Borage Flower Language and Cultivation Techniques Explained
Borage is also known as starflower. In European countries its leaves are used as a vegetable, and both fresh and dried leaves can be used to flavor stews, soups, and beverages. Borage flowers are very beautiful, so what is the flower language of borage? What are the key points of its cultivation techniques?
1. What is the flower language of borage?
The flower language of borage is courage. In ancient Europe, during the Crusades, borage flowers were sprinkled into wine to send off the soldiers. It is not nonsense to say that borage can enhance courage; modern medical research has found that borage can promote the secretion of adrenaline, and adrenaline can strengthen heart contractions and make people excited. Perhaps it is precisely because of this characteristic that it was especially suitable for soldiers to drink wine infused with borage before battle.
2. Cultivation techniques for borage
1. Propagation methods for borage
Borage can be propagated by direct sowing and by raising seedlings for transplanting. For open-field cultivation, spring sowing is generally suitable, while protected cultivation can be carried out throughout the year as needed. The seed is a small nutlet with a relatively hard seed coat. Before sowing, it should be soaked in warm water for 1-2 days, changing the water every day. After soaking, sowing emerges quickly and uniformly. Then the treated seeds are sown in holes in a prepared seedbed. Sow 3-4 seeds per hole, requiring 0.5-0.7 grams of seed per square meter, and cover with fine soil to a thickness of 2-3 cm after sowing. Sowing is mostly carried out in March to April. By May, 2-3 applications of thin fertilizer can be given to promote flower bud differentiation. For seed collection, on a sunny day, spread newspaper under the plant and shake the branches, and the seeds will fall.
2. Seedling stage management
After borage emerges, promptly inspect the field and replant missing spots. At the 3-true-leaf stage, thin the seedlings according to plant spacing, removing weak seedlings, diseased seedlings, and excess seedlings. For plots with good emergence, ensure one seedling per hole; for plots with poor emergence, two seedlings may be kept per hole. Do not keep three or even four seedlings per hole, otherwise the plants will be too dense, which can easily cause lodging and reduce yield.
3. Weeding and land preparation
Before mulching borage, apply 135 milliliters of 5% Pursuit per mu to control most broadleaf weeds and barnyardgrass. After emergence, 100 milliliters of 12.5% Nabu per mu can be used for weeding. Manual weeding is also possible: weed during thinning, carry out a second weeding before jointing, and if the weed infestation is severe, carry out a third weeding as appropriate. After each weeding, the operation paths should be tidied to ensure there are no cracks on the ground surface.
4. Fertilizer and water management
Borage is watered 3 times during the whole growth period, respectively in mid-May, mid-June, and early to mid-July, to keep the field moist during the leaf growth period. After flowering, watering is reduced or even stopped. Each watering is 200-250 cubic meters per mu. When watering, try not to wash mud and sand into the field, so as not to form a soil layer on the surface of the plastic film, which is unfavorable for later harvest. Watering should be done on sunny and windless days, and never in windy and rainy weather, otherwise it will cause lodging and reduce yield. 2-3 days after watering, the operation paths should be leveled, and 2-3 square meters of fine sand per mu should be spread on the operation paths to seal cracks, which can prevent early-maturing seeds from falling into the cracks. At the same time as the second watering, apply 20 kilograms of organic compound fertilizer or 20 kilograms of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate per mu as a topdressing. 2-3 days before the third watering and 2-3 days after watering, spray 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution separately, spraying 245 kilograms per mu, to promote full and plump seed maturity.
5. Harvest
Harvest timing: Borage seeds mature in batches and shatter, so timely harvest is extremely important. If harvested too early, the seeds are immature, not plump, and of low quality, and cannot meet processing requirements. If harvested too late, shattering losses are serious and yield decreases. From late July, pay attention to observing seed maturity. When the seed color of most inflorescences turns brown, they can be harvested, usually in mid-to-late August.