Konjac planting methods and growing conditions, with a high demand for fertilizer
AbstractGarden plot selection: choose fertile, well-draining acidic or neutral soil; the garden plot should be shady and highly wind-permeable, and deep plowing and fertilization should be carried out before sowing. Sowing: disinfect the seed corms; spring sowing or winter sowing can be chosen, that is, sowing around Qingming or from December to around the Spring Festival. Daily management: fertilize regularly to ensure sufficient fertility and promote konjac growth; keep the soil moist during the seedling stage, after which watering is basically unnecessary, but drainage work must be done well.
Konjac growing conditions
1. Soil: the soil for planting konjac requires deep soil layers, loose and fertile texture, rich in organic matter and humus, and good drainage; it is best to choose neutral to slightly acidic sandy loam, with the pH value controlled between 6.5-7.5.
2. Humidity: the groundwater level of the konjac garden plot should be low, the soil moisture content is best at 50-65, the relative air humidity should be controlled at 55-70; the annual precipitation is preferably 1000-1500mm.
3. Temperature: 15=25℃ is the most suitable temperature for konjac growth; if the temperature is higher than 35℃, konjac growth will be inhibited.
4. Light: konjac is shade-tolerant and most afraid of direct sunlight, so the light intensity for planting konjac should be weak and the duration should not be too long; 1/3 of sunlight is the best light intensity for the development of its aboveground parts, while its root development requires dim light.
Konjac planting methods
1. Soil selection and land preparation: konjac has relatively high environmental requirements; the soil for planting konjac is best chosen as loose, fertile, well-draining acidic or neutral soil, with the pH value controlled between 6-7. Konjac likes to grow in a moist, semi-shady environment, so it is best to plant it in a shady place with good ventilation. Before sowing, the land should be deep-plowed to a depth of about 40cm, and fertilizer should be applied appropriately.
2. Sowing: there are several propagation methods for konjac, among which sowing seed corms is the most commonly used. The size of seed corms differs among varieties; before sowing, the seed corms should be disinfected to prevent invasion by pathogens. Sowing can generally be carried out around Qingming or from December to around the Spring Festival, using the drill sowing method, with a sowing depth of 5cm as appropriate; during sowing, the seed corms must not come into contact with fertilizer.
3. Daily management: konjac has a relatively large demand for fertilizer, so sufficient fertilizer must be ensured during planting; generally, fertilization is mainly farmyard manure supplemented by chemical fertilizer, with sufficient base fertilizer and topdressing as early as possible. Konjac is relatively drought-tolerant; apart from watering during the seedling stage, basically no watering is needed afterward, as natural precipitation is enough for its growth; however, drainage measures must be taken well in the rainy season to avoid waterlogging causing tuber rot.
Konjac benefits and effects
1. Protecting the intestines: after mature konjac is extracted and separated to obtain konjac refined powder, heating the konjac refined powder with water yields konjac gel; when the human body ingests konjac gel, it attaches to the intestinal wall, forming a translucent film coating that can block various toxic and harmful substances from depositing in the intestines and block the intestines' absorption of carcinogenic substances, thus having a certain effect on protecting the intestines.
2. Detoxification and bowel movement: konjac is rich in dietary fiber, which helps gastrointestinal peristalsis and promotes defecation.
3. Lowering cholesterol: the konjac polysaccharide substances contained in konjac have a very strong swelling capacity; after being ingested by the human body, they can fill the gastrointestinal tract, inhibit the gastrointestinal tract's absorption of cholesterol, and promote the excretion of cholesterol.
4. Lowering blood sugar: konjac contains a large amount of water-soluble fiber, which can inhibit the gastrointestinal tract's absorption of carbohydrate substances and can effectively lower post-meal blood sugar levels.
5. Weight loss: konjac is very low in calories, fat content and sugar content, but very high in dietary fiber; the glucomannan and dietary fiber in konjac produce a feeling of fullness after being ingested by the human body, reducing food intake, while dietary fiber promotes gastrointestinal peristalsis and enhances the urge to defecate, so konjac has a relatively good weight-loss effect.
6. Calcium supplementation: 100 grams of konjac contains 43mg of calcium; although the content is not very high, it is very easily absorbed by the human body, so eating konjac has the effect of calcium supplementation.