A Detailed Explanation of Amomum tsaoko Planting Techniques and Management Key Points
Amomum tsaoko is a plant used both as medicine and as food. It can be used as a spice for seasoning and also as medicine to treat illness. Its planting volume is also quite considerable. What are its planting methods? Let us briefly understand them.
Amomum tsaoko planting techniques
1. Site selection and land preparation: In places near the planting site, choose mountain hollows and gentle valley areas with a water source, shade from trees, soil rich in humus, fertile and loose, and moist as the seedling-raising site. Before sowing, plow the land deeply, remove weeds, tree roots, and stones completely, and adjust the degree of shade properly. Sod ash can be applied as base fertilizer. The site selection requirements for the planting site and the seedling-raising site are basically the same. However, holes need to be dug at a row spacing of 100 cm × 60 cm. At the same time, ring-shaped drainage ditches around the mountain should be opened around the planting site to prevent soil erosion.
2. Sowing and seedling raising: Sowing can generally be carried out in February each year or from October to November. On the prepared seedbed, open sowing furrows 1.5 cm deep at a row spacing of 20 cm, then sow 1 to 2 seeds per spot at a plant spacing of 6 cm. After covering with soil, cover the seedbed surface with grass and water thoroughly.
3. Field planting: After the seeds germinate, move away the covering grass. Choose cloudy and rainy weather for field planting, plant 1 seedling per hole, and after covering with soil and firming it, water thoroughly to settle the roots. For seedlings propagated from seeds, care must be taken not to damage them when lifting the seedlings, so as not to affect the survival rate of field planting.
4. Seedling-stage management: During the seedling-raising period, the seedbed should be kept moist at all times. After about 20 days, when the seedlings emerge one after another, the covering grass should be moved to the spaces between rows. Bordeaux mixture can be sprayed monthly to prevent diseases. During this period, manure water can be applied as topdressing.
5. Cultivation and weeding: After field planting, in order to promote plant growth and tillering, cultivation and weeding should be carried out twice each year, in summer and winter respectively. During cultivation, remove weeds between the clumps completely and loosen the soil at the same time. In winter cultivation, pests should be controlled together with removing old dead plants. The cut old dead plants and removed weeds can be spread between the rows to gradually decompose and increase soil fertility. If old plants have pests or diseases, after cutting they should not be used to cover between the plants and must be removed from the site and burned.
6. Irrigation and adjusting light transmittance: Water thoroughly during drought. For planting sites far from a water source, it is advisable to cover the seedbed surface with grass during the dry season to reduce water evaporation and keep the soil moist. Amomum tsaoko needs a certain shaded condition to grow and develop normally. Every year, appropriate branch thinning and forest thinning should be carried out for shade, cutting away part of the branches that grow too luxuriantly, and properly thinning overly dense trees. Areas lacking shade trees should be replanted in time. Generally, maintain a light transmittance of 40% to 50% at all times.
7. Pest and disease control: Strengthen drainage and spray Bordeaux mixture to control damping-off disease. When diseased plants are found, pull them out in time, spread quicklime powder at the diseased plant location, and spray 50% amobam 1000-fold solution. When stem borers are found, cut off the dead-heart seedlings in time and spray 50% fenitrothion emulsifiable concentrate 800 to 1000-fold solution for control.
When planting Amomum tsaoko, the main thing is to choose the environment it likes for cultivation and not let it be exposed to excessive sunlight, with shading as the main approach.