Kudzu planting methods and daily management, fertilizer and water management to ensure high yield and excellent quality
AbstractSeed selection: choose disease-free, thick and strong kudzu vine stems with plump buds. Site selection: choose a sunny location with good drainage and irrigation, deep soil, and loose, fertile red loess or sandy soil for planting. Planting: plant from mid-February to late April each month, with a plant spacing of 1 m, single-row single-plant planting, and about 600-700 plants per mu. Management: do well in the work of replanting missing seedlings, inserting trellises, topping, training vines, removing buds, and fertilizer and water management. Storage: the suitable humidity is 55%-65%, and sand soil is used to separate the kudzu roots from one another.
What is kudzu
Kudzu, also called kudzu vine, is a plant of the genus Pueraria in the Fabaceae family, and its starch content is as high as 40%, giving it certain nutritional and medicinal value. Kudzu is rich in 13 kinds of amino acids and trace elements necessary for the human body, such as iron and calcium. It also contains isoflavonoids such as daidzein and puerarin, which can clear the heart and improve eyesight, lower blood pressure, fight cancer, and dilate blood vessels, and it sells well in domestic and foreign markets.
Kudzu planting methods and daily management
1. Select excellent varieties and raise seedlings
From December each year to February of the following year, among the harvested kudzu vines, choose disease-free, thick and strong vine stems with plump buds. One month before the planned planting, cut the vines into seedlings with 1-2 nodes and insert them into fertile seedling soil. Wait until the Beginning of Spring period, when the weather warms up and sprouted seedlings grow, and then they can be transplanted and planted.
2. Site selection and land preparation
It is advisable to choose a sunny location with good drainage and irrigation, deep soil, and loose, fertile red loess or sandy soil for planting. On flat land, dig trenches and form ridges at 1-1.2 m, with ridges 50 cm high and 50 cm wide, and in the center of the ridge, at a planting spacing of 1 m, make a small planting hole or pack mud with black plastic bags.
3. Planting time and specifications
Planting begins from mid-February to late April each year. The specification is 1-1.2 m between rows (including trenches), with a plant spacing of about 1 m, single-row single-plant planting, and about 600-700 plants per mu. Insert the seedlings diagonally into the holes at a 30-degree angle to the ground, about 3 cm deep, then press the soil firmly with both hands and water thoroughly to settle the roots.
4. Strengthen daily management
1. Replant missing seedlings and insert trellises. Five days after transplanting, appropriately diluted human and livestock manure water can be used to settle the roots. Pay attention to checking whether there are dead seedlings, and if dead seedlings are found, replant them in time. When the seedlings grow to about 50 cm, insert a bamboo trellis about 1.8-2 m between the two rows, choose two strong seedlings to keep, remove the rest, and then guide the two thick seedlings onto the bamboo trellis, thereby ensuring ventilation and improving photosynthesis.
2. Topping, vine training, and bud removal. This is an important measure to control the aboveground growth of kudzu, promote underground growth, and allow kudzu tuberous roots to form rapidly. When the main vine grows to about 1.5 m, the top can be removed, leaving 3-5 side vines, and side buds should be removed. After that, remove side buds once about every 15 days.
3. Fertilizer and water management. Fertilizer and water management is a key step to ensure high yield and excellent quality of kudzu in the later stage. Generally, the first topdressing is about 20 days after planting, applying 0.3-0.5 ternary compound fertilizer as a liquid drench. After that, apply about 25-50 g of ternary compound fertilizer in holes every 1-2 months, and gradually increase the amount of fertilizer later. If encountering sunny days, flush with water and apply as a liquid drench; if encountering rainy days, it can be applied in holes. Kudzu is drought-tolerant but not waterlogging-tolerant, and it is better to be slightly dry than too moist. After continuous rainy days, drainage should be carried out in time.
5. Storage and preservation
With proper preservation methods, kudzu can be stored for as long as 1 year, and its flavor and nutrition remain basically unchanged. The storage material requires a humidity of 55%-65%, which can be adjusted by spraying water. The kudzu to be stored is required to be fresh kudzu harvested between December and February of the following year, and dug on rainless days. The specific method is to first spread thick sandy soil about 15 cm on the bottom layer, then alternate one layer of kudzu and one layer of sandy soil, stacking them with sandy soil separating the kudzu roots from one another. The stack height must not exceed 1.5 m, the sides and top must maintain 20 cm of sandy soil, and finally cover with a layer of straw about 5 cm to retain moisture.