Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for Understory Cultivation and Management of Wild Ginger

Wild ginger, aliases: Asarum sieboldii, Pot Grass Wild Ginger, Latin name: Asarum sieboldii Miq., Aristolochiaceae family, Asarum genus perennial herb; rhizome erect or creeping, 2-3 mm in diameter, internodes 1-2 cm long, with multiple fibrous roots. Leaves usually 2, leaf blade heart-shaped or ovate-heart-shaped, apex acuminate or acute, base deeply heart-shaped, tip rounded, sparsely covered with short hairs on the upper surface, denser on the veins, hairs only on the veins of the lower surface; stamens inserted at the middle of the ovary, filaments nearly equal to or slightly longer than anthers, connective prominent, short conical; ovary semi-inferior or nearly superior, globose, relatively short, stigma lateral. Fruit nearly globose, about 1.5 cm in diameter, brownish-yellow. Flowering period April-May.

Growing environment   Wild ginger grows in understory areas with deep humus layers in slightly shaded and warm places. It is commonly found in coniferous-broadleaf mixed forests and broadleaf forests, in dense shrub thickets, in slightly moist spots at the bottom of mountain gullies, and in warm areas at forest edges or in sparse forests on hillsides. It is produced in the counties of the Changbai Mountain area and semi-mountainous areas of eastern Jilin. The province produces about 150,000 jin annually. The whole plant of wild ginger contains 2.65% volatile oil. The main components of the volatile oil are: methyl eugenol, safrole, eucarvone, borneol, etc. Wild ginger prefers moist and cool environments and is resistant to severe cold [2], so it is advisable to choose sparse woodland, humus-rich, deep, loose, and fertile loam, or to cultivate on shaded slopes with light sandy, cool and moist conditions. It is propagated by wild wild ginger seedlings, seeds, and rhizomes. Harvested from May to August and dried in the shade.

Site selection and land preparation

Wild wild ginger is a shade-loving plant that grows under forests. Because it has long grown in moist, fertile humus layers under forests, it has developed characteristics of preferring moisture, fertilizer, and shade, and fearing strong light. It is commonly found among dense shrubs, in slightly moist places at the bottom of mountain gullies, and at forest edges and shaded wet rocky areas. Therefore, for understory cultivation, forest areas with complete vegetation and fertile soil should be selected; first, excessively dense and unmarketable trees should be thinned, or overly dense branches should be pruned. Generally, the soil is turned 15 cm, then residual roots and weeds are raked out, and beds are made along the mountain contour for later use.

Seed propagation and seedling transplanting For artificial cultivation of wild ginger, direct seeding can give a one-time harvest in 5 years; for seedling transplanting, the crop is harvested after 3-4 years of growth following transplanting. Sowing and seedling raising

In mid-to-late June, when the fruit changes from purplish-red to pinkish-white, the flesh feels soft when pinched by hand, and it becomes powdery-sandy, it is ripe. It must be collected as it ripens, otherwise the seeds easily fall off and are carried away by ants. After the seeds are harvested, rub off the fruit skin and sow immediately. The seeds must be fresh; dry seeds stored indoors for 2 months will lose their germination ability. If the seeds cannot be sown in time after collection, the newly harvested and washed seeds should be mixed with wet sand and buried for later sowing. The sowing period must not be later than the end of July, as being too late affects root growth. Sowing methods include broadcast sowing, drill sowing, and hole sowing. ① Broadcast sowing: on a high bed, level the bed surface, make a 5 cm deep bed trench, rake the bottom of the trench level, then sow. Fresh seeds can be mixed evenly with 5-10 times their volume of fine sand and then broadcast. The sowing rate is 20 g per square meter; sowing should be uniform, and after sowing cover with 1.5 cm of soil. ② Drill sowing: open furrows on the bed surface at a row spacing of 10-15 cm, with a furrow depth of 1.5 cm, mix the seeds with fine sand and evenly scatter them into the furrows, cover with 1.5 cm of soil, using 4-5 kg of seed per mu. ③ Hole sowing: press the bed surface with a wooden roller, sow at 10×10 cm, sow 5-7 seeds per hole, and cover with 2 cm of soil. Use about 2.5 kg of seed per mu. Then cover the bed surface with a layer of half-rotted leaves. With the above propagation methods, after emergence and 4-5 years of growth, a one-time harvest can be made for sale as a commodity. If raising seedlings for transplanting, small seedlings grown for 2-3 years can be transplanted.

