How to Grow Largeleaf Gentian? Latest Planting Techniques and Methods Tutorial
Largeleaf Gentian, also known as Largeleaf Gentian and Largeleaf Qinjiao, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Gentianaceae family, produced in Xinjiang, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Inner Mongolia and the Northeast region, with extremely high medicinal value, often used as one of the main drugs for treating rheumatism, joint pain, tuberculosis, tidal fever, jaundice and other conditions. Let us take a look at the planting techniques of Largeleaf Gentian below!
Growth Habits of Largeleaf Gentian
Largeleaf Gentian grows on riverbanks, roadsides, ditch edges, hillside grasslands, meadows, under forests and at forest edges, at an altitude of 400-2400 m. It prefers a humid, cool climate, is cold-tolerant, fears waterlogging, and avoids strong light. It is suitable for growing in deep, fertile loam or sandy loam, and is not suitable for cultivation in waterlogged, low-lying saline-alkali land. Seeds should germinate under relatively low temperature conditions, with an optimum germination temperature of around 20°C. It usually turns green in late May each year, blooms in late June, seeds mature in August, the annual growth period is about 100 days, and the seed lifespan is 1 year.
Seedling Raising Techniques for Largeleaf Gentian
1. Site selection: Choose a site more than 200 m away from highways, away from residential areas and polluted places, close to a water source, on flat land or gentle slopes. The soil texture should preferably be sandy loam, forest humus soil, or brown earth, requiring deep soil, fertile, loose and moist soil, with a soil pH of 5.5-6.5. The previous crop should preferably be legumes, corn, etc.
2. Land preparation: Prepare the land in autumn of the year before sowing or transplanting. Before land preparation, apply 3000-5000 kg/mu of decomposed organic fertilizer, deep plow 20 cm, harrow and crush, mix soil and fertilizer evenly, and make beds 1.2-1.5 m wide and 20 cm high, with a 50 cm wide access path. The bed soil should be loose, fine, and free of tree roots, grass roots, stones and other debris.
3. Sowing: Autumn sowing or spring sowing. Autumn sowing is carried out from early October to before the ground freezes, and spring sowing is carried out in early April when there is no snow on the ground and the soil has thawed 3-5 cm. Sowing can be done by broadcasting or drilling. Open furrows on the bed, 10 cm wide and 3-5 cm deep, with a row spacing of 20 cm. The seeding rate is 500-750 g per mu. After sowing, cover the bed surface with pine needles or rice straw to a thickness of 1-2 cm. When the seedlings are 6-9 cm tall, thin them to a plant spacing of about 9 cm; transplanting is not advisable.
Planting Techniques for Largeleaf Gentian
1. Site selection: After the Largeleaf Gentian seedlings emerge completely, remove the covering, clear weeds, and prevent and control pests and diseases. After 1 year of growth, they can be transplanted. Choose a plot with a previous crop of gramineous crops, deep soil, good drainage, and easy cultivation. Apply 1500-2000 kg/mu of high-quality farmyard manure and 50 kg/mu of superphosphate, and plant after fine land preparation.
2. Transplanting: Largeleaf Gentian is planted in furrows from early to mid-October. Plant spacing is 15-20 m, row spacing is 20-25 cm. Keep 0.09-0.14 ten thousand plants per mu. After planting each row, cover with soil and compact it, then continue planting. Spring planting is carried out after the soil thaws. The seedlings must not have exposed buds; if the buds are exposed, the survival rate is not high. Therefore, according to local natural conditions, the earlier after the soil thaws, the better.
3. Management: After sowing and before emergence, water frequently to keep the surface soil moist. Use 90% trichlorfon or dimethoate at 15 times dilution mixed with wheat bran and pile it around the four sides of the bed to trap and kill mole crickets. When the seedlings grow to 2 pairs of true leaves, remove about half of the covering; at 4 true leaves, remove all the rice straw or pine needles. In dry, high-temperature weather, the covering can be removed later to help preserve soil moisture. Weed in time and keep the field free of weeds. When the temperature is relatively high and a dry soil layer appears below 20 cm, irrigate, preferably by drip irrigation.
4. Disease prevention: The main disease of Largeleaf Gentian is leaf spot, in which brown circular or elliptical lesions appear on the leaves. Disinfect seeds before sowing, promptly detect and control diseased plants, and maintain good field sanitation. In early and mid-June, use 65% mancozeb at 400-500 times dilution, spraying once every 7-10 days; from mid-June to October, use mancozeb at 300 times dilution, spraying once every 7 days.
5. Harvesting: Largeleaf Gentian is harvested 3-5 years after sowing, dug up in autumn when the aboveground parts wither. After harvesting, wash clean with water, air-dry until half dry, cut off the rhizome head, then air-dry until completely dry. Fried Largeleaf Gentian is made by placing Largeleaf Gentian slices in a frying pan, heating over low heat, and stirring until the surface of the slices has slight scorch marks; then take out and spread to cool.