How to grow Sichuan lovage (Ligusticum chuanxiong)? The latest planting techniques and methods tutorial
Sichuan lovage is a medicinal plant that grows in a mild climate environment. It has a long history of cultivation in China and is one of the famous Chinese medicinal materials that sell well both domestically and abroad. It has the effects of promoting blood circulation and moving qi, dispelling wind and relieving pain. It is mainly produced in Sichuan, and is also grown in places such as Yunnan and Guangxi. Now let's take a look at the planting techniques with the editor.
1. Site selection and land preparation
Choose a sunny site with a cool climate and relatively high terrain. Sichuan lovage is suitable for planting in sandy soil in mountain and flatland areas. Before planting, weed and reclaim the land; the weeds can also be burned into charcoal for fertilizer. Deeply plow the soil 30cm, harrow it fine and level it, and make beds 1.5 meters wide. During land preparation, base fertilizer can be applied. After applying 2000 kg of organic fertilizer or farmyard manure per mu, spread it on the bed surface, and mix it evenly with the topsoil when digging.
2. Planting
Start planting in early August, and no later than the end of August, otherwise the temperature will affect seedling growth and, in severe cases, cause the seedlings to wither and die. Try to choose a sunny day when planting. Dig out part of the underground rhizomes that are robust, immature, and have withered stems and leaves, digging 150-300 kg per mu, and move them to mountainous areas to begin cultivating seed stems. Open furrows on the bed surface for planting, control the plant spacing and row spacing at 30×20cm, place the seed stems flat in the furrow with the buds facing upward and press them upright into the soil so that they contact the soil, but with part of the node disk exposed above the soil surface. After planting, cover them with compost or manure soil, then spread a layer of rice straw over the bed surface, which can keep warmth and moisture and also reduce damage from strong light and heavy rain.
3. Field management
Half a month after planting, the covering rice straw can be removed. Carry out intertillage and weeding 1-2 times per month, and pay attention to careful observation. If missing seedlings are found, fill in the gaps along with intertillage and weeding, then earth up around the rhizomes so they can overwinter safely. Within two months after planting, topdress 2-3 times to ensure sufficient nutrients for growth and development, topdressing once every 20 days, each time with 1000 kg of farmyard manure, 100 kg of plant ash, 25 kg of ammonium sulfate, 40 kg of superphosphate, and 10 kg of potassium sulfate. In winter, when the temperature is cold, in order to let the plants overwinter safely, cut off the withered aboveground stems and leaves, then loosen the soil and weed before covering with a layer of fine soil to protect them through winter.
4. Harvesting and processing
The harvest time is generally in May of the second year after planting, when the large and small rhizomes have fully matured. If dug too early, the rhizomes are not fully developed and the yield is lower; if dug too late, the fully ripe rhizomes will rot, causing quality to decline. When digging, also choose a sunny day, dig out the whole plant, remove the soil and stems and leaves from the surface of the rhizomes, then bake them over a low fire for 2-3 days. When a strong fragrance is released, place them in a bamboo basket and shake to remove excess soil and fibrous roots; the remaining main roots can then be processed into commercial goods.
The above are the planting techniques for Sichuan lovage. We hope they can help you. To learn more about medicinal material cultivation, please stay tuned to us.