Dandelion Characteristics and Detailed Seed Planting Methods

In many people's minds, the dandelion seems like an ornamental plant, and its fluffy pappus is also its seed, which drifts everywhere with the wind as soon as it is blown. The medicinal value of dandelion is known to everyone, and it is also one of the most nutrient-rich vegetables on Earth. In recent years, it has attracted more and more attention. So what are the characteristics of dandelion? How are the seeds planted?

I. What are the characteristics of dandelion?

Dandelion belongs to the Asteraceae family of flowers and plants, and can also be said to be the most common wild plant. Its leaves spread out flat in a rosette shape, and from spring to summer each year, the solitary flower head at the top is truly beautiful and leisurely; standing among the dandelions gives rise to infinite reverie.

In our impression, dandelion may simply be regarded as a common and ordinary wild flower and plant, but in fact dandelion has a very wide range of applications in China's traditional Chinese medicine industry, making a certain contribution to the practice of traditional Chinese medicine, which shows that its characteristics are by no means ordinary.

Dandelion is also known as Huanghua Dididing and Fuhong Nianjiang. Morphological characteristics: a perennial herb with milky juice, the whole plant covered with white sparse soft hairs. The root is deep and long, cylindrical, with a yellow-brown surface. The leaves are basal, oblong-obovate-lanceolate, 5-15 cm long and 2-3.5 cm wide. The flower head is solitary, terminal, with a bell-shaped involucre; the involucral bracts are in multiple layers; all the flowers are ligulate, bisexual, with yellow corollas; there are 5 stamens, with united anthers; the ovary is inferior, the style is slender, and the stigma splits into 2 linear lobes. The achene is 4-5 mm long, with longitudinal ridges and many spine-like protrusions, and a long beak at the apex; the pappus is white. The flowering period is April to May, and the fruiting period is June to July.

Dandelion habitat and distribution: grows by roadsides, ditches, beside houses, and in fields and grasslands. It is distributed throughout the county, and is most abundant in Daizhong, Daixi, Xiushan, and Guihua. Medicinal part: the dried whole plant.

Dandelion is sweet and slightly bitter in nature and flavor, and has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and relieving swelling and pain. In our traditional Chinese medicine pharmacology, it mainly treats upper respiratory tract infections, gastritis, hepatitis, acute appendicitis, mastitis, and so on, with very many effects. Moreover, dandelion itself is a natural plant that has not been damaged or polluted, and is a plant that seems ordinary but is in fact very useful.

II. How are dandelion seeds planted?

Dandelion propagation uses seed propagation. The seeds have no dormancy period, and after maturity and harvest, the seeds can be sown at any time from spring to autumn.

1. Land preparation and fertilization: choose loam or sandy loam with fertile soil, flat terrain, good permeability, and high organic matter content.

Deeply plow the soil 25-30 cm, apply about 3000 kg of fully decomposed high-quality farmyard manure per mu, and 20 kg of ternary compound fertilizer. Harrow the soil fine, rake it level, and make beds 1.2 m wide for cultivation.

2. Seed collection and direct sowing cultivation method: after dandelion seeds mature in spring, around May to June, collect the seeds every morning between 8 and 9 o'clock before the dew has dried, dry them in the sun, remove the pappus, lightly winnow them, and store them in a cool, ventilated place.

3. Germination promotion: soak the seeds in clean water for 2 hours, then remove them and keep them moist at 15-20°C to promote germination (the germination temperature must not exceed 25°C), otherwise germination will be difficult or may not occur at all. After 5-8 days, the germination rate can reach more than 95%, at which point they can be sown, or they can be directly sown without germination promotion.

4. Sowing: drill sowing; broadcast evenly, with a sowing rate of 2-4 g per sq m, covering with 0.3-0.5 cm of fine soil; seedlings generally emerge in about 7 days.

5. Field management: after emergence, loosen the soil to promote rooting. At the 2-3 leaf stage, thin the seedlings, or transplant the seedlings. Plant spacing 5-8 cm, row spacing 10-15 cm, two plants per hole.

Alternatively, without transplanting, directly thin the seedlings on the bed, with plant spacing 5-8 cm and row spacing 10-15 cm. When the dandelion grows to the 6-7 leaf stage, it enters the rosette stage. Because the lower leaves grow flat on the ground, water should be appropriately controlled, and waterlogging must be avoided to prevent leaf rot. If topdressing is needed, decomposed farmyard manure can be applied along with irrigation water.

6. Mother plant digging and cultivation method: generally in early April or from early September to early October. Dig up dandelion mother roots in the wild on hillsides, by ditches, and by roadsides, and plant them in a greenhouse, or select dandelions grown in the open field in spring with good growth and well-developed root systems and plant them in a greenhouse. Plant spacing 5-8 cm, row spacing 10-15 cm, two plants per hole. Cover the roots well with soil and water thoroughly to help the seedlings recover and survive.