Authentic Heat-Clearing Herb Dandelion: Seed Planting Time, Yield per Square Meter, and High-Yield Methods
Dandelion, also known as Hua Hua Lang, Pu Gong Cao, edible dandelion, bed-wetting weed, Western dandelion, and mother-in-law's Ding, is a common heat-clearing herb found on hillsides, grasslands, wild mountains, and wasteland. Because it is increasingly recognized by more people, the demand for it in cooking and medicine is very high, so when is the best time to plant dandelion seeds? How many jin can about one square meter produce? How to plant for high yield?
Planting time:
Dandelion seeds have no dormancy period. From spring to autumn, they can be planted as long as the climate is above 15°. The key is whether the seeds can germinate and whether planting is uniform.
Dandelion seeds germinate fastest at 15---10℃, and germinate slowest above 25---30°. The seeds mature around mid-May, and can be planted immediately after collection. The sowing rate is 3---4g per square meter, and 25---50g per mu.
Yield per square meter:
For open-field cultivation, the average yield is 0.8-1.0 kg per square meter. For greenhouse cultivation, the average yield is 1.2-1.7 kg per square meter. For conservatory cultivation, the average yield is 1.5-2.4 kg per square meter.
Planting techniques:
1. Sowing in beds. Open small furrows 1 cm deep and 5 cm wide across the bed, sow the seeds evenly into the furrows, cover with fine soil, and press with a wooden roller. The row spacing is 15 cm.
2. Ridge sowing. Open small furrows 1 cm deep and 5 cm wide along the ridge. After sowing, cover with fine soil and press with a wooden roller.
3. Root burial planting. In order to bring dandelion to market earlier and increase income, digging roots in the wild and burying them for planting in a greenhouse can achieve twice the result with half the effort. When dandelion is hit by the first frost in late autumn (mid to late October) and the leaf color changes from green to red, promptly dig up dandelion roots in the wild; whole roots are best. Make beds in the greenhouse with the specifications described above. Plant the roots at a row spacing of 15 cm and a plant spacing of 5 cm, burying them to the original root surface position, so that the root tops are on the ground as if exposed yet not exposed, and press firmly with your hand. Keep the greenhouse temperature at around 20℃, and dandelion will grow normally. If you want dandelion to reach the market during the peak demand season, control the greenhouse temperature to limit plant growth, and satisfactory results can be achieved.
4. Field management techniques:
(1) Cultivation and weeding. About 10 days after dandelion emergence, carry out the first cultivation and weeding, then carry out cultivation and weeding once about every 10 days until the rows close; keep the field free of weeds. After the rows close, weeds can be pulled by hand.
(2) Thinning and final thinning. Carry out thinning and final thinning along with cultivation and weeding. About 10 days after emergence, carry out thinning at a plant spacing of 3-5 cm; after 20-30 days, final thinning can be carried out at a plant spacing of 8-10 cm. For broadcast sowing, a plant spacing of 5 cm is sufficient.
(3) Fertilizer and water management. Dandelion has strong disease resistance and does not require pest and disease control. The focus of field management is fertilizer and water. It is not very strict about soil requirements. When planting dandelion, if the soil surface is not covered, water frequently to keep the soil moist to ensure a full stand. After emergence, always maintain soil moisture as well.
(4) Topdressing during the growing period. Apply topdressing 1-2 times during the growing period, and water frequently to keep the soil moist, so as to ensure a full stand and the growth needs after emergence. Young tender plants sown in the same year may be left unharvested for leaves, and harvesting begins only in the second year, when the plants are good in quality and high in yield. For autumn-sown plants, after winter begins, spread 2500 kg of organic fertilizer and 20 kg of superphosphate per mu on the bed surface, which both fertilizes and protects the roots for safe overwintering. After greening up the following spring, chemical fertilizer can be applied together with watering. In late autumn and early winter, water once thoroughly.