Which Chinese medicinal herbs are suitable for different soils?
Our country has a vast territory and abundant land resources, and there are many kinds of soil in different regions, such as pure sand, semi-sandy soil, loess, Northeast black soil, clay, etc. However, the planting of Chinese medicinal herbs also depends on the soil, and medicinal herbs should be planted according to local conditions. Choosing suitable varieties to plant in different soils can achieve twice the result with half the effort, and the yield will also increase. So, what Chinese medicinal herb varieties are suitable for clay soil and sandy soil respectively?
1. Pure sandy soil
If there is no water, nothing grows well. If the passionate desert has a little water, it can still be developed. Sandy land requires choosing drought-resistant varieties for planting, such as Xinjiang licorice.
2. Sandy soil
Sandy soil, riverbanks, and seasonal riverbeds can be used to grow Chinese medicinal herbs if crops can be grown there, mainly root-type medicinal herb varieties, such as Platycodon grandiflorus, Saposhnikovia divaricata, Belamcanda chinensis, Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Scutellaria baicalensis, Astragalus membranaceus, Isatis indigotica, etc. Many varieties like sandy soil, which is good for root growth. With more fertilizer, the yield is high.
Astragalus membranaceus prefers cool conditions, is cold-resistant and drought-resistant, and fears heat and waterlogging. It is suitable for planting in sandy loam soil with deep soil layers, rich in humus, and strong water permeability. Strong saline-alkali land is not suitable for planting. Its root grows vertically and can reach more than 1 m, commonly known as “whip-pole astragalus”. In heavy clay soil, the root grows slowly and is deformed; if the soil layer is thin, the roots grow mostly horizontally with many branches, forming a “chicken-claw shape”, and the quality is poor. Continuous cropping is avoided, and it should not be rotated with potatoes or flax. The hard seed rate of the seeds can reach 30%-60%. When directly sown, it only grows stems and leaves in the same year without flowering, and only in the second year does it flower, set seed, and produce seeds.
3. Loess
Generally, root types and flower-leaf types can all be planted. There is a lot of loess in the north, and it is best if irrigation conditions are available.
4. Northeast black soil
It is humus soil formed over many years and belongs to a temperate continental monsoon climate, with four distinct seasons, high temperatures and abundant rain in summer, and cold and dry winters. In the Northeast, there are many wild Chinese medicinal herb varieties, as many as more than 70 kinds, such as Platycodon grandiflorus, Astragalus membranaceus, Guandong Saposhnikovia divaricata, Bupleurum chinense, Scutellaria baicalensis, Polygala tenuifolia, etc. You can choose varieties with good market prices to develop.
5. Clay soil
It is not good for root growth, so it is better not to plant varieties whose roots are used as medicine. You can choose varieties whose aboveground parts are used as medicine, such as varieties whose plants, flowers, leaves, and fruits are used as medicine, such as Perilla frutescens, dandelion, Carthamus tinctorius, Lonicera japonica, Lycium barbarum, Agastache rugosa, Ju Mai, and Viola mandshurica, etc.