How to Grow Nux Vomica? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Cultivation Methods
Nux vomica is also called the strychnine tree, fan mu bie, ma qian tree, and so on. It is a dicotyledonous tree of the genus Strychnos. Nux vomica is also a medicinal herb, but if you do not understand medical principles, it can cause poisoning. Its seeds are extremely toxic, but after processing they can be used as medicine, and can be used to strengthen the stomach, dredge collaterals and dissipate nodules, reduce swelling and relieve pain. So how is nux vomica grown? Below is what the editor wants to share with you today. Let's take a look.
1. Site Selection and Land Preparation
Nux vomica has the characteristics of liking warmth and moisture, but not tolerating cold or drought. So when we choose a planting site, we can select it according to these characteristics. Generally, planting should be done in alluvial soil by rivers or in yellow soil and red soil in hilly areas. The soil should be slightly acidic or slightly alkaline, rich in humus, and well-aerated sandy loam or clay loam. Prepare the land before planting, but generally use pit cultivation, with pits 50 cm long, 50 cm wide, and 40 cm high. After the soil has weathered, apply base fertilizer and wait for planting.
2. Propagation Methods
There are two methods of propagating nux vomica, namely seed propagation and bud grafting propagation. For seed propagation, the seeds need to be soaked before sowing. After two days, remove them for germination. When the radicle develops white sprouting points, they can be sown. For bud grafting propagation, good rootstock and bud sticks need to be selected. The rootstock should be selected for well-developed roots, robustness, freedom from pests and diseases, and strong adaptability; the bud sticks should be selected for high yield and plumpness, and then grafting can be carried out according to nursery stock grafting techniques.
3. Field Management
After sowing or grafting, nux vomica generally emerges and survives in about 20 days at most. In winter, however, it takes more than a month. When the seedlings grow to about 60 cm, we can transplant and establish them. Dig out the seedlings and transplant them into the prepared field for planting. After planting, we should maintain field moisture and water frequently. At the same time, we should also water frequently to prevent the soil from compacting and affecting soil permeability. Second, after the seedlings have grown for two months, we should reasonably apply an appropriate amount of manure or urine water or urea as a topdressing. Then we should wait until the second half of the year for another topdressing, mainly with nitrogen fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer. Finally, we should scientifically prune and shape the branches and leaves, thin out overly dense branches and leaves, cut off dead branches, old branches, and diseased branches, and cultivate the main trunk and reserve trunks.
4. Pest and Disease Control
The main disease of nux vomica is leaf spot disease. This disease mainly harms the leaves of nux vomica and affects its growth. We can usually use Bordeaux mixture or methyl thiophanate for control, spraying once about every 10 days, and spraying continuously two to three times. The most common insect pests are noctuid moths, sphinx moths, and weevils. These pests mainly harm the tender leaves of nux vomica, and the peak period of these pests is during the flowering period, so preventive preparations should be made in advance, and trichlorfon should be used for control.
Many of us may not know much about nux vomica, but it is indeed a relatively important medicinal material in our lives, and some people have used it in daily life. The cultivation methods for nux vomica introduced by the editor today are hoped to be helpful to all friends growing nux vomica, and also hoped that more people can recognize and understand nux vomica.