Artificial Cultivation Methods and Sowing Time for Dandelion

Dandelion, as a common plant, is something many people have heard of, and they also have some understanding of its effects and value. So do you know that besides wild dandelion, it is now also artificially cultivated? Do you know what time is correct for cultivating dandelion? If you don't know but want to know, then follow the editor's footsteps and take a look.

Artificial Cultivation Methods for Dandelion

1. Seed preparation

Under wild conditions, biennial plants can flower and set seed, and early summer is the flowering and seeding stage. The number of flowers per plant increases with growing years; some individual plants produce more than 20 flowers, and superior varieties can produce as many as more than 100 flowers per plant. After flowering, the seeds mature in 13-15 days. When the outer shell of the flower head turns from green to yellow-green and the seeds turn from milky white to brown, they can be harvested. Do not wait until the flower head splits before harvesting, otherwise the seeds are likely to scatter and be lost, causing relatively large losses. Generally, each capitulum contains more than 100 seeds. The 1000-seed weight of large-leaf dandelion is about 2 grams, and the 1000-seed weight of small-leaf dandelion is about 0.8-1.2 grams. When collecting seeds, the dandelion flower heads can be picked off and kept indoors for one day to after-ripen. After the flower heads have fully opened, dry them in the shade for 1-2 days until the seeds are half-dry, then remove the fluff from the tips of the seeds by hand, and then dry the seeds in the sun.

2. Land preparation and fertilization

Choose loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam. Apply 2000-3500 kg of organic fertilizer per mu, mix with 15 kg of superphosphate, and spread evenly on the ground. Deeply plow 20-25 cm, level and harrow finely, make flat beds 1.2 m wide, 10 m long, and form small ridges 20 cm high. Before sowing dandelion, the land should first be turned and beds made, and shallow furrows opened in the beds with a furrow spacing of 12 cm and a furrow width of 10 cm. Then sow the seeds in the furrows and cover with soil after sowing, with a soil thickness of 0.3-0.5 cm. The soil should be moist when sowing. If the soil is dry, water thoroughly two days before sowing. Spring sowing is best covered with plastic film; summer has sufficient rainfall, so no covering is needed.

3. Sowing

Dandelion varieties are propagated by seed, and the seeds have no dormancy period. Seeds harvested after maturity can be sown at any time from spring to autumn. According to market demand, they can also be sown in greenhouses in winter. Open-field direct sowing uses drilling: open shallow horizontal furrows on the bed surface at a row spacing of 25-30 cm, with a sowing width of about 10 cm. After sowing the seeds, cover with 1 cm of soil, then press lightly. The sowing rate is 0.5-0.75 kg per mu. For broadcast sowing on flat beds, use 1.5-2.0 kg of seed per mu. For high-quality dandelion varieties, the sowing rate per mu is only 25-50 grams. After sowing, cover with grass to keep warm, and remove the covering grass when seedlings emerge. Seedlings can emerge in about 6 days. To make seedlings emerge earlier, warm-water seed soaking and germination promotion can be used: place the seeds in warm water at 50-55°C, stir until the water cools, then soak for another 8 hours, remove the seeds and wrap them in wet cloth, place them in a place around 25°C, cover with wet cloth on top, and water once with warm water every morning and evening. After about 3-4 days, the seeds begin to germinate and can be sown. Mature dandelion seeds have no dormancy period. When the temperature is above 15°C, the seeds can be sown in moist soil. They germinate after about 90 hours. Seeds germinate relatively quickly when the soil temperature is around 15°C, and germinate slowly above 25-30°C, so sowing can be carried out from early spring to midsummer. According to experimental results: if seeds are sown immediately after harvest at the end of May, it takes 10-12 days from sowing to emergence; if delayed until July-August in summer, it takes 15 days from sowing to emergence. The sowing rate is generally 3-4 grams per sq m, which can produce 700-1000 plants.

3. Field management

Field management in the year of sowing: keep the soil moist before emergence. If the soil is dry before emergence, you can sparsely cover the seedling rows with some wheat straw or thatch; then water lightly, and after the seedlings emerge completely, use a fork to remove the covering grass; after emergence, properly control moisture so the seedlings grow vigorously and are prevented from excessive growth and lodging; during the period of rapid leaf growth, keep the field moist to promote vigorous leaf growth; before winter, water thoroughly once, then cover with horse manure or wheat straw, etc., to help overwintering. Intertillage and weeding: about 10 days after dandelion emergence, carry out the first intertillage and weeding, and thereafter carry out intertillage and weeding about once every 10 days until the rows close; keep the field free of weeds. After the rows close, weeds can be pulled by hand. Thinning and final thinning: carry out thinning and final thinning together with intertillage and weeding. About 10 days after emergence, thin the seedlings to a plant spacing of 3-5 cm; after 20-30 days, final thinning can be carried out to a plant spacing of 8-10 cm; for broadcast sowing, a plant spacing of 5 cm is sufficient. Fertilizer and water management: dandelion has strong disease and insect resistance, and generally does not require pest and disease control. The focus of field management is mainly fertilizer and water. Although dandelion does not have strict requirements for soil conditions, it still prefers fertile, moist, loose soil with high organic matter content. Therefore, when planting dandelion, apply 2000-3500 kg of farmyard manure per 667 sq m as base fertilizer, and also apply 17-20 kg of ammonium nitrate per 667 sq m as seed fertilizer. After sowing, if the soil surface is not covered, water frequently to keep the soil moist to ensure full stands. After emergence, always maintain appropriate soil moisture.

When to Plant Dandelion

Dandelion is adaptable, cold-tolerant, and heat-tolerant. It rarely suffers from pests and diseases and can be cultivated in most parts of China. Greenhouse sowing is from late November to early December, with seedling raising and transplanting. If cultivated in large sheds or small and medium arched sheds, agricultural film can be put on between February and March of the following year, and new shoots can be harvested in late March. At this time, the market price is relatively high, which can increase income. Mature dandelion seeds have no dormancy period. When the temperature is above 15 degrees, the seeds can be planted in moist soil, so sowing can be carried out from early spring to midsummer.

Precautions for Field Management of Dandelion

Dandelion is a plant with strong vitality and a well-developed root system, and the more luxuriant the aboveground plant growth, the higher the yield and the better the quality of the harvested product. Therefore, perennial cultivation should be carried out in production. For plots under perennial cultivation, attention should be paid to repeatedly pulling out weeds, and water and fertilizer management should be strengthened during the growing season, with timely harvesting. To bring it to market earlier, small arched shed covering can be used in early spring. In late autumn and early winter, water thoroughly once, then cover the bed surface with horse manure or wheat straw to help the roots overwinter and allow new plants to grow early the following spring.

I believe that through my detailed explanation, everyone is now very clear about the artificial cultivation methods and cultivation time of dandelion. This is also a good way to become wealthy, and I hope friends with entrepreneurial dreams can give it a try. I also hope my information can be of help to everyone.