Latest Prices of Schisandra Seeds and a Detailed Guide to Planting Methods

Schisandra, also known as Wumeizi and mountain pepper, is the dried ripe fruit of Schisandra chinensis or Schisandra sphenanthera of the Magnoliaceae family. In ancient medical texts it was called Chizhu, Xuanji and Huiji, and it was first listed as a top-grade Chinese medicine in the Shennong Bencao Jing. Its medicinal value is extremely high, with effects such as astringing and securing, tonifying qi and promoting fluid production, and tonifying the kidney and calming the heart. Let us take a look below at the price of Schisandra seeds and its planting methods!

How much is a jin of Schisandra seeds?

The price of Schisandra seeds is about 70 to 80 yuan per jin, but prices vary depending on variety, place of origin, quality and other factors. There is also a distinction between northern Schisandra and southern Schisandra, and northern Schisandra is usually of better quality than southern Schisandra. Schisandra seedlings have a well-developed root system (about 20 to 30 cm long), a dwarfed plant height (8 to 15 cm), a solid plant body, no leggy branches, and an extremely high survival rate after transplanting. They begin to bear fruit in the second year after planting, with the peak production period from three to ten years. The yield of fresh fruit is 1500 to 3000 jin per mu, and the yield of dried product is about 300 to 400 jin per mu.

Schisandra Seed Treatment Methods

1. Seed selection: For Schisandra seeds, it is best to carry out selection on the vine during the autumn harvest period, keeping fruit clusters with large and uniformly sized fruits for seed use, and drying and storing them separately. When drying, never roast over fire, bake in a kang, or fry in a pan. They can be sun-dried or shade-dried and stored in a ventilated, dry place.

2. Soaking in clean water: Soak Schisandra seeds in clean water until the flesh swells, then rub off the flesh. While rubbing off the flesh, remove the blighted seeds floating on the surface of the water. After rubbing off the flesh, soak again in clean water for 5 to 7 days so that the seeds fully absorb water, changing the water once every two days.

3. Low-temperature treatment: After soaking, remove the Schisandra seeds, drain them, and mix them evenly with about twice their volume of wet sand. Place them in a pit about 0.5 m deep prepared outdoors, cover with 10 to 15 cm of fine soil, then cover with firewood and grass for low-temperature treatment. By May to June of the following year, they will split open and can be sown.

Schisandra Sowing and Seedling-Raising Techniques

1. Seedbed selection: For a Schisandra seedling-raising field, fertile humus soil or sandy loam can be chosen. Raising seedlings in beds is preferable. The bed soil should be raked fine and cleared of impurities. Apply 5 to 10 kg of decomposed barnyard manure per square meter, mix thoroughly and evenly with the bed soil, rake the bed surface level, and then sow.

2. Timely sowing: Schisandra is generally sown with treated seeds from early May to mid-June, either in rows or by broadcasting. For row sowing, the row spacing is 10 cm, with 1.5 to 3 cm of soil covering the seeds, and the sowing rate is about 30 grams per square meter.

3. Seedbed management: After sowing Schisandra, build a shed frame 1 to 1.5 m high and cover it with straw curtains, reed curtains or similar for shade. Water when the soil is dry so as to keep soil moisture at 30 to 40%. When the seedlings grow 2 to 3 true leaves, the shade curtains can be removed.

Schisandra Field Management Methods

1. Irrigation and fertilization: After Schisandra plants survive transplanting, the soil should be kept moist. Irrigate once before freezing to help them overwinter. During the bud, flowering and fruiting stages, they need not only sufficient water but also large amounts of nutrients. Apply topdressing 1 to 2 times each year, with 5 to 10 kg of decomposed farmyard manure per plant.

2. Branch pruning: Schisandra branches can be pruned in spring, summer and autumn. No matter when pruning is done, 2 to 3 nutrient branches should be selected and retained as main branches, and the vines should be trained onto the trellis.

① Spring pruning: Generally carried out before the branches sprout, cutting off overly dense fruiting branches and dead branches. After pruning, the branches should be moderately spaced and not interfere with one another.

② Summer pruning: Generally carried out from early to mid-May to early to mid-August, mainly cutting off basal branches, inner-canopy branches, overlapping branches, and diseased and pest-damaged branches.

③ Autumn pruning: Generally carried out after leaf fall, cutting off the basal branches that grew after summer pruning and promptly applying a wound-healing antiseptic film to the pruning wounds.

3. Trellising and transplanting: Schisandra should be trellised in the second year of planting. Cement posts or angle steel can be used as uprights, with a horizontal line drawn at the upper part of the uprights using wooden poles or No. 8 iron wire. At each main vine, set up a bamboo pole or wooden pole, and then train the vines onto the trellis.

4. Thickening the fruit stalk: For Schisandra, spray fruit-stalk-strengthening agent during the flower bud stage, young fruit stage and fruit expansion stage respectively to thicken the fruit stalk, increase nutrient transport, prevent flower drop, improve pollination capacity, increase fruit set rate, speed up expansion, and ensure high quality and high yield.

5. Loosening soil and weeding: During the growth period of Schisandra, loosen the soil and weed in a timely manner to keep the soil loose and free of weeds. When loosening the soil, avoid injuring the root system. Make a tree tray at the base of the Schisandra plant to facilitate irrigation.

6. Earthing up for overwintering: Before winter begins, earth should be piled up around the base of planted Schisandra to protect it through the winter safely.