Growth habit
Purple-leaf dwarf cherry has good ornamental effect, fast growth, simple propagation, pruning resistance and strong adaptability, and is an excellent color-leaf tree species for urban landscaping. Its advantages are:
1. Good color effect. During the whole growing season, the leaves of Prunus humilis are purplish red, bright and unique, with compact tree shape, dense leaves and good color sense of the whole plant. In the application of potted plants, medium-sized and miniature bonsai can be made.
2. Strong adaptability and easy introduction and popularization. Purple-leaf dwarf cherry peach has strong adaptability and grows well on well-drained and fertile sandy soil, sandy loam and light clay. Light-loving and cold-resistant. In Liaoning and southern Jilin, it is safe to overwinter in front of buildings with good microclimate in winter. Strong disease resistance, pruning resistance, and can still keep purple under semi-cloudy conditions.
Propagation method: Prunus humilis is generally propagated by grafting and cutting. Prunus armeniaca and Prunus armeniaca are generally used as grafting rootstocks, and apricot rootstocks are the best.
1. Grafting: Grafting methods include bud grafting and scion grafting.
(1) The budding time is from late May to the end of June every year.
(2) The grafting time of the scion is from late October of the current year/kloc-0 to the end of February of the following year.
Second, cutting
Prune with strong branches, each branch is 12 cm long, and cut before March every year. Before inserting, soak the lower part in rooting powder liquid water for 2 hours, and the upper part is just flush with the ground, then bury, compact and cover with film to keep the ground temperature.
Landscape application
Purple-leaf dwarf cherry has strong tillering ability and is easy to be cultivated into balls or hedgerows in garden cultivation. Pick the heart many times to form many branches, cut off miscellaneous branches before winter, and cut off long branches again and again. After the potted flowers wither, change pots and cut short the branches, leaving only 2 ~ 3 buds at the base. You can use the method of cutting and storing branches to shape, climb the main branches and leading branches in time, and see more sunshine. In late June, potted plants were used to control water and fertilizer to promote branch enrichment. Purple-leaf dwarf cherry is widely used in landscaping. Because its plants are relatively low, it can be used as a secondary tree or even a shrub, and it has the best effect as a senior streamer in garden landscaping. Because of its colorful leaves and beautiful plant shape, the ornamental effect of single planting and cluster planting is ideal, and it can even be potted or used for bonsai production; Because it is resistant to strong pruning, and the more colors the leaves are, it is the best material for making hedges, ribbons and colored balls.
Cultivation management
Purple-leaf dwarf cherry is a deciduous shrub of Prunus in Rosaceae, which is a hybrid of purple-leaf plum and dwarf cherry. It was introduced from the United States by China in the 1990s. Purple-leaf dwarf cherry is very popular in landscaping because of its short plant, compact crown, purple leaves and high ornamental value. The author's unit is located in Yanqing Horticultural Center, Dingzhou City, Hebei Province, which belongs to plain yellow land. Purple-leaf dwarf cherry was introduced in 2002, and all of them survived and grew well. Its cultivation points are introduced as follows.
Selection of planting site
Purple-leaf dwarf cherry is not strict with soil, and can grow normally in light clay, loam and plain sand, and grows best in sandy loam. Purple-leaf dwarf cherry is a hybrid of purple-leaf plum and dwarf cherry, so it inherits some advantages of purple-leaf plum and can tolerate mild saline-alkali soil. Purple-leaf dwarf cherry likes light, and its leaves will be green when planted in places with insufficient light, so it should be planted in places with sufficient light; Purple-leaf dwarf cherry likes humid environment, but it is not resistant to stagnant water. It should be planted in high drought places, not in low-lying places. There is no adverse reaction when planted in lawn, but it should be noted that sprinkler irrigation should be used for lawn irrigation.
Water and fertilizer management
Purple-leaf dwarf cherry is drought-tolerant and can be watered thoroughly in early spring and late autumn every year. If it is not particularly dry, it can basically grow by the weather. It is windy and dry in spring and autumn. After the leaves of newly planted seedlings come out, spray them once every morning and evening, which can replenish water, reduce root pressure and improve the survival rate of seedlings. In summer rainy days, the accumulated water in tree pits should be removed in time to prevent the water temperature from rising and scalding the roots after sunrise. Purple-leaf dwarf cherry likes fertilizer, and the newly planted seedlings should be properly topdressed in the growth period besides applying base fertilizer when planting. Topdressing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizers in early spring and early summer respectively, and then applying ring fertilizer or sesame sauce residue in late autumn. For newly planted seedlings and seedlings that lack fertilizer and grow poorly, foliar fertilization can be carried out at a concentration of 0.5%, and should be sprayed in the morning or evening. It should not be done at noon when the light is sufficient and before and after the rain. It should be sprayed three times, with the interval of 10 day to 15 day.
Overwintering management
Purple-leaf dwarf cherry is cold-resistant, and its seedlings can be painted with white trunks. For newly planted seedlings, the roots can be cultivated, the trunk can be wrapped with grass, and the seedlings can be covered with plastic film. After the newly planted seedlings are wrapped and dried in the first year, they can be painted white for wintering in the second year.
Eliminate pests and diseases
Purple-leaf dwarf cherry will be harmed by moths, aphids, red spiders, leafhoppers, scale insects and so on in the cultivation process. Every winter, the trunks and branches should be painted as white as possible, and the eggs and cocoons should be scraped clean. In early spring, broad-spectrum fungicides such as chlorothalonil and carbendazim should be sprayed in time. If you get sick, you should treat it in time. Acacia, aphids, leafhoppers and scale insects can be sprayed with deltamethrin, and red spiders can be controlled with dicofol.
Plastic trimming
Purple-leaf dwarf cherry is resistant to pruning, and its pruning should be treated differently according to different plant types. The common plant types of purple-leaf dwarf cherry are broom type and natural joy type.
"broom type" is generally used for thin-plate planting or hedges: the pruning height of plants used as hedges is generally about 0.6 m- 1.2 m, which can be carried out in late spring and early autumn every year to make the surface of hedges smooth and the branches protruding from the side of hedges should be cut off; The pruning of ornamental seedlings is relatively extensive, and the branches of pests and diseases, cross branches, dead branches and internal branches are cut off, and the branches that are too dense are properly thinned to facilitate ventilation and light transmission.
"Naturally happy" seedlings are generally used for opposite planting and row planting. Purple-leaf dwarf cherry is a shrub mainly for foliage, so when pruning, we should leave as many branches as possible, exclude some low branches, cross branches and competitive branches, and keep 3 ~ 4 inner branches. For the branches of the year, the core should be picked at about 40 cm to promote the lignification of the branches and produce more side branches.