How to Grow Perilla: Perilla Growing Methods and Precautions
I believe everyone is very familiar with perilla. Not only are its leaves attractive, but it also has extremely high medicinal and culinary value. When cooking meat dishes, perilla is always an indispensable accompaniment. It not only makes food more delicious but also removes the gamey smell, and is deeply loved by everyone. Many people like to grow a pot of perilla at home. Below, the editor will introduce some perilla growing techniques for everyone!
How to Grow Perilla
1. Perilla prefers a warm and humid environment. In the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, it is more suitable to sow in April. For home pot cultivation, the direct sowing method is generally used.
2. Choose a container about 20 cm in size. For the potting soil, use 8 parts mature garden soil, 1 part decomposed organic fertilizer, 0.5 part compound fertilizer, and add a small amount of superphosphate, mixed together.
3. Sow one hole in the container, place 3 seeds, then cover with soil, water, and wait for seedlings to emerge.
4. After the seedlings emerge, if the soil is compacted, loosen the soil. Generally, thin the seedlings to a fixed spacing in about 35 days.
Perilla Growing Methods
1. Take an appropriate amount of perilla seeds and put them in a disposable plastic cup (other containers can of course also be used), add clean water and soak the seeds for about 4 hours first.
2. Use the time while the seeds are soaking to prepare the flower pot and soil. A flower pot with a diameter of about 20 cm is best, and the bottom must have drainage holes. The soil can be made by mixing 8 parts mature garden soil, 1 part decomposed organic fertilizer, 0.5 part compound fertilizer, and a small amount of superphosphate.
3. Put the mixed soil into the flower pot, level the surface, then evenly scatter the soaked seeds on the soil surface, and then thinly scatter a layer of fine soil. The thickness of this layer of fine soil should be just enough to slightly cover the seeds; it must not be too thick.
4. Use a suitably sized absorbent cloth, soak it with water, and cover it over the fine soil. Spray water 6 to 8 times a day to keep it moist. It will sprout in about 12 days. After sprouting, remove the wet cloth promptly.
5. Next, pay attention to spraying a little water every day to maintain soil moisture, and also pay attention to maintaining good light. After about 26 days of growth, they can be divided into pots for planting.
6. The flower pots and soil used for dividing and planting are the same as those used for raising seedlings. Select relatively strong seedlings and plant 1 plant per flower pot. After planting, remember to water once. This first watering must be thorough, so that survival is easier.
7. Next, as long as you pay attention to watering and light, perilla can grow vigorously. Remember, although perilla is heat-tolerant, you still need to provide appropriate shade during high-temperature weather.
Precautions for Growing Perilla
1. Summer is the period of most vigorous growth for perilla. At this time, there must be sufficient water, and quick-acting fertilizer should be applied 2 to 3 times, combined with spraying foliar nutrient solution.
2. Perilla is grown for harvesting tender leaves to eat. As long as the leaves grow to a certain size, they can be picked at any time, and the tops that have already undergone flower bud differentiation should be removed at any time so that they do not bloom and the stems and leaves maintain vigorous growth.
3. If your potted perilla is only for ornamental purposes, some stems and leaves should be appropriately removed to reduce the consumption of nutrients by the stems and leaves.
4. Diseases that commonly occur during perilla cultivation include powdery mildew or rust, etc. They can be controlled with Xiansheng 800-fold solution or Shigao 1500-fold solution.
Disease Control of Perilla
Septoria leaf spot generally occurs from June through harvest and harms perilla growth.
In the early stage, small brown or dark brown spots of varying size and shape appear on the leaf surface, and later develop into large round or polygonal lesions, generally 0.2—2.5 cm in diameter.
The lesions are not obvious on purple leaves, but are relatively obvious on green leaves. After drying, they often form holes. In severe cases, the lesions merge and the leaves fall off.
Control methods:
When selecting seeds, choose from disease-free plants. Pay attention to soil drainage and avoid planting too densely.
Starting at the early stage of disease onset, spray with 80% wettable zineb 800-fold solution, or 1:1:200 Bordeaux mixture. Spray once every 7 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays. However, spraying should be stopped half a month before harvest to ensure the medicinal material does not carry pesticide.
As described above, perilla is very easy to grow. You can grow it on a balcony or in a courtyard with just any pot. If you want to eat it, simply pick a few leaves to cook with. It is both fresh and convenient, and the perilla leaves are especially attractive, so it can also be used as an ornamental plant!