Detailed Guide to Du Gua Cultivation Techniques: Key Points and Methods of Cultivation Management

In today's market, the variety of goods can be said to be extremely rich; there is nothing you cannot buy, only things you have never heard of. Here we introduce a plant rarely seen by ordinary people: Du Gua.

1. What is Du Gua

Du Gua, scientific name Trichosanthes kirilowii, known in Chinese medicine as Gualou, is a traditional high-quality Chinese medicinal material. The rind, seeds, and root tubers can all be used as medicine. Du Gua is generally distributed in China's Liaoning, North China, East China, Central South, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan, and other places. It grows at an altitude of 200-1800 m in mountain forests, shrublands, grasslands, and beside village fields.

Du Gua has great medicinal value. It is recorded in the “Compendium of Materia Medica” that “Zhang Zhongjing treated chest impediment pain extending to the heart and back, coughing and panting, and bind-chest fullness and pain, all with the fruit of Trichosanthes kirilowii, taking its sweet and cold nature that does not offend the stomach qi, able to descend the fire of the upper jiao and cause phlegm qi to descend. Cheng Wuji did not understand this meaning, and instead said that its bitter-cold nature drains heat, probably because he had not tasted its flavor, which is originally not bitter, and merely attached forced interpretations to the text.

2. Cultivation Techniques for Du Gua

Du Gua prefers a warm and humid climate, is relatively cold-tolerant but not drought-tolerant, and does not have high environmental requirements. From vine emergence to fruit harvest, Du Gua takes about 190 days in total. So how exactly should Du Gua be cultivated? What key points need attention?

1. Root division propagation: In mid-to-late March, dig up the old roots of robust female plants 3-5 years old with fresh white cross-sections, divide them into 7-10 cm segments, plant them in holes, water thoroughly, and they will sprout in about 10 or more days. Each year, apply topdressing 2-3 times in combination with intertillage.

2. Seed propagation: Direct sowing is carried out in April. Choose fertile soil with good drainage, open holes and apply sufficient base fertilizer, with a hole spacing of 30x40 cm. After covering with soil, sow the seeds by dibbling, then cover with 2 cm of soil. They emerge in about half a month. When there are 2 true leaves, keep 1 seedling per hole.

3. Planting: Because Du Gua is dioecious and mainly relies on natural pollination, when sowing and planting it is advisable to plant at a ratio of 10:1 (10 female plants to 1 male plant).

4. Field management: After planting, carry out intertillage and weeding once each in spring and winter every year. After each intertillage and weeding, combine with fertilization. When the stems and vines grow to more than 30 cm, a trellis needs to be set up to guide the vines onto it.

The above is some small knowledge about Du Gua and its cultivation. Has any friend grown Du Gua at home?