Transplanting Transplanting of wild wild ginger seedlings is carried out in May-June. At this time, wild ginger has grown larger, while other weeds have not yet grown up, making it easy to find and dig. When digging seedlings, do not damage the roots and bud scales; after digging, keep them fresh and prevent them from drying out. Plant them as they are collected. For transplanting, use a row spacing of 15 cm and a hole spacing of 20 cm, and be careful to straighten out the fibrous roots. Seedling transplanting is best done in spring before the bud scales sprout and in autumn after the aboveground plants have withered. If transplanting in summer, watering is required. When transplanting, open furrows across the bed surface, with a row spacing of 20 cm and a plant spacing of 6 cm. If the soil tends to compact, hole planting is preferable, with plant and row spacings of 25×25 cm or 20×20 cm respectively, 3-5 plants per hole, and cover with 4 cm of soil after planting.

Field management Fertilization and earthing up One of the most important lessons summarized from wild ginger production is that increasing manure application leads to rapid growth and high yield. Applying rotted pigpen manure and sheep, rabbit, and chicken manure is best, and combining it with chemical fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium gives even better results. Each spring, before the wild ginger bud scales sprout, while loosening the soil, 50 kg of superphosphate per mu may be applied, or 10-20 kg of compound fertilizer (or diammonium phosphate). In autumn, fully rotted pig manure or sheep manure is spread on the bed surface as a top-covering fertilizer: 1.5 cm for 1-year-old seedlings and 3 cm thick for 2-3-year-old seedlings. The top-covering manure can serve to topdress, protect against cold, retain moisture, and prevent freezing damage. In addition, in spring, summer, and autumn each year, use soil from the working paths to build up the bed edges, preventing rainwater from washing away the bed edges and exposing overwintering buds, rhizomes, and fibrous roots. After artificial cultivation, through fertilization and increased light, wild ginger leaves can become thicker, photosynthesis can be strengthened, and growth can be promoted; wild ginger has well-developed rhizomes, many branches, thick and long fibrous roots, and the terminal buds on the rhizome nodes are enlarged, while lateral buds and dormant buds all form larger overwintering buds, and the leaves multiply the following year. For each hole originally planted with 3-4 plants and 6-12 leaves, after 5 years of growth the leaves can reach 80-200. There is a great difference between fertilized and unfertilized wild ginger.

Weeding and soil loosening Throughout the entire growth process of wild ginger, weeding and soil loosening should be carried out 3-5 times per year to keep the bed free of weeds. Bed surface mulch management In early April, remove the mulch from the bed surface used at sowing to facilitate emergence. In mid-to-late April, when the seedlings have basically all emerged, scatter larch needles on the bed surface to prevent rainwater from washing away the bed surface, prevent soil compaction, prevent drought, and reduce weeds. Adjusting light After the soil freezes, prune the tree canopy according to the different ages of the wild ginger to adjust light. Because wild ginger grows in deep humus soil layers, its root system is not well developed and only forms a shallow root system, so it cannot absorb deep moisture and is not drought-tolerant. Wild ginger fears strong sunlight and must have shading conditions to survive. A few hours of direct exposure to the scorching sun in June will cause all wild ginger plants to wither and die; however, sufficient oblique scattered light will promote rapid growth; if the forest canopy density exceeds 70%, growth is extremely slow. In artificial cultivation of wild ginger, through fertilization and watering, and by providing sufficient oblique scattered light, growth is faster and yield is higher.

Adding cold protection materials in autumn and winter

Before the soil freezes in autumn, cover with fallen leaves or weeds without grass seeds to keep warm and moist, prevent freezing damage, avoid drying out of wild ginger buds and rhizomes, and prevent frost heaving.