What is potherb mustard? Planting time and methods for the annual herb potherb mustard (Brassica juncea var. multiceps)

Potherb mustard is a fairly common vegetable in China in April. A dish made by stir-frying it with meat is a traditional famous dish of the Han ethnic group, so many people grow it. So what is potherb mustard (Brassica juncea var. multiceps)? When is the best time to plant it? How do you grow it?

Potherb mustard, also known as xuelihong, jiutoujie, shaocai, paicai, etc., belongs to the genus Brassica, phylum Angiospermae, and is a type of mustard. It is the tender stems and leaves of the cruciferous plant mustard (Brassica juncea). Its nature and flavor are cool, and it enters the lung, spleen, and stomach meridians. It has the effects of promoting urination and stopping diarrhea, dispelling wind and dispersing blood, and reducing swelling and relieving pain. It mainly treats conditions such as difficult urination, dysentery, coughing up blood, swollen and painful gums, sore throat and hoarse voice, swollen and painful hemorrhoids, itching from lacquer poisoning, traumatic injuries, and joint pain. It is a commonly used folk herbal medicine.

It can be applied externally or eaten internally.

Planting time:

For spring cultivation, sow from late February to late April; for summer cultivation, sow from early July to late August; for autumn cultivation, sow from early September to early October. The sowing rate is 0.75-1 kg per mu in spring, 1.5-2 kg per mu in summer, and 1-1.5 kg per mu in autumn. Before sowing, mix the seeds evenly with 2-3 times their volume of dry fine soil, and broadcast them mainly, striving for evenness. After sowing, gently tread the bed surface once with your feet so that the seeds make close contact with the soil, then water thoroughly. For spring and autumn sowing, use plastic film mulching; for summer sowing, use shade netting, to help achieve uniform emergence. After the seedlings emerge, remove the plastic film or shade netting, keep the bed surface moist, and promote growth.

Planting techniques:

1. Variety selection: Jiaxing cockscomb mustard.

2. Sowing and seedling raising

1. Seed soaking and sprouting: The soaking time generally should not exceed half an hour; the sprouting temperature should preferably be around 20°C. During sprouting, the seeds should be turned frequently and rinsed with clean water. Potherb mustard seeds are small, and generally after one day and two nights they begin to show white (that is, the seed coat breaks and sprouts). When 20%-30% of the seeds have sprouted, they can be sown.

2. Seedbed selection: The seedbed should be chosen close to the main field, with fertile soil, good drainage, and clay loam where cruciferous crops have not been grown for many years, with rice paddy as the previous crop. If dry land is used as the seedbed, it should be flooded with deep water for 3-5 days before sowing, then drained, left to dry, and plowed, or after deep water flooding, the surface soil should be covered with film and sterilized at high temperature to reduce infection by pathogens.

3. Carefully prepare the seedbed: The seedbed must be leveled to a high standard. After plowing, make furrows and hoe finely, achieving deep furrows and high beds, with the bed surface soil finely crumbled, and the broken soil in the furrows should be cleared away completely.

4. Apply sufficient base fertilizer: Apply 30 kg of superphosphate per mu by broadcasting before land preparation. After land preparation is completed, irrigate the bed surface with 1000 kg of decomposed human manure, and treat the soil with a 1000-fold dilution of 25% Nongdile to prevent underground pests from damaging the seedlings.