When is the best time to plant pepper trees?

The Zanthoxylum bungeanum tree is a small deciduous tree of the Rutaceae family. Its entire body is a treasure. The young shoots, leaves, and fruits can all be eaten, and it also has certain medicinal value. Therefore, the planting and distribution of Sichuan pepper trees in our country is also very widespread. So when is the best time to plant Sichuan pepper trees? Let’s learn more about it below.

When is the best time to plant pepper trees?

According to the growth habits of the Zanthoxylum bungeanum tree, it is generally best to plant it in spring (mid-to-late March to early April) or in autumn before the soil freezes (before December).

Key points for planting pepper trees

1. Collect seeds

When collecting seeds, plants that are over 10 years old, strong, early fruiting, high yield and good quality should be selected as mother trees. The harvested seeds should be dried and not exposed to the sun to prevent high temperature damage and loss of germination ability.

2. Seed treatment

Before sowing, soak the seeds in clean water for 8-10 hours to soften them and absorb water, then rub them vigorously to remove the shell and grease on the surface of the seeds. Then place it in a warm and humid environment of 25-28 degrees for germination. After 2-3 days, when most of the seeds have hatched and turned white, they can be sown.

3. Seedbed selection

It is best to choose yellow loam or sandy loam land with drainage and irrigation conditions for the seedbed. First, plow it, and then apply about 3000 kg of accumulated fertilizer or 50 kg of ammonium hydrogen phosphate per mu in combination with plowing, and then harrow it to make ridges or furrows.

4. Sowing method

Generally, the row sowing method can be adopted, with a row spacing of 20-25 cm, a furrow depth of 5 cm, and a cover of about 1 cm of fine soil after sowing. After germination, start thinning out the seedlings when they are 4-5 cm tall, leaving a distance of 10-15 cm between them. When the seedlings grow to 30-70 cm tall, they can be transplanted and planted.

5. Transplanting and planting

Before transplanting, first determine the planting density and dig the holes for planting. Generally, planting and transplanting can be carried out in each planting hole according to the row spacing of 1.5m-2m, the plant spacing of 1m-1.5m, and the number of trees planted per mu. After the preparatory work is done, mix the surface 30-40 cm of soil and fertilizer (mainly farmyard manure or organic fertilizer ) evenly when digging the planting hole, fill it to the bottom of the planting hole, and tamp it down firmly with your feet. Then plant the pepper seedlings in the planting hole and fill it back with soil to make it firm.



In general, the Chinese prickly ash tree has outstanding economic value and its planting prospects are very broad. However, the planting time and method must be mastered skillfully, and post-planting management must be strengthened to ensure that the pepper trees achieve high quality and high yield.