even purple-black, and a large number of fruits begin to fall off. This is the best time to collect seeds. Generally, the age of poison arrow trees that can bear fruit is about one hundred years. Its trunk is very tall, and it would be difficult to climb up the tree to collect the fruit, so you need to wait until the fruit falls naturally before collecting it. The collected fruits must be cleaned and then the peels removed to get the egg-shaped poison arrowwood seeds inside. The next step is to put them in water, take out the plump seeds and dry them, waiting for the next sowing.

2. Sowing

According to the germination characteristics of poison arrowwood seeds, if you want to increase the germination rate, it is generally recommended to sow them in time after harvesting, either by spot sowing or furrow sowing. The spacing between seeds is 3 cm x 10 cm. Generally, 250 seeds are sown in one square meter of soil. After the seeds are sown, they should be covered with a 2 cm layer of soil and then covered with straw. Note that watering is needed to keep the soil moist. Under normal circumstances, the seeds will begin to germinate in 25 to 30 days, reach the peak of germination at 40 days, and generally all the seeds will germinate at 55 days.

3. Seedling Management

One month after the small surface is drilled out of the ground, you can apply some low-concentration livestock manure or 0.1% compound water-fertilizer. When four or five leaves grow, they can be transplanted into nutrient bags for cultivation. The substrate in the nutrient bags is generally 20% burnt soil and 80% sandy soil. The time for transplanting should be on a rainy day or in the afternoon, and attention should be paid to shading. Fertilizer can be applied one month after transplanting. The concentration needs to be dilute at first and then concentrated. Some potassium fertilizer can be added in August and September to help the seedlings safely survive the winter.

4. Planting

Generally, two-year-old seedlings grown in nutrient bags are selected for transplanting. The seedlings should be divided and picked one month before transplanting, and then transplanted after the seedlings have grown stably. When planting, you need to be careful not to damage the roots of the poison arrow tree, and it must be shaded. The soil must be free of weeds and kept loose and moist, but water cannot accumulate as the poison arrow tree cannot be flooded.