How to cultivate Houttuynia cordata? Four key points explained at once

Houttuynia cordata is fairly common in our country. I often see wild Houttuynia cordata by the pond at home. I remember when I was little, whenever I had a cough, I would boil Houttuynia cordata in water and drink it, and the effect was very good, so I have had a deep impression of Houttuynia cordata since childhood.

The four key points of cultivating Houttuynia cordata

1. Site selection and bed preparation

For cultivating Houttuynia cordata, sandy loam is generally preferred. Apply 3000-5000 kg of organic fertilizer and 200-250 kg of plant ash per mu as base fertilizer. Rake it fine and level it, make raised beds 1.3-1.7 m wide, and open cultivation furrows on the beds with a furrow spacing of 30-40 cm.

2. Planting

Houttuynia cordata generally uses root division propagation. The planting period is preferably January to March. First select thick, strong underground stems, cut them into 10 cm short sections, each with 2-3 nodes, place them flat in the planting furrows with a plant spacing of 5-8 cm, cover with 7 cm of soil, and use 80-100 kg of seed per mu.

3. Fertilization

Houttuynia cordata mainly absorbs nitrogen and potassium fertilizer, with a relatively low demand for phosphorus. After planting, topdressing can begin once the seedlings emerge 3 cm. In the early stage, mainly nitrogen fertilizer is 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. In dry weather, water in the morning and evening; in the rainy season, drain water to prevent waterlogging. When the aboveground part grows excessively, tender stems and leaves should be harvested in time; when the aboveground stems and leaves turn yellow and become thin and small, fertilizer should be topdressed appropriately 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 pests and diseases.

The effects and functions of Houttuynia cordata  

1. Antibacterial. Houttuynin in the volatile oil of Houttuynia cordata has a clear inhibitory effect on Neisseria catarrhalis, Haemophilus influenzae, pneumococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, and others.  

2. Diuretic. Houttuynia cordata contains substances such as quercitrin and has antiviral and diuretic effects.  

3. Anti-inflammatory. Houttuynia cordata has relatively good effects on upper respiratory tract infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, chronic tracheitis, chronic cervicitis, whooping cough, and others, and also has a certain therapeutic effect on acute conjunctivitis, urinary tract infections, and others.  

4. Enhancing immunity. Houttuynia cordata can enhance the body's immune function and increase the phagocytic capacity of white blood cells. It has effects such as pain relief, cough relief, hemostasis, promoting tissue regeneration, dilating capillaries, and increasing blood flow.

Cultivation techniques for Houttuynia cordata  

1. Propagation methods: division, cuttings, and rhizome propagation can all be used. For division propagation, from late March to April, dig out the mother plant, divide it, and transplant the divisions into a sandy soil seedbed for raising seedlings, or transplant directly. For cutting propagation, in spring and summer, cut healthy, pest-free and disease-free branches as cuttings, cut them into 12--15 cm lengths, and insert them into a sandy loam seedbed with a row spacing of 16 cm × 10 cm or 14 cm × 10 cm. After insertion, water and shade, and after rooting, move the seedlings for planting. For rhizome propagation, this can be done in February to March. Dig out white, thick, strong rhizomes, cut them into small sections with more than 2 axillary buds, and raise seedlings or plant them in shallow furrows in a seedbed or in the field.  

2. Land preparation and planting: choose fertile, loose sandy loam or soil rich in organic matter that drains and irrigates easily and faces the sun while sheltered from the wind. After deep plowing and loosening the soil, make beds 1.5 m--1.6 m wide, 30 cm high, and with a furrow bottom width of 20 cm. Apply 3000 kg--4000 kg of farmyard manure per mu as base fertilizer, open shallow furrows or dig holes at a plant and row spacing of 14 cm × 20 cm for planting, and water after planting to keep the soil moist.  

3. Field management: if drought occurs during the seedling stage, water in the morning and evening to moisten the bed soil. From seedling survival to before the rows close, cultivate, weed, and topdress 2--3 times, mainly with nitrogen fertilizers such as human excrement and urine or chemical fertilizers. Each weeding should be combined with topdressing, applying 1000 kg-1500 kg of human excrement and urine per mu or 15 kg-25 kg of urea, applied first diluted and then concentrated. After each harvest, mainly apply nitrogen fertilizer to promote plant sprouting, and the second time mainly apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, and earth up to help overwintering and lay a good foundation for sprouting the next year.  

4. Harvesting and processing: generally from March to May, relatively tender Houttuynia cordata is harvested for eating. If it is mainly for medicinal use, it can be harvested only once in the planting year, in September to October, and in the second year it can be harvested twice, the first time in June and the second time in September to October. If it is processed to make beverages, according to the production process requirements, cut the whole plant flat with a sickle, wash it clean and dry it in the sun, and then it can be stored for later use.

Propagation methods of Houttuynia cordata  

The propagation methods of Houttuynia cordata mainly include division propagation, cutting propagation, and rhizome propagation. Rhizome propagation is usually used.  

1. Division propagation: from late March to April, dig out the mother plant, divide it, and transplant the divisions into a sandy soil seedbed for raising seedlings, or transplant directly.  

2. Cutting propagation: in spring and summer, cut healthy, pest-free and disease-free branches as cuttings, cut them into 12--15 cm lengths, and insert them into a sandy loam seedbed with a row spacing of 16 cm × 10 cm or 14 cm × 10 cm. After insertion, water and shade, and after rooting, move the seedlings for planting.  

3. Rhizome propagation: this can be done in February to March. Dig out white, thick, strong rhizomes, cut them into small sections with more than 2 axillary buds, and raise seedlings or plant them in shallow furrows in a seedbed or in the field.

As people nowadays know more and have a broader range of knowledge, the value of Houttuynia cordata is being discovered more and more, so its market demand is also increasing. Many people have gradually discovered the market demand for Houttuynia cordata and begun to grow it.