How to cultivate Polygonatum for high yields

In fact, in our cultivation industry, the issues everyone cares about most are nothing more than how to improve its survival rate, how to achieve high yields, and so on. Ultimately, it all comes down to how to reduce costs and obtain the greatest profit margin, which is what every fellow grower pays close attention to.  

What is Polygonatum  

Polygonatum (scientific name: Polygonatumsibiricum), also known as: chicken-head Polygonatum, yellow chicken vegetable, brush-tube vegetable, claw ginseng, tiger ginger, chicken-claw ginseng. It is a plant of the genus Polygonatum, with a horizontal rhizome, cylindrical, with enlarged nodes. Leaves are whorled, sessile. It is a medicinal plant, with the effects of tonifying the spleen and moistening the lungs to promote fluid production.  

Polygonatum is a perennial herb, with a horizontal, fleshy rhizome, pale yellow, sometimes with a protruding tip resembling a chicken head; the stem is erect, 50-90 cm tall. Leaves are whorled, 4-6 per whorl, linear-lanceolate, 8-15 cm long, 04-1.6 cm wide, with curled tips. Flowers are axillary, usually 2-4 small flowers, drooping, with the peduncle 1-2 cm long; the perianth is tubular, white to pale yellow, 0.9-1.2 cm long, with 6 shallow lobes at the tip; there are 6 stamens, with relatively short filaments, 0.5-1 mm long; the style is 1.5-2 times as long as the ovary; the berry is spherical and black when mature. The flowering period is May-June, and the fruiting period is July-September.  

1. The main characteristics of Polygonatum multiflorum are: stem height 40-100 cm, leaves alternate, elliptic, ovate-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, with 3-5 veins. The pedicel bears 2-7 (-14) flowers, arranged in an umbel on the peduncle; the perianth is yellow-green, 1.8-2.5 cm long; the filaments have small papillae or fine hairs, enlarged at the tip to form sac-like protrusions.  

2. The main characteristics of Polygonatum kingianum are: stem height 1-3 m, often twining at the top, leaves whorled, 4-8 per whorl, linear to linear-lanceolate, 6-20 cm long, 0.3-3 cm wide, with acuminate and climbing-curled tips. The pedicel bears 2-3 flowers, not in an umbel; the perianth is pink, 1.8-2.5 cm long; the berry is red when mature.  

Cultivation techniques for Polygonatum  

1. Site selection: Choose sandy loam or clay loam with deep, fertile soil, and cultivate in an open area under the forest with shading and drainage conditions but sufficient light transmission in the upper layer, or in a plot with artificial shading conditions. When planting in farmland, for crop rotation it is best if the previous crop is rice, green manure, or a fallow plot. If intercropping with asparagus fern and corn, it is best to use rice and rapeseed as the previous crops.  

2. Base fertilizer: Before transplanting, apply fully decomposed barnyard manure; combined with land preparation, apply organic fertilizer at 3000 kg/mu, and add 20 kg of superphosphate.  

3. Land preparation: After the previous crop is cleared in late autumn, carry out deep plowing in time, then rake level and fine, and make beds 1.2 m wide and 0.25-0.30 m high, with a bed ditch width of 0.5 m. At the same time, make smooth ditches around the plot for drainage and waterlogging prevention.  

4. Transplanting: Transplant in early March in spring or late October in autumn. On the prepared plot, dig holes 10-15 cm deep, loosen and level the bottom of the holes, apply 1 kg of farmyard manure, plant one Polygonatum seedling per hole, cover with soil and press firmly, water thoroughly to settle the roots, then cover with soil level with the bed surface; after one week of transplanting, water once more.  

5. Quality of Polygonatum seedlings: Select 1-2-year-old robust plants free of pests and diseases; when harvesting, dig up the rhizomes and select the young tender parts at the tip, cut them into several sections, each section must have 2-3 nodes. After the cut surfaces are slightly dried and the sap has set, plant immediately. Select rhizome sections with terminal buds as planting material according to the Polygonatum seedling standard, cut the seed rhizomes into sections of 2 nodes, with the length of the seed rhizome preferably 8-10 cm, and 10 cm being best.  

6. Planting density: For Polygonatum, the most suitable row and plant spacings are 27 cm x 13 cm and 27 cm x 10 cm.  

Field management of Polygonatum  

I. Intertillage and weeding  

The early growth stage is the seedling stage, when weeds grow relatively quickly, and because it is the rainy season in the Tongren area, the soil easily becomes compacted, so timely intertillage and weeding are required. It is required to carry out one operation each in April, June, July, August, and November every year; the specific weeding time can be chosen as appropriate. While weeding and loosening the soil frequently, note that it should be shallow rather than deep to avoid damaging the roots. During growth, soil should also be frequently banked up; the mud in the furrows can be banked around the roots of Polygonatum, which, while accelerating the decomposition of organic fertilizer, can also prevent the rhizomes from being exposed to wind or light.  

