Detailed Guide to Licorice Planting Methods and Cultivation Experience

1. Site selection and land preparation

Usually choose sandy loam soil that is fertile, loose in texture, well-drained, and low in salinity and alkalinity. Usually when preparing the land, a tractor is used to plow the field, with deep plowing of about 20 cm. At the same time, apply 2000—2500 kg of barnyard manure per 667 sq m as base fertilizer, then level and harrow finely, and make beds 50—60 cm wide before planting.

2. Propagation methods

Licorice can be propagated by seed and by rhizome.

(1) Seed propagation

In order to expand the production area, licorice should preferably be propagated by seed. Every year in September, when the seed pods are ripe but not yet split open, pick the pods and thresh them, and select mature, plump, disease-free and pest-free seeds for sowing. Sow every year in spring and autumn; spring sowing is in March-April, and autumn sowing is in August-September. Because licorice seeds have a thick seed coat and poor water permeability, they do not germinate easily. Seed treatment must be carried out before sowing. Treatment method: mix coarse sand with the seeds and rub them together to make the seed coat rough and thinner and increase water permeability, or place the seeds on a stone roller mill at a thickness of 3 cm, turning the seeds as they are rolled. When rolling, pay attention to changes in the licorice seed coat; when the seed coat becomes greenish-white, it is ready. Soak the seeds in warm water at 40°C for 10 hours. When sowing, hole sowing is usually used. On the prepared land, open holes at a spacing of 10—15 cm and 2—3 cm deep, sow 3—5 seeds per hole, and cover with soil after sowing. Use 7-8 kg of seed per 667 sq m for raising seedlings. Keep the soil moist after sowing, water when the soil layer is dry, and seedlings emerge 2-3 weeks after sowing.

(2) Rhizome propagation

Adventitious buds growing on licorice rhizomes can grow into new plants, so rhizome propagation can be used. For propagation, choose rhizomes 0.5—1.5 cm in diameter, cut them into sections 15-20 cm long, each section with 3—5 adventitious buds, and plant them in early April or late October each year. On the prepared ground, with row spacing of 50—60 cm and plant spacing of 25 cm, open holes 15 cm deep; on salinized wasteland and dry plots the holes can be up to 20 cm deep. Place 1—2 rhizome sections in each hole, and after planting cover with soil and press down appropriately.