Detailed Explanation of Key Points for Cultivation and Management of Cordyceps sinensis
Cordyceps sinensis, also known as cordyceps, is a precious tonic medicinal material commonly used among Chinese people. Its nutritional content is higher than that of ginseng. It can be used as medicine and also eaten, is a superior delicacy, and has very high nutritional value. Cordyceps sinensis can enhance the body's immunity, nourish the lungs and kidneys, and has a significant inhibitory effect on lung cancer, liver cancer, and others. Clinically, it has therapeutic effects on chronic cough due to lung deficiency, asthma, hemoptysis from pulmonary tuberculosis, night sweats, soreness and aching of the waist and knees due to kidney deficiency, impotence and seminal emission, neurasthenia, and decreased red blood cells after chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Growing environment
Regarding the growth of cordyceps, humans find it mysterious and unfathomable. An earlier poem once said: “The name of Cordyceps sinensis matches reality; its transformations and forms are connected as one breath. One thing can actually combine both animal and plant; the principles of the world are truly hard to exhaust.” In fact, cordyceps is a combination of an insect and a fungus. The insect is the larva of the cordyceps ghost moth, and the fungus is the cordyceps fungus. Every midsummer, on alpine meadows above 3800 m in altitude, as the ice and snow melt, the small, spotted ghost moth leaves thousands upon thousands of eggs on flowers and leaves. The moth eggs then become small worms, burrow into the moist, loose soil, absorb nutrients from plant roots and stems, and gradually grow white and plump. At this time, spherical ascospores encounter cordyceps ghost moth larvae, burrow into the insect body, absorb its nutrients, and germinate hyphae. When the larvae of the cordyceps ghost moth eat leaves carrying cordyceps fungus, they can also become cordyceps.
The larvae infected by the fungus gradually wriggle to a place 2 to 3 cm from the ground surface and die with their heads up and tails down. This is “winter worm.” Although the larva dies, the fungus inside its body grows day by day until it fills the entire insect body. In late spring and early summer of the following year, a small purplish-red grass grows from the insect's head, about 2 to 5 cm tall, with a pineapple-shaped cyst shell at the top. This is “summer grass.” At this time, cordyceps is at its fullest development, with the highest content of active ingredients, making it the best season for collection. Qinghai, Tibet, Diqing in Yunnan Province, and Nujiang Prefecture are among the main producing areas of Chinese cordyceps.
Key points for cultivation and management of Cordyceps sinensis:
(1) Land selection and bed preparation
For cultivating Houttuynia cordata, sandy loam soil is generally preferable. Apply 3000-5000 kg of organic fertilizer and 200-250 kg of plant ash per mu as base fertilizer. Rake and break up the soil, level it, and make raised beds 1.3-1.7 m wide, with cultivation trenches opened on the beds at a spacing of 30-40 cm.
(2) Planting
Houttuynia cordata is generally propagated by root division. The planting period is preferably from January to March. First select thick, sturdy underground stems, cut them into short sections of 10 cm, with 2-3 nodes per section, place them flat in the planting trenches at a plant spacing of 5-8 cm, cover with 7 cm of soil, and use 80-100 kg of seed material per mu.
(3) Fertilization
The fertilizer uptake of Houttuynia cordata is mainly nitrogen and potassium fertilizer, with lower demand for phosphorus. After planting, topdressing can begin once the seedlings emerge 3 cm. In the early stage, nitrogen fertilizer is mainly used to promote seedling growth. In the middle and late stages of growth, because a large number of rhizomes are formed, the demand for fertilizer increases. On the basis of ensuring nitrogen fertilizer, potassium fertilizer and phosphorus fertilizer should also be applied.
(4) Field management
Throughout the growing period, the soil should be kept moist frequently. During drought, water should be sprinkled in the morning and evening; during the rainy season, drainage should be carried out to prevent waterlogging. When the aboveground part grows excessively, young stems and leaves should be harvested in time; when the aboveground stems and leaves turn yellow and become small and thin, appropriate topdressing should be applied to promote tillering. Flower buds also need to be removed in time to avoid flowering consuming a large amount of nutrients and inhibiting the growth of underground stems. Houttuynia cordata rarely suffers from diseases and insect pests.