Latest Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial for Qu Ma Cai

Qu Ma Cai, also called Ju Mai Cai (Chinese sow thistle), is a perennial medicinal plant that can also be eaten as a wild vegetable. It generally grows on hillsides in the countryside and has high medicinal value, so it is suitable for artificial cultivation for food or for sale. It has extremely strong growth adaptability and good resistance, so it can grow well even if left alone, but at present the point is to discuss how artificial cultivation can improve its quality through certain human techniques.

1. Seed collection

When the seeds mature, you can go collect wild seeds and select robust plants for planting. However, you can generally buy some good seeds, and after planting you can save seeds yourself, which means you need to collect seeds on your own. Seeds should be stored in a sealed, dry environment to reduce respiration, avoid seed moisture loss that makes them too dry, and prevent failure to germinate.

2. Site selection

Qu Ma Cai is drought-resistant, salt-alkali-resistant, and waterlogging-resistant, and is suitable for planting in most soils, but since cultivation pursues quality, it is natural to provide the best growing environment. For example, drought can make the leaves rough and the quality poor. So it is best to choose flat land, or sloped land with a relatively good soil structure, deep and fertilizer-retentive soil, good drainage and aeration, and slightly higher terrain for planting.

3. Land preparation

Seeds generally can germinate at around 5 degrees, and the seed coat is not thick, so they can be sown directly without soaking. However, before sowing, the soil needs to be thoroughly tilled and finely broken up to prevent large clods from affecting seed germination, and the soil also needs to be sun-dried to prevent underground pest damage. Pesticides can also be sprayed to kill insects. Drainage ditches also need to be dug, and an irrigation system arranged. Because artificial cultivation will reduce the resistance and adaptability of Qu Ma Cai, sowing may also require spraying 50% carbendazim wettable powder or 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder on the land to prevent damage from pathogens.

4. Sowing

Planting is generally done by sowing. Generally, seed germination is best at a temperature of 18 to 25 degrees, and the required humidity is about 65%. The sowing plant spacing is about 5 cm, and the row spacing is suitably about 20 cm. Sowing generally uses hole sowing, with 2 to 3 seeds sown per hole, and the soil cover after sowing is generally about twice the thickness of the seed, about 2 cm thick. Emergence takes about one week, and after emergence the temperature can be appropriately raised to 30 degrees and it can still tolerate it. After the seedlings emerge, they cannot be exposed to strong light immediately; they generally grow better under slightly weaker light.

Through the above introduction, everyone has learned about Qu Ma Cai and also understands how to grow Qu Ma Cai, so you should roughly know how to plant Qu Ma Cai. If you want to learn more, you can continue to follow future content updates.