A Detailed Guide to the Latest Planting Methods for Fritillaria cirrhosa Seeds
Fritillaria cirrhosa is a precious Chinese medicinal herb for moistening the lungs and stopping coughs. It often grows in mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests, coniferous forests, and alpine shrublands in temperate high mountain and plateau regions. It prefers cool climate conditions and has the characteristics of being cold-tolerant, moisture-loving, afraid of high humidity, and shade-loving. When the temperature reaches 30°C or the soil temperature exceeds 25°C, the plant will wither. It cannot survive in areas with low altitude and high temperatures. Now let us take a look at how to plant Fritillaria cirrhosa seeds!
Seed Cultivation
When harvesting Fritillaria cirrhosa from June to July, select bulbs with a diameter of more than 1 cm, disease-free and undamaged, as seeds. Plant the bulbs separately according to large, medium, and small sizes, planting them as they are dug. Use 100 kg of bulbs per mu. Starting from the second year after planting, spray glyphosate before emergence in March each year. After emergence in early April, promptly remove weeds and apply diluted human and livestock manure water. Apply topdressing once more from late April to early May. From July to August, when the fruits are plump and swollen, the fruit shells are yellow-brown or brown, and the seeds have dried out, cut off the fruits. Either thresh them fresh or carry out after-ripening treatment with the fruit shells still on.
After-ripening Treatment
For Fritillaria cirrhosa seeds with shells, use sifted fine humus soil with a moisture content below 10%, placing one layer of fruits and one layer of soil in an breathable wooden box, and store it in a cool, damp place. For threshed seeds, mix them with humus soil at a ratio of 1:4 (seeds:humus soil) and store them indoors or in an breathable wooden box. During storage, keep the soil moist. The fruit skin (seed coat) swells, and after about 40 days, the embryo length exceeds 2/3 of the longitudinal axis of the seed, and the embryo tip becomes curved. After completing embryo morphological after-ripening, sowing can be carried out.
Site Selection and Land Preparation
1. Site selection: For Fritillaria cirrhosa planting sites, choose wind-sheltered shady or semi-shady hillsides, and keep away from wheat crops to prevent rust infection. Loam or oil sandy soil with deep soil layers, loose texture, and rich in humus is best. For virgin land, one season of hemp can be planted to purify weeds, mature the land, improve soil structure, and increase organic matter.
2. Land preparation: Fritillaria cirrhosa planting sites need to be prepared before freezing. Clear surface weeds, plow deep and harrow fine, and make beds 1.3 m wide. Use 1500 kg of compost (barnyard) manure, 50 kg of superphosphate, and 100 kg of oil cake per mu. After composting and decomposing, spread them on the bed surface, shallowly turn, and make the bed surface arched.
Sowing Methods
1. Drilling: Open horizontal furrows 1.5-2 cm deep on the bed surface, evenly scatter seeds mixed with fine soil or plant ash into the furrows, cover with 3 cm of sifted fine humus soil, and cover the bed surface with mountain grass or leafless branches. Use 2-2.5 kg of seeds per mu.
2. Broadcasting: Evenly scatter seeds on the bed surface, preferably 3000-5000 seeds per sq m, and cover as in drilling.
3. Dibbling: Carry out while the fruits are not yet dry. Divide the undried fruits into 3 valves, open holes on the bed surface at a spacing of 5-6 cm between plants and rows, place 1 valve per hole, and cover with 3 cm of soil. This method requires more labor but has a high emergence rate.