Detailed Explanation of Key Points for Planting and Cultivating Dry Pinellia

Dry Pinellia is what we usually call Pinellia, and the existence of this term is mainly to distinguish it from water Pinellia. The planting of Pinellia and the planting of general medicinal herbs are largely similar overall, but the details are what determine success or failure, so when learning planting techniques, you must carefully observe the places where there are differences and divergences.

Dry Pinellia Planting Techniques

1. Site selection and land preparation: Choose a sunny sandy loam soil with deep soil layers, a previous crop of leguminous or grass-family crops, no underground weeds growing, good drainage, and rich organic matter for planting. Deep plow 20-25 cm, make beds 1.2 m wide, with bed furrows 30 cm wide and 15-20 cm deep. Apply 1500-2000 kg of decomposed fine farmyard manure or soil-mixed fertilizer and 20-25 kg of superphosphate per mu.

2. Timely sowing: Sowing can be carried out in spring, summer, and autumn, but sowing in spring from late February to early March is best. On the bed, open furrows 5-7 cm deep at a row spacing of 20-25 cm, with a furrow width of about 15 cm, sow the tubers in the furrows at a plant spacing of 2-5 cm, using about 60 kg of seed per mu. After sowing, scatter decomposed fine farmyard manure or soil-mixed fertilizer to cover the seeds, then pour 1500-2000 kg of clear manure water, and afterward cover with soil level with the bed surface. The bed surface can be covered with thatch or rice straw 1-2 cm thick to maintain soil moisture and prevent weeds from growing. Generally after 20 days, observe once every 2 days, and when the seedling emergence rate reaches about 60%, remove the covering after 6 p.m.

Dry Pinellia Cultivation Techniques

1. Seedling-stage management: After sowing Pinellia, scatter decomposed fine farmyard manure or soil-mixed fertilizer to cover the seeds, then pour 1500-2000 kg of clear manure water, and afterward cover with soil level with the bed surface. Generally after 20 days, observe once every 2 days, and when the seedling emergence rate reaches about 60%, remove the covering after 6 p.m.

2. Intertillage and fertilization: About 20 days after the Pinellia seedlings emerge completely in early April, apply 1000 kg of human and livestock manure water at 1:3 per mu. Check and manage the field at any time; when weeds are found, they should be pulled out promptly, and the space between rows should be shallowly hoed with a hoe to a depth of about 2.5 cm, avoiding root damage.

3. Timely earthing up: For Pinellia sown before early March, earth up once around June 10, using about 200 kg of fine plow-sole-layer mud per mu, scattered over the bed surface about 1.5 cm thick, covering the bulb buds and seeds and lightly pressing down; earth up once each around July 15 and September 10.

4. Irrigation and bud removal: Pinellia likes moisture and fears drought. If there is a long clear and dry period, irrigate for half an hour after 6 p.m.; if there is too much rain, drain promptly. Except when seed propagation is needed, all flower buds drawn out during the growth period should be removed so that nutrients are concentrated on the growth of the underground tubers.

Differences Between Dry Pinellia and Water Pinellia

1. The original plant of dry Pinellia is the dried tuber of Pinellia ternata of the genus Pinellia in the Araceae family. The original plant of water Pinellia is the dried tuber of Typhonium flagelliforme of the genus Typhonium in the Araceae family.

2. The contents of the main chemical components of dry Pinellia and water Pinellia, including β-sitosterol, amino acids, oleic acid, and inorganic elements, are completely different.

3. The toxicity of dry Pinellia and water Pinellia is different; the toxicity of water Pinellia is 3.2 times that of Pinellia.

4. The antitussive and antiemetic effects of dry Pinellia are both stronger than those of water Pinellia, and water Pinellia has no antiemetic effect.

Producing Areas of Pinellia

Pinellia is mainly distributed in Hubei, Henan, Anhui, Shandong, Sichuan, and Gansu; it is also distributed in Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Hebei, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan.

Pinellia is mainly produced in Wuchang, Laohekou, Xiangyang, Yangxin, and Tianmen in Hubei; Runan, Lingbao, Lushi, Mianchi, Xixian, Huaibin, and Tanghe in Henan; Huaining, Xuancheng, Ningguo, Funan, and Yingshang in Anhui; Jinxiang, Juye, Jiaonan, Wulian, and Laiyang in Shandong; and Suining, Anyue, Wanxian, Zhaojue, Yuechi, Bishan, Longchang, Rongchang, Zhongxian, and Yingshan in Sichuan.

There are many producing areas for Pinellia, and the Pinellia produced in different producing areas is quite good in effect, which provides great convenience for our current medicinal herb planting, so in the process of planting Pinellia we only need to take careful care to achieve the smooth growth of Pinellia.