Seed Prices of Sweet Wormwood (Artemisia annua) from the Asteraceae Family, Plus Its Differences from Mugwort and Its Cultivation and Benefits

Sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua) is also called cao hao, lin hao, yinchen hao, xie hao, xiang hao, ping hao, hei hao, bai ran gen and ku hao, and it bears bisexual flowers. So how much does sweet wormwood seed cost per jin? What is the difference between it and mugwort? How do you grow it? What are its benefits and effects? From the sweet wormwood planting base in Chongqing, we learned that the seed price is about 45 yuan/jin, and the sowing rate per mu is 4-5 jin. When sowing sweet wormwood seeds, sow them shallowly and not too deep, preferably no more than 2 cm. After sowing, pay attention to tending them and observe frequently; if the soil is found to be dry, water promptly.

What is the difference between sweet wormwood and mugwort?

1. Mugwort and sweet wormwood both belong to the Asteraceae family. The scientific name of sweet wormwood is Artemisia selengensis, while the scientific name of mugwort is Artemisia argyi. Their names are similar, and both like places with abundant soil moisture, such as field ridges, field edges and pond edges. But looking more closely, the biggest difference between them is height and leaf surface form. Moreover, mugwort has a long growth cycle; starting in March, it can keep growing until May, but once sweet wormwood passes Qingming Festival, it has passed its most tender stage (this refers to the growth cycle of the leaves; not growing does not mean it has withered, but rather the process from tender buds to mature leaves).

2. Sweet wormwood is shorter, and its main stem is relatively slender. The stem is dark red, and the best-growing sweet wormwood is only about 10 cm tall; mugwort is different: its main stem is slightly thicker and longer, the stem is light green, some can reach 1.5 cm in diameter, and the height is between 80 and 250 cm.

3. The surface of sweet wormwood leaves has a layer of white fuzz, soft and smooth, and the leaves are small, with deep serrated lines around them, and the whole leaf is narrow and long; the surface of mugwort leaves is grayish green, with white fuzz on the underside, and its leaf surface is broad and plump.

How do you grow sweet wormwood?

1. Seed collection and land preparation: For sweet wormwood, seed collection is done around September to October. Cut back the mature sweet wormwood seeds to dry them, then shake the seeds off, remove impurities and seed shells, and keep the seeds for storage. By February of the next year, they can be sown. Before sowing, choose sunny, moist land, with an environment at an altitude of 600-700 m being best. Add 2000-2500 kg of organic fertilizer to the chosen land, then plow it, turn the applied base fertilizer into the soil and level it, and make beds 1.3 m high.

2. Sowing and raising seedlings: Before sowing sweet wormwood seeds, first mix them with seed ash, evenly scatter them on the bed surface, then cover with a thin layer of plant ash, just enough to cover the seeds. After emergence, pay attention to drought prevention to avoid the seedlings being scorched. During the seedling stage, appropriately add human and livestock manure water, about 800 g per mu is enough. When the plant height reaches 5-10 cm, they can be transplanted. When sowing sweet wormwood seeds, the sowing amount per mu is 100-150 g, which can produce 280,000-300,000 plants, enough to plant 2 hectares of land.

3. Land preparation and transplanting: For the sweet wormwood transplanting land, use 2000-2500 kg of farmyard manure per mu, add 100-150 kg of superphosphate, mix evenly, spread it on the ground, turn it into the soil and level it. Then make high beds 1.3 m wide, with ditches 10-15 cm deep, and planting can begin. Dig holes in the beds at a row spacing and plant spacing of 26.5 * 26.5, one plant per hole, using 7500-12000 sweet wormwood seedlings per mu. 4. From transplanting to harvest, sweet wormwood needs weeding 2-3 times. Topdressing should be combined with weeding, and fertilizing should be done 1-2 times. The first time is during the seedling stage with shallow hoeing; after hoeing, add 1000-1500 kg of light human and livestock manure per mu, 3-5 kg of urea, and 2-3 kg of superphosphate. Mix evenly and add it into the holes. The second time is before row closure, with intertillage and weeding, adding 1000-1500 kg of human and livestock manure water, 10 kg of urea, 30 kg of superphosphate, and 10 kg of potassium chloride; after mixing evenly, add it into the holes.

What are the benefits and effects of sweet wormwood?

1. Sweet wormwood tastes bitter and slightly pungent, is cold in nature, enters the liver, gallbladder and kidney meridians, is fragrant and clear, and penetrates both inside and outside.

2. Sweet wormwood has the effects of clearing heat and reducing steaming, clearing summerheat and stopping malaria, and removing dampness and killing insects. It mainly treats yin deficiency tidal fever and bone-steaming, externally contracted warm heat and summer dampness, dizziness and blurred vision, malaria, jaundice, diarrhea and dysentery, scabies, and skin itching.