How to Grow Huaimi (Sophora japonica Flower Buds)? A Detailed Guide to Planting Techniques and Management Methods

The soil for planting Huaimi is best as sunny, moist, deep, fertile, well-drained sandy loam. Select mature, plump seeds, soak and sprout them, and sow once 25%-30% of the seeds have cracked open. After sowing, cover with 2-3cm of soil and press down. After seedlings emerge, carry out thinning, fertilizing, weeding, pest and disease control, and other tasks.

1. Soil: It can be cultivated in places with relatively deep soil layers, and is best as sunny, moist, deep, fertile, well-drained sandy loam, but it can also grow normally in calcareous and mildly saline-alkali land. Deeply plow 60 cm, level and harrow finely, make beds, with a bed width of 70 cm, and apply sufficient base fertilizer. Per mu, use 500 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer or 5 kg of urea, and spread 3000-4000 kg of barnyard manure on the bed surface.

2. Sprouting: Select mature, plump seeds, first soak them in 70-80°C warm water for 24 hours, remove them, mix with 2-3 times their volume of fine sand, stir evenly, pile them indoors, cover tightly with wet sand on top, and optionally cover with 1 layer of plastic film to keep warm and moist. Be careful to turn them frequently to adjust the upper and lower temperatures so they are consistent, so that germination is uniform; generally 7-10 days are needed for germination.

3. Sowing: From late March to early April, once 25%-30% of the seeds have cracked open, they can be sown. They can be sown in holes at a spacing of 10-15 cm, or drilled in rows with a sowing width of 10-15 cm. After sowing, cover with 2-3cm of soil and press down after sowing.

4. Management: After the seedlings emerge completely, thin them 2-3 times; in May-June, apply an appropriate amount of ammonium sulfate or diluted human manure and urine as a top dressing; in July-August, pay attention to weeding and loosening the soil; promptly spray chemicals to control pests and diseases.