The Latest Planting Methods and Key Technical Points for Alisma (Water Plantain)
Alisma is an aquatic plant and a medicinal herb that can be harvested for many years, but its entire plant is toxic. In our daily lives, we rarely come into contact with Alisma, yet it is cultivated in most regions of our country. It can clear heat, inhibit bacteria, promote diuresis, drain dampness and relieve difficult urination. Below is the Alisma planting method brought to you by the editor. If any of you are thinking of growing Alisma, then you should take a good look at this.
1. Site Selection and Land Preparation
This medicinal herb, Alisma, has a rather special point when it comes to site selection and land preparation: its seedling nursery site and its planting site must be selected and prepared separately. The seedling nursery site is generally chosen on slightly clayey soil with plenty of sunlight, nutrients and water, and soil with relatively clear silt is best. The choice of planting site, however, is more casual - as long as it is a rice paddy near a water source with good light, it will do. The seedling plot must be leveled flat and needs only 300 jin of fertilizer per mu, while the planting site needs at least 4,000 jin of farmyard manure per mu; then deep plowing is carried out, and finally it is leveled flat and sowing can begin.
2. Sowing and Raising Seedlings
Alisma is generally sown and raised as seedlings around June or July each year. Before sowing, we need to soak the seeds in clean water, then soak them in a chemical agent for about five to ten minutes, take them out and rinse the agent off cleanly, mix the seeds into prepared plant ash, and finally scatter the seeds evenly over the prepared seedling bed. Use a rake to gently press the seeds into the soil, and then wait for them to sprout.
3. Seedling Stage Management
Because Alisma is sown in summer, when the temperature is relatively high and the sunlight is fairly strong, we need to carry out heat-reduction measures. Generally, a shade shed is built around the seedling plot to avoid direct sunlight. Next is watering, which is used to lower the soil temperature so the seedlings can grow normally. Another thing to pay attention to is timely drainage when there is a lot of rainfall, so as not to damage the seedlings. Then, once the seedlings have grown four or five leaves, the shade shed can be dismantled, and reasonable topdressing should be carried out according to the growth of the Alisma seedlings to promote their growth.
4. Transplanting and Establishing the Crop
The seedling stage of Alisma is basically about one month, so transplanting can be carried out in July or August. By this time the Alisma seedlings have basically grown to about 10 cm. It is best to choose an overcast day for transplanting, as the survival rate of the planting will be higher. In order to increase the yield of Alisma, we need to establish the plants at a reasonable density. Usually about 9,000 plants can be planted per mu, that is, with a row spacing of about 25 cm and a plant spacing of about 20 cm.
5. Field Management
About two to three days after transplanting, we should inspect the Alisma seedlings in the field. If fallen or dead seedlings appear, then we must promptly straighten and replant them. For newly planted Alisma, a water level of basically about 1 cm in the field is sufficient, but later on we can gradually deepen the water level in the field; however, the highest water level must not exceed 10 cm, and generally about 5 to 6 cm is best. Throughout the entire growth process of Alisma, topdressing must be carried out at least three times. The first is mainly watering with manure and urine water, while the second and third are mainly based on phosphate fertilizer and cake fertilizer, and are combined with intertillage. The last thing to note is that we should remove the side shoots and early bolts of Alisma in appropriate amounts, as this can reduce nutrient consumption and promote the growth of the tubers.
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6. Pest and Disease Control
The main pests and diseases of Alisma include white spot disease, damping-off disease, as well as Rhopalosiphum aphids and moth pests. White spot disease and damping-off disease are diseases caused by fungal infection. White spot disease can mainly be prevented through seed treatment, and treated with a 500-800 times dilution of wettable zineb, while damping-off disease can be prevented by controlling planting density and treated with Bordeaux mixture. As for the pests of Alisma, we can all use trichlorfon solution or dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate for treatment.