A detailed guide to standardized cultivation techniques for crown daisy: teaching you how to grow crown daisy well

Crown daisy (Chrysanthemum coronarium L.), also known as tonghao, penghao, haocai, chrysanthemum greens, tanghao, haozigan, haozi, and tonghuacai (in Fujian and other places it is also called ecai and yicai), is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family. Its leaves are alternate, long and pinnately lobed, and its flowers are yellow or white, very similar to wild chrysanthemum. The achene has ribs, the plant is two to three chi tall, and the stems and leaves are edible when tender and can also be used as medicine.

Morphological characteristics of crown daisy

Stems and leaves: smooth and hairless or almost smooth and hairless. The stem reaches up to 70 cm tall, unbranched or branched from the middle and upper part. Basal leaves wither during the flowering period. The middle and lower stem leaves are long elliptical or long elliptical-obovate, 8-10 cm long, sessile, bipinnately lobed. The first division is deeply lobed or almost fully lobed, with 4-10 pairs of lateral lobes. The second division is shallowly lobed, half-lobed, or deeply lobed, with lobes ovate or linear. The upper leaves are small.

Flowers: flower heads are solitary at the top of the stem or a few are borne at the tips of stem branches, but they do not form an obvious corymb. The pedicel is 15-20 cm long. The involucre is 1.5-3 cm in diameter, with 4 layers of involucral bracts; the inner layer is 1 cm long, and the apex is membranous and expanded into an appendage-like shape. The ligule is 1.5-2.5 cm long. The achenes of the ligulate flowers have 3 raised narrow winged ribs; between the ribs there are 1-2 obvious intermediate ribs. The achenes of the tubular flowers have 1-2 elliptical raised ribs and inconspicuous intermediate ribs.

Standardized cultivation techniques for crown daisy

Crown daisy is also called haozigan. The cultivated varieties are mostly small-leaf types. The leaves are small and deeply notched, with many branches and deep leaf color, and strong cold tolerance. Crown daisy prefers a cool climate and has strong adaptability. The cultivation season is not strict; it can be sown in the open field in spring, summer, and autumn, with spring cultivation as the main season. It can be sown after the ground thaws in spring, and the quality of sowing after mid-April is poorer. In standardized cultivation, attention should be paid to mastering the following measures.

1) Flat-bed broadcast sowing or drill sowing: To facilitate harvesting, flat beds are generally 80-100 cm wide. When harvesting in several pickings, the bed ridge should be wide and firm. Apply high-quality organic fertilizer at 6000-8000 kg per mu, plow the soil and mix evenly, then level and make the beds. Sow immediately after the bed surface is leveled. For broadcast sowing, first use a two-tooth hoe to make uniform furrows on the bed surface, with a furrow depth of about 3 cm. Then scatter the seeds. The sowing rate is 4-5 kg per mu. After sowing, rake level with an iron rake and lightly pat the bed surface once with an iron shovel. For drill sowing, open furrows on the bed surface at a row spacing of 15 cm, with a furrow depth of 3-5 cm, scatter seeds in the furrows, and then rake level.

2) Timely thinning: Crown daisy emerges quickly. When the temperature is suitable, full emergence can occur in 4-5 days. After emergence, weeds should be removed in time and seedlings thinned. The row and plant spacing is about 3 cm. If the plant spacing is too large, air circulation increases and the stems and leaves tend to harden; if too dense, the stems are thin and weak.

3) Timely watering: Irrigation is very important during the growth period of crown daisy. If water is insufficient, the stems and leaves will harden and the quality will deteriorate. Generally, start watering when the seedlings are 3-4 cm tall, and thereafter water once every 3-5 days.

4) Reasonable topdressing: Start topdressing when the crown daisy seedlings are 10-12 cm tall. It is advisable to apply nitrogen fertilizer. Apply topdressing lightly and in multiple applications. Applying it with irrigation water gives better results.

Timely harvesting: Young shoots can be harvested 40-50 days after sowing. After each harvest, combine watering with topdressing of quick-acting chemical fertilizer to promote the sprouting and growth of side branches, so as to achieve the purpose of multiple harvests. Sometimes, in order to change crops, a single harvest is taken 50 days after sowing.