The rubber tree is a very familiar plant to us, because rubber tree products are used everywhere in our daily lives. For example, rubber tires, the bottoms of our shoes, various pipe sets, etc. Although we use rubber trees everywhere, rubber trees do not grow everywhere. Let’s take a look at some knowledge about rubber trees.

Introduction to the rubber tree

The rubber tree is a plant of the Euphorbiaceae family and is native to the Amazon forest. China's dedicated national rubber planting areas are mainly distributed in Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Yunnan and other regions. In addition, it can also be planted in Taiwan, with Hainan being the main rubber planting area. Rubber trees are deciduous trees with milky sap and require an average annual rainfall of 1150 to 2500 mm. However, they are not suitable for planting in low-humidity areas. They are suitable for growing in acidic sandy loam soil with deep, fertile, moist, and well-drained soil. The economic life of a solid tree is 35 to 40 years, that of a bud grafted tree is 15 to 20 years, and its growth life is about 60 years. The rubber tree is a poisonous plant included in the Chinese Plant Atlas Database. Its seeds and leaves are poisonous. Children can be poisoned by accidentally eating 2-6 seeds. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, limb weakness, and in severe cases, convulsions, Coma and shock. Cattle can also cause poisoning after eating.

The role of rubber trees

1. The natural rubber produced by rubber trees is an essential material for making rubber. Natural rubber has extremely strong elasticity, durability, and can also act as a water and air barrier. Therefore, it is widely used in many industries, including industry, transportation, medicine and other fields.

2. Rubber trees have extremely high ecological value. Rubber forests are precious natural resources and can be recycled. At the same time, rubber forests can prevent soil erosion, maintain the earth's ecosystem, improve our atmospheric environment, and increase precipitation.

How to plant rubber trees

1. Basic conditions for suitable planting sites

1. Altitude. (The upper limit of rubber planting) is less than 950 meters.

2. Soil conditions. The soil depth is 60-100 cm or more than 50 cm in the weathered layer. The soil is loose and fertile, with an organic matter content of more than 1.5%, a PH value of 4.5-6.5, good drainage, and the groundwater level is below 100 cm.

3. Slope aspect. Choose sunny slopes (southeast slope, south slope, southwest slope, west slope), semi-sunny slopes (eastern slope, northwest slope), and do not select shady slopes.

2. Forest land reclamation

1. Forest section reconnaissance planning. Generally speaking, shady slopes, low-lying and humid lands with poor soil or too shallow soil, with a slope greater than 35 degrees, and in the path of cold waves, are not suitable for planting on windward slopes and strong wind outlets.

2. Cut Ba, clear Ba, and burn Ba.

3. Select baseline and calibrate. Generally, the spacing between plants is 2.5 meters, the spacing between rows is 10-12 meters, and the slope is 2.5×10 meters.

4. Build terraces and dig planting holes. It is required that the mouth width is 80 cm, the depth is 70 cm, and the bottom width is 60 cm. The excavated core soil is placed on one side and the topsoil is placed on the other side to facilitate return to the hole. The construction of the mountain ring and the digging of holes can be carried out at the same time. Use careful soil to build the mountain ring. The sooner the hole is dug, the better, so as to facilitate full exposure and weathering.

5. Return to the hole (topsoil). When returning to the hole, you should make full use of the topsoil and return it to 2/3 of the hole, then mix in 10-20 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer and 0.5 kg of phosphate fertilizer and apply it into the hole. When returning to the hole, the slope should be level with the hole surface. The flat ground should be slightly higher than the mouth of the hole, and the middle should be slightly concave to facilitate water storage.

3. Planting

When digging seedlings, be sure not to damage the buds, skin, or roots. The length of the main root should be no less than 40 centimeters, and the length of the lateral roots should be no less than 40 centimeters. 20cm. When planting, make the junction of the rhizomes slightly lower than the hole opening by 1-2 cm, the main root perpendicular to the center of the planting hole, and the budding direction with the bud mouth aligned with the main wind direction. After positioning, start filling with soil and compact it in layers. The entire hole surface should be covered with about 2 cm of loose soil and covered with grass.

4. Young tree care and management

1. Remove buds and prune branches. After planting, only one strong bud extracted from the bud piece will be retained in the bud grafting pile. For saplings with final branches, the sprouting buds at the lower parts should be removed in time to make the first branch above 2.5 meters to facilitate rubber tapping.

2. Replant. The first replanting is before the end of August of the year of planting.

3. Fertilization and deep plowing of soil. Only chemical fertilizers should be applied in the year of planting, that is, nitrogen fertilizer should be applied in the rainy season and potassium fertilizer should be applied before winter. When fertilizing, shallow trenches should be dug and covered with soil. Fertilizer dosage: For 1-3-year-old saplings, apply 10 kilograms of organic fertilizer per plant annually, 0.2-0.4 kilograms of urea, 0.3-0.4 kilograms of superphosphate, and 0.05-0.1 kilograms of potassium chloride or potassium sulfate.

4. Prevention and control of pests and diseases. After planting, sprinkle carbofuran or methamphetamine powder around the bud grafting piles to prevent and control white ants. Powdery mildew control method: Spray saplings with powdery mildew. Anthracnose prevention and control methods: Mainly strengthen water and fertilizer management. In the early stage of the disease on young leaves, spray with 0.5-1% Bordeaux mixture or 0.5% chlorothalonil + 0.5% carbendazim emulsion. Spray once every 7-10 days and spray continuously. 2-3 times.