Sharing Experience and Methods for Platycodon grandiflorus Planting and Seedling Cultivation

Since Platycodon grandiflorus was domesticated from wild varieties into cultivated ones, root branching and plant lodging have become bottlenecks hindering production and planting. Especially since the 1980s, with large demand from countries such as South Korea and Japan, the standard requires fresh Platycodon grandiflorus roots to have a diameter above 1.2cm and a length above 15cm with no branching, and the price of fresh roots approaches that of dried roots. Even so, less than 20% of Platycodon grandiflorus per mu meets the above standards. Therefore, when planting, medicinal herb growers in various production areas can only rely on increasing seed density to raise the selection rate of Platycodon grandiflorus commercial roots, in order to achieve the best benefits. Platycodon grandiflorus seed sowing increased from 2 kg per mu to 4 kg, and some even sowed 8 kg. This in turn caused plant lodging and low yield. In recent years, with the formation of domestic Platycodon grandiflorus production areas, the increase in area, and the improvement of technology, export standards have become even higher, requiring fresh roots to have a diameter above 1.5cm and a length above 20cm with no branching. How can the above standards be met while also obtaining relatively high yield? Through repeated experiments and careful research, we adopted a series of measures such as summer seedling cultivation, winter transplanting, and cutting seedlings in early summer, which not only increased the selection rate of commercial roots but also increased yield and improved benefits.

Site selection: choose sandy loam with deep soil layers and good drainage, and apply sufficient base fertilizer. If conditions permit, farmyard manure may be used, with no less than 10000 kg of farmyard manure applied per mu. If there is no farmyard manure, cake fertilizer can be used instead, applied at 300 kg per mu. Compound fertilizer can be applied according to soil conditions. Deeply plow the land more than 30cm, break up the soil finely and level it, and make beds ready for sowing.

The sowing time should be chosen between Grain Rain and Summer Solstice, with a seeding rate of 12-15 kg per mu. Seeds with a germination rate of no less than 80% are mixed with fine soil and evenly broadcast on the leveled land. After sowing, press lightly, and cover with straw or shade netting. Generally, full emergence can be achieved in 12-18 days. In the same year, 400000-550000 seedlings can be produced per mu.

Transplanting: after Frost Descent, transplanting can begin. When lifting seedlings, dig deep so as not to break the root fibers. When transplanting, turn a furrow 20cm deep and select healthy seedlings with no branching above 20cm. Remove the small branches from the seedlings and plant them obliquely at 70° according to a plant and row spacing of 0.5-1 chi, similar to transplanting large scallions. Generally, 32000-36000 plants per mu is sufficient.

Management: after transplanting, the management of Platycodon grandiflorus is relatively simple. In spring it grows vigorously and is not prone to weeds. Because it grows too fast, the Platycodon grandiflorus seedlings become weak and soft and are prone to lodging. To prevent lodging, cut the Platycodon grandiflorus seedlings around the Beginning of Summer; the regrown branch nodes are less prone to lodging.

Harvest: it can be harvested in autumn. Generally, the fresh yield of Platycodon grandiflorus is more than 1500 kg per mu, and the selection rate for export standards is more than 80%.