Latest Prices for Blackberry Lily Seeds and a Detailed Guide to Growing Them

Blackberry lily, also known as Wushan, Wupu, Huangyuan and so on, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Iris in the family Iridaceae, distributed across tropical, subtropical and temperate regions worldwide. Its rhizome is used medicinally and can clear heat and detoxify, dissipate nodules and reduce inflammation, reduce swelling and relieve pain, and relieve cough and resolve phlegm, and is used to treat tonsillitis, lower back pain and other conditions. Now let us take a look together at the price of blackberry lily seeds and how to grow them!

How much does a jin of blackberry lily seeds cost?

The price of blackberry lily seeds is about 80 to 120 yuan per jin, but prices vary greatly depending on seed quality, variety, place of origin and the market. Blackberry lily is mostly propagated by rhizome, and because propagation is fast it can also be propagated by seed. The maximum seed germination rate is 90%; seeds begin to germinate when the temperature is 10 to 14 degrees C, 20 to 25 degrees C is the optimum temperature, and germination decreases at 30 degrees C. However, seed propagation emerges slowly and unevenly, lasting about 50 days.

Sowing methods for blackberry lily

1. Seed collection: Blackberry lily is usually harvested from late September to early October, when the fruit husk turns yellow and is about to split; cut off the fruits together with the stalks, place them in a ventilated indoor spot to dry, and then thresh them. After harvest, if the seeds are stored in damp sand the germination rate is high and germination is fast; if the seeds are dried in the sun after harvest, germination is slow.

2. Seed treatment: Before sowing, soak blackberry lily seeds in clean water for one week, remove the empty and shriveled grains, then scoop them out and drain off the water. Place them in a basket and cover tightly with a burlap sack, sprinkling water frequently to keep them moist. At a temperature of about 20 degrees C they begin to show white sprouts after 15 days, and once 60% have sprouted after a week they can be sown.

3. Sowing methods: Blackberry lily seed propagation can use either direct sowing or seedling transplanting, and the sowing period differs depending on open-field growing or plastic-film mulching.

(1) Open-field direct sowing: Spring sowing is carried out around Qingming, and autumn sowing in September to October. On the prepared seedbed surface, open furrows and make holes, apply farmyard manure, cover with fine soil, sow 5 to 6 pre-germinated seeds, cover with soil and firm it, water, and cover with grass to retain moisture and warmth. The seeding rate is 2 to 3 kg per mu.

(2) Open-field seedling raising: Spring sowing is carried out in March, and autumn sowing in September to October. Before sowing, first water the seedbed surface thoroughly; after the water has drained away, open furrows, sow the pre-germinated seeds evenly into the furrows, cover with fine soil mixed with farmyard manure, press down lightly, and cover with grass to retain moisture and warmth. The seeding rate is 8 to 10 kg per mu.

(3) Heated seedling raising: Heated seedling raising allows earlier sowing and earlier emergence. First sow seeds that have been stored mixed with sand and have split open into the seedbed, cover with a thin layer of soil, then spray with warm water once each morning and evening. Seedlings emerge in about 1 week; after emergence, strengthen fertilizer and water management, and by mid-to-late March they can be planted out.

Growing methods for blackberry lily

1. Land preparation: For the blackberry lily growing plot, apply 20000 kg of barnyard manure per hectare, plow 20 cm deep, apply 750 kg each of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate per hectare in the furrow bottom, harrow fine and level, and make seedbeds. When the soil is dry, first irrigate the seedbeds, and sow again once the surface soil has loosened.

2. Reasonable crop rotation: In farmland where dryland weeds such as Chinese sprangletop, purslane and field bindweed occur severely, blackberry lily can be grown in a paddy-upland rotation so that the above weeds cannot survive, and the underground stems of some perennial weeds can be drowned.

3. Loosening soil and watering: For spring-sown blackberry lily, keep the seedbed surface moist before emergence, and loosen the soil and weed promptly after emergence. After emergence, water and loosen the soil at the proper times to keep the soil surface loose, moist and free of weeds. After the plants close their rows in June, only pull weeds and no longer loosen the soil, and earth up around the roots promptly to prevent lodging.

4. Timely weeding: After sowing blackberry lily, generally cultivate and weed 4 times in the first year: the first time after emergence, and then once each in May, July and November. In the second year and thereafter, do it only once each in March, June and November.

5. Reasonable topdressing: For blackberry lily, increase fertilizer in the early and middle growth stages and control fertilizer and water in the later stage. Apply more barnyard manure or compost, 37500 to 60000 kg per hectare plus 225 to 375 kg of superphosphate. Topdressing should be done 3 times each year, in March, June and winter respectively.

6. Removing bolting stems and pinching: Blackberry lily flowers in early July. Bolting and flowering consume a large amount of nutrients, so except for fields kept for seed, the bolting stems of the remaining plants must be removed promptly so that nutrients are concentrated for rhizome growth, which helps increase yield.

7. Harvesting and processing: Blackberry lily grown from seed can be harvested in 3 years. Harvest in late November when the stems and leaves of the plants wither. Dig out the rhizomes, remove the stems, leaves and soil, sun-dry until half dry, rub off the fibrous roots, then sun-dry until completely dry. Rhizomes that are thick, plump and large, yellow in color, free of soil and free of fibrous roots are considered best.

Pest and disease control for blackberry lily

1. Blackberry lily rust

[Damage] In autumn it harms the plant leaves, producing brown raised rust spots that release rust-colored powder after rupturing. It occurs early on mature plants and later on seedlings.

[Control] In the early stage of the disease, spray 95% sodium dinitroorthocresolate at 400 times dilution, once every 7 to 10 days, for 2 to 3 consecutive sprays.

2. Blackberry lily root rot

[Damage] Blackberry lily root rot mostly occurs in the rainy seasons of spring and summer. Using infected seedlings or inadequately decomposed farmyard manure can trigger this disease.

[Control] After discovering diseased plants, promptly spray the plants with Bordeaux mixture at 1:1:120. Seriously diseased plants should be removed together with roots and soil and burned outside the field, and the root holes of diseased plants should be disinfected with lime.

3. Stem borers

[Damage] Stem borers are the main pests of medicinal plants in the iris family such as blackberry lily. The adult is about 20 mm long, with a yellowish-brown head and long white hairs.

[Control] During the hatching period of overwintering eggs, spray 50% carbaryl powder at 1.5 to 2.5 kg per mu. In early May, when the larvae damage the leaf sheaths, spray 90% trichlorfon at 800 times dilution.

4. White grubs

[Damage] White grubs mainly bite and feed on rhizomes and tender stems, causing serious damage. During the day they can be found in the root zone of damaged plants or 3 to 6 cm below the soil nearby.

[Control] The manure applied must be fully decomposed, preferably high-temperature compost. In the field, blacklight lamps or electric lights can be used to trap and kill them, with a container for catching insects placed under the lamp, containing a small amount of water with a few drops of kerosene added.

5. Cutworms

[Damage] Cutworms, also called stem-cutting worms or soil silkworms, have larvae that damage the aboveground stems of blackberry lily, often biting the stems off at the soil surface and causing the plants to die, resulting in missing plants and gaps in the rows.

[Control] In severely infested plots, drench with 59% phoxim emulsifiable concentrate at 700 times dilution or 80% wettable trichlorfon powder at 800 to 1000 times dilution, which gives good results.