What is the latest price of Sichuan pepper seeds? Detailed planting methods

Sichuan pepper is also known as big pepper, Qin pepper, Shu pepper, etc. It is a deciduous small tree of the genus Zanthoxylum in the Rutaceae family. It is widely cultivated across China. Its fruit peel can be used as a seasoning and to extract aromatic oil, and it can also be used as medicine, with effects such as warming the middle and promoting qi flow, expelling cold and relieving pain, and killing insects. The seeds can be eaten and can also be processed into soap. Now let us take a look at the price of Sichuan pepper seeds and the planting methods!

How much is a jin of Sichuan pepper seeds?

The price of Sichuan pepper seeds is about 4 to 6 yuan per jin, but prices vary due to differences in seed quality, variety, place of origin, and market. Sichuan pepper is suitable for warm and humid conditions and deep, fertile loam and sandy loam. It has strong sprouting ability, is cold-resistant, drought-resistant, sun-loving, has strong disease resistance, and long-lived dormant buds, but it is not waterlogging-tolerant. Propagation methods include sowing, grafting, layering, and cuttings, but seed propagation is mostly used in production, because Sichuan pepper seed propagation is simple and easy, has a high propagation coefficient, and is suitable for large-scale production needs.

What varieties of Sichuan pepper are there?

1. Dahongpao: Dahongpao is also known as Shizitou, Dahongjiao, Gedajiao, Qinjiao, Fengjiao, etc. It is an excellent Sichuan pepper variety with a relatively wide distribution and the largest cultivation area in China. It is now cultivated intensively and has formed scale in Wudu District, Longnan, Gansu, and other places.

2. Dahongjiao: Dahongjiao is also known as Youjiao, Erhongpao, Erxingzi, etc. The tree vigor is medium-strong, and the tree posture is open. It is cultivated in various places in the northwest and north China, but cultivation is most concentrated in Hanyuan, Luding, Xichang, and other places in Sichuan.

3. Xiaohongjiao: Xiaohongjiao is also known as Xiaohongbao, Mijiao, Xiaojiaozi, Maweijiao, etc. The tree vigor is moderate, the tree posture is open, the branching angle is large, and the crown is flat-round. After drying, the fruit peel is bright red, with a rich numb-spicy aroma, especially a strong fragrance and excellent quality.

4. Baishajiao: Baishajiao is also known as Bailijiao, Baishadan, etc. The tree vigor is moderate, the tree posture is relatively open, and both productivity and yield stability are strong, but the peel color is relatively poor, market sales are not very good, and it is not suitable for large-scale cultivation. It is relatively commonly cultivated in Shandong, Hebei, Henan, and Shanxi.

Sowing methods for Sichuan pepper

1. Seed collection: For seed collection trees of Sichuan pepper, middle-aged trees with strong vigor, high fruit set, and excellent quality should be selected. When harvesting, choose fully mature Sichuan pepper with purple-red fruit peel, blue-black seed surface, plumpness, and no pests or diseases for seed use.

2. Seed treatment: First use clean water to remove shriveled seeds from Sichuan pepper seeds, then prepare a 1% alkaline water solution with warm water and soak for 2 days, repeatedly rubbing and washing the oil on the seed coat until the seed surface turns grayish-white. After removing, rinse clean with water, mix with plant ash, and sow.

3. Seedbed selection: For the Sichuan pepper seedbed, sandy soil that is sheltered from wind, facing the sun, fertile, and well-drained is best. Combined with land preparation, apply 4000 to 5000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer, 8 to 10 kg of urea, 30 to 40 kg of superphosphate, and 50 kg of plant ash per mu, then make beds.

4. Sowing time: The sowing time for Sichuan pepper should be before the soil freezes, generally from mid-October to early November. In Sichuan pepper production areas, sowing can be done immediately after seed collection from mid-to-late August to early September.

5. Sowing method: When sowing Sichuan pepper, open furrows in the seedling bed, level the furrow bottom, evenly scatter the seeds into the furrows, and cover with soil. After spring begins, when a small number of seeds break through the soil, scrape off the upper covering soil. When more than 80% of the seeds have cracked, scrape the soil again. The sowing rate is 5 to 6 kg per mu.

6. Seedling management: After sowing Sichuan pepper, plastic film or wheat straw can be used for mulching. When dry, water can be sprayed, but flooding irrigation should not be used. Keep the seedbed soil moist regularly. When the seedlings grow to 3 to 4 cm tall with 3 to 4 true leaves, thin them. When the seedlings reach 10 cm tall, finalize the spacing.

Planting methods for Sichuan pepper

1. Garden site selection: Sichuan pepper plants are relatively small, with shallow root distribution and strong adaptability. They can be planted on idle land such as barren hills, wasteland, roadsides, field edges, and around houses. They are not suitable for planting on mountaintops, low-lying areas, wind gaps, thin soil layers, exposed rock areas, or heavy clay.

2. Land preparation and fertilization: Before transplanting Sichuan pepper, land preparation is needed, and sufficient base fertilizer should be applied, 4 to 5 tons per mu. When backfilling, about 20 to 25 kg of organic fertilizer should also be mixed in. When preparing land in hilly and mountainous areas, soil and water conservation work must be maintained.

3. Planting density: Sichuan pepper planting should be sparse rather than dense. In dry and semi-arid areas, the density after maturity should be within the range of 100 to 120 plants per mu. In areas with deep soil layers, good soil quality, and moderate rainfall, the mature density is about 60 plants per mu.

4. Timely planting: Planting Sichuan pepper is the key to whether it survives. The survival rate is highest when planting when the buds just begin to sprout. After planting, water thoroughly, apply topdressing 2 to 3 times during the growing season, and combine with watering during drought.

5. Fertilization management

① Expanded-hole fertilization: After the soil thaws in early spring, deeply dig the soil around the root system of the Sichuan pepper tree 30 to 50 cm, apply about 30 kg of organic fertilizer per plant, and in mid-April during the bud-breaking period and after fruit harvesting in late July, apply 0.4 kg of standard chemical fertilizer per plant each time. After fertilization, water thoroughly in time.

② Foliar spraying: Use a mixed solution of 3% monopotassium phosphate and 0.5% urea for foliar spraying 6 times per year. Spray the first time during the flowering period, the second time 10 days after flowering, and the third time after another 10 days. Spray once in early-to-mid July and once after fruit harvesting.

6. Pruning and rejuvenation: Prune Sichuan pepper in summer in combination with harvesting. For weakened trees, cut off some large branches and diseased and insect-damaged branches, finally retaining 5 to 7 main branches per plant. At the same time, appropriately thin dense branches within the crown. For moderate-vigor trees, mainly thin the medium and short branches.

7. Timely harvesting: The fruit maturity period of Sichuan pepper is generally around the Beginning of Autumn to the End of Heat. When mature, the fruit peel is purple-red or light red, the suture line of the peel protrudes, a small amount cracks, the seeds are black and shiny, and a rich numb-spicy aroma can be smelled. This is the most suitable harvesting period.

① Picking from strong branches: There is a plump bud in the first leaf axil below the large pepper cluster. This bud is the fruiting bud for the next year and must be properly protected. When picking pepper clusters, be sure not to remove this axillary bud along with them, so as not to affect next year's yield.

② Picking from weak branches: The first bud below the fruit cluster on a weak branch is not plump, while the second or third bud is relatively robust. When picking, the second or third bud should be retained, otherwise next year's yield will be affected.