What are the latest precautions for growing Coptis chinensis?
Coptis chinensis is a very common traditional Chinese medicine. Its medicinal properties are very strong, its smell is rather heavy, and its taste is extremely bitter. Although we may never have seen or tasted it, we all know it is very bitter. After all, an old saying has been passed down to this day: a mute person eating Coptis chinensis cannot express their bitterness. So everyone knows that Coptis chinensis is very bitter, but because its value is very high, it is present in major traditional Chinese medicine shops and in the ingredients of Western medicines. Moreover, quite a few people now make their fortune by growing Coptis chinensis. So what should be noted when growing Coptis chinensis, and how can high yields be achieved? Now let Qinnong Web tell everyone.
1. Planting time
The seasonality of Coptis chinensis planting is not especially obvious, but attention is still needed when planting. Normally, Coptis chinensis can be planted in spring, summer, and autumn, while it cannot be planted in winter, because the temperature in winter is too low and the seeds cannot germinate. In spring, we generally plant in early March; in summer, we choose early May; and in autumn, planting is generally carried out from late October to mid-November. These periods are most suitable for the germination of Coptis chinensis seeds. Second, it can also be transplanted. For transplanting, March to April is generally the best time, when the survival rate is higher.
2. Planting conditions
Coptis chinensis does not need a very large amount of light to grow, so the environment for planting it is best in a relatively shady place, but there will still be sunlight rather than direct sunlight in the market. Second, the planting site should have a certain slope to facilitate drainage. Then, for the land, try to choose sandy soil with a relatively complete soil structure and more organic matter, so that the soil has stronger permeability, fertilizer storage, and water retention, which can reduce a certain amount of field management work. Absolutely do not choose clay for planting, because not only is the yield low, but the workload is also large.
3. Planting method
There are two planting methods, but the most commonly used is still direct seeding with seeds, because its germination period is not very long, so using direct seeding is relatively simple. Second, at a certain time we can collect seeds and then sow them directly. More importantly, the yield is also very good. However, here we still need to mention the precautions for transplanting: we must wait until the Coptis chinensis seedlings have thirteen or fourteen leaves and new plants grown from two-year-old plants are available before transplanting. Otherwise, after transplanting, the survival rate of Coptis chinensis is poor and the yield is also unsatisfactory.
4. Planting density
Although Coptis chinensis does not need a large amount of light, there must be a certain density between each plant. Otherwise, the Coptis chinensis roots simply cannot swell, which means the yield will not be high. So we generally plant at a spacing of 5 to 20 cm between plants and 25 to 30 cm between rows. In this way, Coptis chinensis has a certain growing space, the field will not appear overcrowded, and at the same time the occurrence of diseases can also be reduced.
5. Field management
In the process of growing Coptis chinensis, field management is key, so there are many issues that need attention, such as weeding, fertilizing, pruning branches and leaves, and cleaning the field. We generally weed as many times as we fertilize, so Coptis chinensis needs at least three weedings each year. This can reduce unnecessary consumption of nutrients and water. Second, for Coptis chinensis we generally mainly apply decomposed farmyard manure or organic fertilizer. Of course, phosphate fertilizer, potassium fertilizer, cake fertilizer, and calcium fertilizer can also be mixed to replace it. Finally, because Coptis chinensis can grow continuously for several years, we need to cut off the excess branches and leaves of Coptis chinensis to maintain the permeability of the field.