How Does Garlic Chives Survive Winter? A Detailed Guide to Overwintering Management
Garlic chives are also known as Fengben, Caozhongru, Qiyangcao, lazy man's vegetable, and so on. Its leaves, flower stalks and flowers are all eaten as vegetables; the seeds and other parts can be used as medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine, some people call garlic chives “intestine-washing grass”. So how do garlic chives survive winter?
1. How garlic chives survive winter
Before winter arrives, after harvesting the last crop of garlic chives, cover the roots well with an appropriate amount of soil, then cover the soil layer with some straw or cow dung, which has a very good heat-preserving effect. The garlic chives will sprout again the following spring.
2. How to grow garlic chives
1. Temperature
Garlic chives prefer cool conditions and tolerate both cold and heat. The suitable temperature for seed germination is above 12°C, the growing temperature is 15°C to 25°C, and the underground parts can withstand relatively low temperatures.
2. Light
Garlic chives need moderate light intensity and have strong shade tolerance. However, if the light is too weak, photosynthetic products accumulate less, tillering is reduced and thin and weak, yields are low, and premature aging occurs easily; if the light is too strong and the temperature is too high, there is more fiber and the quality is poor.
3. Water
The suitable relative air humidity for garlic chives is 60-70%, and the soil moisture is 80-90% of the maximum field water-holding capacity
4. Soil nutrients
Garlic chives are highly adaptable to soil texture, and the suitable pH is 5.5-6.5. They have a high fertilizer requirement and strong fertilizer tolerance.
3. The benefits and effects of garlic chives
1. Garlic chives contain a large amount of volatile essential oils and sulfides. These substances help soothe the liver and regulate qi, enhance digestive function, increase appetite, and warm the stomach and strengthen the spleen.
2. Garlic chives contain a large amount of dietary fiber, which can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, protect the intestinal mucosa, and soften the stool.
3. Garlic chives contain allicin, which has the effect of dispersing blood stasis and invigorating blood circulation and promoting the movement of qi to relieve stagnation. They are suitable for conditions such as bruises, nausea, enteritis, vomiting blood, and chest pain.
Garlic chives are rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, and so on, and also contain a large amount of thiopropylene, allicin and dietary fiber.