The Latest Burdock Planting Techniques and Methods Tutorial
Burdock, also known as Dalizi, Eshi, Niubangzi, etc., is a biennial herbaceous plant of the genus Arctium in the Asteraceae family. It has been eaten as a vegetable in Taiwan, China for many years. In China it is distributed in Jiangsu Province, Shandong Province and other places. In Xuzhou's Feng County and Pei County in Jiangsu Province and Cangshan in Shandong Province, its cultivation history is long and the area and scale are relatively large. Now let us take a look at burdock cultivation techniques together!
Growth Habits
Burdock prefers warm climatic conditions and is both heat-tolerant and relatively cold-tolerant. The suitable temperature for seed germination is 20-25°C, and the suitable temperature for plant growth is 20-25°C. During the growing period, it requires relatively strong light conditions. Moreover, burdock is a plant that needs a lot of water. From seed sprouting to seedling growth, it is suitable to have slightly higher soil moisture, and in the middle and late stages of growth it also requires relatively moist soil conditions, but the field must not accumulate water. If water accumulates for 12 hours in summer, the taproot will rot. When cultivating it as a vegetable, choose deep, loose sandy soil or loam with rich soil organic matter content and a pH value of 6.5-7.5.
Site Selection and Fertilization
For burdock planting, choose loam or sandy loam that faces the sun, has deep soil, fertile soil quality and good drainage for cultivation. Avoid continuous cropping. The previous crop should preferably be cereals, rapeseed, broad beans and other crops. Generally, apply 3000-4000 kg of high-quality farmyard manure, 50 kg of superphosphate and 5 kg of urea per mu as base fertilizer. Before plowing, spread the fertilizer evenly on the soil surface and plow it into the soil in one pass together with plowing. The plowing depth should be more than 30 cm, then harrow level and fine.
Sowing at the Right Time
Burdock is mainly propagated by seed. Choose plump seeds free of disease and insect spots and without damage. Before sowing, sun-dry the seeds for 1-2 days, then soak them in warm water at 40-50°C for 1-2 hours, remove and dry them in the shade before sowing. Sow from early April to late April. There are two sowing methods: drilling and hole sowing. For drilling, open furrows at a row spacing of 60 cm and a furrow depth of 2-3 cm, spread the seeds evenly in the furrows, and cover with 1-2 cm of soil. For hole sowing, open holes at a plant and row spacing of 30×60 cm and sow, sowing 4-6 seeds per hole and covering with 2-3 cm of soil. After sowing, both methods should be slightly compacted so that the seeds are in close contact with the soil, and covered with grass to keep the soil moist. The seeding rate per mu is 0.5-0.75 kg.
Field Management
1. Thinning and final singling: After burdock emerges, remove the covering grass in the evening or on cloudy days. When the seedlings grow 2-3 true leaves, thin them. In drilled fields, keep 1 strong seedling at a plant spacing of 4-5 cm. In hole-sown fields, keep 2 strong seedlings per hole and pull out the excess. When the seedlings grow 4-5 true leaves, carry out final singling. In drilled fields, keep 1 strong seedling at a plant spacing of 25-30 cm. In hole-sown fields, keep 1 strong seedling per hole.
2. Intertillage and weeding: For burdock planting, intertillage and weeding should be carried out in combination with thinning and final singling. Burdock plants grow slowly, and during the seedling stage they are most afraid of “weeds eating the seedlings”, so intertillage and weeding should be done in time until the plants close the rows. During the whole growth period, carry out intertillage and weeding 4-5 times, and at the same time earth up around the roots to facilitate aeration and protect the roots. When earthing up, be careful that the growing point must not be buried in the soil.
3. Timely topdressing: For burdock planting, topdressing is carried out in late April of the second year after sowing. Apply 1000 kg of high-quality farmyard manure and 15 kg of diammonium phosphate per mu, spread evenly on the soil surface, and turn it into the soil together with weeding. During the flowering period, spray 0.2-0.3 kg of monopotassium phosphate per mu on the leaves to promote flowering and fruiting.
4. Disease control: The main disease of burdock is black spot disease. Black spot disease mainly damages burdock leaves. When it occurs, spray with 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder at 500-600 times dilution or 70% mancozeb wettable powder at 400-500 times dilution. Spray once every 7-10 days, and 3-4 sprays are sufficient.
5. Pest control: The most common pest of burdock is aphids, which usually gather on the underside of burdock leaves, affecting growth and development and causing stunted plants. To control aphids, spray with 50% pirimicarb wettable powder at 2000-3000 times dilution. Spray once every 7-10 days, and 2-3 consecutive sprays can achieve good results.