How to Grow Chinese Lantern? Latest Planting Techniques and Methods Tutorial

Chinese lantern is native to China, with wild resources distributed in both northern and southern parts of the country. It has a relatively long history of cultivation and is now widely planted in Northeast China, while being less cultivated in other regions, still belonging to rare specialty vegetables. The immature fruit of the cultivated Chinese lantern and the husk wrapping the fruit are mostly green, and turn yellow after maturity. Let us take a look at Chinese lantern planting techniques together below!

Chinese Lantern Planting Conditions

Chinese lantern is a perennial upright herbaceous plant of the genus Physalis in the nightshade family. It is mainly produced in Gansu, Shaanxi, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan, and is often cultivated as an annual. It has strong adaptability, is cold-tolerant and heat-tolerant, prefers cool and humid climates, likes sunlight, and is not particular about soil. In particular, the Chinese lantern native to Asia can grow normally within a temperature range of 3-42°C.

Chinese Lantern Propagation Methods

Vegetative propagation of Chinese lantern using rhizomes is a common method in artificial cultivation. Rhizome propagation has the advantages of fast reproduction, being easy to master, easy seedling preservation and robust plants. The rhizomes of Chinese lantern bear many adventitious buds. In the north, around Qingming, dig up the rhizomes of wild Physalis, select disease-free and pest-free rhizomes as “planting stock”, with robust ones being better, cut them into small sections of about 10 cm, each section retaining 2-3 adventitious buds, and drill the cut rhizome sections in furrows, with a row spacing of about 50 cm and a plant spacing of 10-13 cm. Water them, and after the water seeps down, cover with 3-5 cm of soil to prevent wind from drying them out, and rake the soil smooth along the furrows. After pressing, water again, and use an iron rake to gather the furrows into flat beds. At a temperature of about 18°C, seedlings emerge in 14-15 days, and can grow continuously for 4-5 years.

Chinese Lantern Seedling Raising Techniques

1. Seedling raising time: The market period of spring early-maturing cultivation of Chinese lantern coincides with early summer. Since production costs are not high and economic benefits are significant, raise seedlings in a solar greenhouse or windbreak sunny bed in January-February, transplant to open field after the late frost in mid-April, and begin harvesting from late May to June.

2. Seedling site selection: Chinese lantern generally builds seedling beds in windbreak sunny beds or solar greenhouses. In the early stage of seedling raising, the outside temperature is relatively low. To increase soil temperature, cover tightly with plastic film 15-20 days before building the bed and sowing, and add straw mats at night. Apply 30000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per hectare to the seedbed, shallow plow, rake level, and make flat beds. Water before sowing, and sow after the water seeps down.

3. Seed sowing: Chinese lantern seeds can be soaked in warm water at 45°C, or soaked in 0.01% potassium permanganate solution for 10 minutes to prevent the seeds from carrying viruses and other pathogens. Then soak in clean water for 12 hours, remove, and place under a temperature condition of 20-30°C for germination. Sow after 80% of the seeds have sprouted white.

4. Post-sowing management: After broadcasting Chinese lantern seeds, cover with 0.5-1 cm of soil, immediately cover tightly with plastic film, and add straw mats at night to increase the seedbed temperature. Maintain 20-25°C during the day and 10-15°C at night. In the coldest season, the seedbed temperature should not be lower than 5°C.

5. Seedling stage management: After Chinese lantern seedlings emerge, thin them out, removing overly dense, twin, damaged and weak seedlings. At the 2-3 leaf stage, carry out seedling separation, with a plant and row spacing of 10 cm × 10 cm. During the seedling stage, keep the soil alternating between dry and wet. In the small seedling stage, the outside temperature is low and evaporation is small, so watering may not be needed. In the seedling separation stage, the outside temperature gradually rises, so water once every 7-10 days. If the seedbed lacks fertilizer, apply compound fertilizer once, at 100-150 kg per hectare.

Chinese Lantern Planting Techniques

1. Land selection and preparation: Chinese lantern has very strong vitality and does not have strict requirements for soil conditions. It has the characteristics of wide adaptability and strong stress resistance. Soil that is fertile and well-drained loam or sandy loam is best. Prepare the land in early spring when the soil is still frozen, press to preserve moisture, and apply farmyard manure in the furrows. Avoid sandy, thin and low-lying land.

2. Timely transplanting: Apply 45000-75000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per hectare to the Chinese lantern transplanting site, deep plow, rake level, and make flat beds. Transplanting should be carried out after the late frost. The suitable transplanting period is when the seedlings are at the 6-7 leaf stage and the first flower has just opened. When transplanting, carefully lift the seedlings and minimize root damage to facilitate recovery. The transplanting density is about 75000 plants per hectare, with a plant and row spacing of 25-28 cm × 65-70 cm.

3. Reasonable topdressing: After Chinese lantern transplanting and recovery, apply seedling-promoting fertilizer together with watering, applying 7500 kg of decomposed human manure or 160 kg of urea per hectare in holes or furrows. After the first fruit expands, apply a second round of fertilizer, applying 225-300 kg of compound fertilizer per hectare to promote fruit development and plant growth. In the middle and late stages of harvesting, topdress according to plant growth conditions. If the base fertilizer is insufficient, apply 300 kg of compound fertilizer.

4. Cultivation and watering: In the early stage after Chinese lantern transplanting, cultivate once after each watering to loosen the soil, increase soil temperature and promote root development. At the beginning of flowering and fruiting, combine topdressing with cultivation and hilling to turn the cultivation rows into ridges, preventing plant lodging and facilitating irrigation and drainage. Weed timely in the middle and late stages of growth. When transplanting Chinese lantern, water thoroughly for transplanting. After recovery and seedling-promoting fertilizer, water once, that is, cultivate and restrain seedling growth. After the seedling restraint period ends, water appropriately to keep the soil moist, once every 5-7 days, and once every 3-5 days in summer.

5. Plant adjustment: Chinese lantern has many branches and strong creeping growth, so trellising is necessary. Generally, insert bamboo poles into the soil to build a human-shaped trellis or a fence trellis. Bind the vines manually once every 30 cm of plant growth. During the growing period, in order to suppress vegetative growth, promote reproductive growth, avoid excessive branches and leaves affecting ventilation and light penetration, and avoid delayed fruiting, timely pruning and removal of side shoots should be carried out.

6. Timely harvesting: After the Chinese lantern fruit matures, it falls off naturally. Picking and harvesting by hand gives the best quality. The persistent calyx of the mature fruit is withered yellow, the fruit is pale yellow, and the fragrance is rich. If the fruit is not ripe enough and tastes poor, it should be ripened. Spray the fruit with 2000-fold ethephon and pile it up until it is fully ripe. For fruit intended for storage or long-distance transport, it is advisable to keep the persistent calyx.

7. Disease control

① White leaf disease: It occurs severely under high temperature and high humidity conditions. Pay attention to drainage and waterlogging prevention during the rainy season and reduce the frequency of watering, which can reduce the occurrence and spread of the disease. In the early stage of the disease, spray with 700-1000-fold 50% thiophanate-methyl solution once every 7 days.

② Viral disease: Viral disease spreads under dry and high temperature conditions through aphids. It occurs severely in summer and autumn in North China. In management, water appropriately, avoid drought, and control aphids in time in summer for prevention. Once it occurs, there is still no effective cure.