How much is skullcap root per jin now? Master the growing method and you can harvest the next year

Skullcap, also known as mountain tea root, is a common medicinal herb with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, heat-clearing and dampness-drying effects. Current market demand is relatively high, so it is grown in many regions. So how much is skullcap root per jin? What are the growing methods?

1. Introduction to skullcap:

1. What does skullcap look like?

Skullcap has thick fleshy rhizomes, firm papery leaves that are lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, terminal racemes on stems and branches, corollas purple, purplish-red to blue, flattened filaments, slender styles, annular disks, brown ovaries, and ovoid nutlets. Its flowering and fruiting period is from July to September.

2. Where does skullcap come from?

Skullcap has many places of origin and is distributed both domestically and abroad. As market demand gradually increases, many regions are also cultivating it artificially. The specific distribution areas are as follows:

(1) Wild planting distribution areas: within China, it is distributed in central and eastern Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Chengde in Hebei, Chifeng in Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Henan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, Sichuan and other places, among which Heilongjiang and Liaoning are the main producing areas. Abroad, it is mainly distributed in Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Eastern Siberia in Russia and other places.

(2) Artificial planting distribution areas: mainly distributed in Shandong, Shaanxi, Shanxi and Gansu.

2. How much is skullcap per jin on the market?

The market price of skullcap is relatively affordable, generally around 16 to 30 yuan per kg, and good-quality ones can also reach 52 yuan per kg. For example, the standard sliced specification reaches 52 yuan per kg at the Chengdu Hehuachi market, so the specific price still needs to be checked at the local market. Recent market prices are as follows:

3. What are the growing methods for skullcap?

1. Land selection and preparation

Skullcap likes to grow in loose, fertile, well-drained loam soil, so when selecting land, you can choose deep soil layers and well-drained loam, sandy loam or humus loam. After selecting the land, it is best to first apply 2000 kg of farmyard manure to the ground and dig a furrow with moderate length, a width of about 140 cm, and a height of about 12 cm to facilitate later planting of seedlings.

2. Thinning and final singling of seedlings

When the sown seedlings grow to 4 cm, crowded and weak seedlings can be transplanted to wider places at a plant spacing of 10 cm to promote seedling growth.

3. Cultivation and weeding

After the seedlings emerge, the soil should be cultivated and loosened according to actual conditions to keep the soil loose. Generally, weeding about 4 times a year is best to prevent nutrients from being absorbed by weeds.

4. Fertilization and irrigation

Skullcap does not have high fertilizer requirements. Generally, when seedlings grow to 10 to 15 cm, it is enough to properly apply about 2000 kg of human and livestock manure water. By the end of June, apply 5 kg of urea and 20 kg of calcium fertilizer per mu to ensure sufficient nutrients for the plants. After harvest, open furrows and apply 2000 kg of decomposed stable manure, 20 kg of calcium fertilizer and 5 kg of urea. During fertilization, drainage measures should be taken to avoid water accumulation that causes root rot.

5. Removing flower buds

Before skullcap produces inflorescences, the pedicels should be removed in time to prevent nutrient consumption and obstruction of root growth.

6. Pest and disease control

During the growth period, skullcap may suffer from leaf blight, root rot, dancing moths and other pests and diseases, so preventive measures should be taken in advance.

(1) Leaf blight: clean the garden and disinfect in time. For plants with early disease, Bordeaux mixture or carbendazim can be used for control.

(2) Root rot: take good drainage measures, gather and burn dead branches and diseased branches, and thoroughly disinfect the soil with lime to prevent infection of other plants.

(3) Dancing moth: 90% trichlorfon can be sprayed to kill it.

7. Timely harvest

Skullcap can be harvested after growing for 2 to 3 years. Harvesting is generally done in late autumn after the stems and leaves wither, or after the spring thaw and before sprouting, and digging should be deep to prevent broken roots.

Overall, the growing method for skullcap is relatively simple. As long as you do a few key growing points such as water and fertilizer management and removing flower buds, you can harvest the next year.