What are the precautions for planting Notopterygium?

Notopterygium is a perennial herbaceous plant; its medicinal parts are its stems and roots, and it can be used to treat exogenous wind-cold, headache, rheumatic pain, etc. It is grown in Shaanxi, Sichuan, Qinghai and other places in China, and it likes cool, humid conditions, is cold-tolerant, and likes light but fears strong light. So how should Notopterygium be planted? What issues need attention when planting? Today we will focus on understanding the precautions for planting Notopterygium.

1. Soil

Actually, Notopterygium does not have high requirements for soil. But if you want high yield and high quality, then whether the soil choice is correct is the foundation for successful Notopterygium planting. The planting site cannot be chosen on contaminated land; it is best to stay away from pollution sources such as factories. Secondly, the previous crop in the planting site is best cereals as well as beans and tuber crops, among which sloping land and terraced fields are all very good choices. The soil texture should be loose, with sufficient fertility and rich humus content, and the soil pH should be moderate.

2. Seed treatment

Notopterygium seeds need to be treated so as to increase their germination rate, generally by low-temperature sand storage. First we need to soak the seeds in warm water, then take them out after two days and dry off the moisture. Then mix fine sand with water until moist, stir the seeds and fine sand evenly, pack them in a bag, and store them in an environment suitable for seed germination.

3. Sowing time

Notopterygium can be sown in spring and autumn, but because there are certain differences in temperature across China, the sowing time also differs to some extent. The best time to plant Notopterygium in China is the end of October each autumn, when the germination rate is highest, while spring sowing is generally carried out at the end of March each year. Sowing too early or too late will affect the germination rate of Notopterygium as well as the later survival rate, yield, and quality.

4. Density

The growth of Notopterygium requires a certain amount of light, and at the same time the field ventilation should also be good, so when planting, the planting density is also an issue we need to pay attention to. In general, we plant with a row spacing of 30 cm and a plant spacing of 20 cm. But if the soil is relatively poor, the distance between rows remains unchanged, while the distance between plants is generally about 15 cm. So we need to adjust the planting density according to the fertility of the soil and the variety of Notopterygium.

5. Removing flower buds

Because the main valuable parts of Notopterygium are its roots and stems, we mainly aim to promote the growth of the rhizome. During the flowering period of Notopterygium, when seeds do not need to be kept, remove the flower buds of Notopterygium to avoid nutrient loss and affect the growth of the rhizome. If seeds need to be kept, then the Notopterygium kept for seed and the commercial Notopterygium need to be separated, and only the flower buds of the commercial Notopterygium need to be removed.

Notopterygium is a medicinal material that is very easy to grow, and its planting yield is also relatively high. Each year, the processed yield per mu can generally reach about 600 jin. Even so, in the process of planting, learning more about the precautions for its cultivation will further improve its yield and quality.