II. Regular fertilization  

Topdressing: farmyard manure or human (animal) manure and urine at 1500 kg/mu, or compound fertilizer at 45-60 kg/mu. Fertilization should be combined with intertillage and weeding. Polygonatum requires relatively more fertilizer in the early growth stage; in April, May, June, and July, it is necessary to ensure that Polygonatum has sufficient nutrient uptake during the vegetative growth stage. According to growth conditions, the application of human manure and urine water per mu can be controlled between 1000 kg and 2000 kg. In November, apply heavy winter fertilizer, applying 1000 kg-1500 kg of farmyard manure per mu, and after mixing evenly with 50 kg of superphosphate and 50 kg of cake fertilizer, in low-temperature, cloudy or overcast weather, preferably before rain, open small ditches between rows or plants and apply the fertilizer, then immediately earth up along the rows to cover the fertilizer.  

III. Shading  

In late March, Polygonatum is about to emerge. If there are no shading conditions, a shade shed needs to be built. The shade shed is 2 m high and ventilated on all sides. By around mid-October, when the “autumn tiger” has basically faded, remove the shade shed. Intercropping Polygonatum under the forest has a good shading effect, followed by shade netting; artificial shade sheds are also acceptable. Adjusting the light transmission rate to 30% is optimal.  

IV. Pruning and topping  

The flowering period of Polygonatum is from early May to mid-July, and the fruiting period begins to set fruit from late May to early June. Many umbels and fruits are borne axillary at the stem nodes. The fruits do not begin to mature until November. This long reproductive growth stage causes a large consumption of nutrients, so for Polygonatum harvested for its underground rhizomes, the flower buds should be removed in time before the bud formation stage, in order to promote the interruption of nutrient accumulation toward the reproductive organs, thereby allowing nutrients to accumulate in the underground rhizomes. Generally, the flower buds of Polygonatum can be cut off in early May.  

V. Rational irrigation  

After transplanting and establishing the plants, water thoroughly to settle the roots (if transplanting after light rain, this is best, and watering can be omitted or reduced), keeping the soil moist to facilitate survival. In addition, before the rainy season, prepare in advance for clearing ditches and drainage to avoid water accumulation causing stem rot in Polygonatum.  

Pest and disease control of Polygonatum  

I. Disease control  

1. Disease occurrence pattern The main disease of Polygonatum is leaf spot disease, which begins to occur in April-May. It mostly occurs in summer and autumn, and is more severe in the rainy season. The pathogen is a kind of imperfect fungus among the fungi. On affected leaves, elliptical or irregular lesions first appear from the leaf tip, with brown outer edges and pale white centers, spreading downward from the lesions, causing the leaves to wither and die.  

2. Disease control methods  

① After harvest, clean the field and garden, gather dead branches and diseased residues and burn them centrally to eliminate overwintering pathogens.  

② Before disease onset and in the early stage of disease, spray 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture, or 50% Tuzet 1000-fold solution, once every 7-10 days, for 3-4 consecutive sprays, or spray 65% zineb wettable powder 500-600-fold solution, once every 7-10 days, for 2-3 consecutive times.  

II. Pest control  

1. Pest occurrence pattern During the seedling stage of Polygonatum, the main pests are mostly cutworms and grubs, which mainly bite the young tender rhizomes of Polygonatum, sever the rhizomes, and damage the seedlings; their destructiveness should not be underestimated. From around mid-May to July, Polygonatum is in the initial stage of reproductive growth, and the floral organs and young fruits of Polygonatum will be damaged by planthoppers, which can lead to a reduced fruit-setting rate. This is especially serious for Polygonatum intercropped under forest.  

2. Pest control methods  

① Use 2-2.5 kg of 2.5% trichlorfon powder per mu, mix evenly with 75 kg of fine soil, then open ditches along the Polygonatum rows and scatter-apply to control grubs.  

② For cutworms, the above method can also be used for control, but increase the dosage to 2-2.5 kg and mix with 20 kg of fine soil.  

③ Trichlorfon can be mixed into fragrant bait and placed in small piles every 1 meter in the field in the evening to trap and kill them.  

Through the above introduction by the editor, everyone must have gained a general understanding of cultivating Polygonatum. In fact, what the editor has said is also just armchair theory. It is still up to the cultivator to carry out actual operations during the cultivation process. Moreover, many strange problems will certainly be encountered during cultivation, and this requires cultivators to summarize and study them themselves.