How do you plant the latest motherwort seeds?
Motherwort is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant of the genus Leonurus in the family Lamiaceae, distributed throughout China, divided into early-maturing motherwort and winter-type motherwort, generally all propagated by seed, planted by direct sowing, though some also raise seedlings and transplant, but the yield is lower, so it is mostly not adopted. Let us take a look together below at how to plant motherwort seeds!
Motherwort Sowing Preparation
Motherwort is propagated by seed and planted by direct sowing. Before sowing, mix the seeds with wood ash or fine soil mixed fertilizer, then dress the seeds with human and livestock manure and urine and New High Lipid Film, to repel underground pests and diseases, isolate viral infection, strengthen respiratory intensity, and increase the seed germination rate. Choose fresh seeds of the current year with a germination rate — generally above 80%. For hole sowing, generally prepare 400-450 grams of seed per mu; for drill sowing, prepare 500-600 grams of seed per mu.
Motherwort Sowing Time
Early-maturing motherwort can be sown in autumn, spring, or summer; winter-type motherwort must be sown in autumn. Spring sowing is best during the period from Yushui to Jingzhe (late February to early March). In the north, summer sowing is adopted to use summer fallow land for planting, sown after harvesting wheat at Mangzhong, and the yield is not high. In low-temperature areas, autumn sowing is mostly adopted, best during the period from Qiufen to Hanlu (late September to early October) when the soil is moist. The choice of autumn sowing time is directly related to the yield and quality of the product. If too early, it is easily attacked by aphids. If too late, it is affected by low temperature and dry soil, and cannot germinate that year; it can only germinate from the next year's Chunfen to Qingming, and the germination is not uniform or neat, and most cannot bolt and flower.
Motherwort Sowing Methods
Motherwort sowing is divided into drill sowing, hole sowing, and broadcast sowing. Plains areas mostly adopt drill sowing, sloping land mostly adopts hole sowing, and broadcast sowing is inconvenient to manage, so it is mostly not adopted. Before sowing, mix the seeds with wood ash or fine soil mixed fertilizer, then dress the seeds with human and livestock manure and urine, with the humidity such that it can be scattered. Generally, use 250-300 kg of wood ash or soil mixed fertilizer and 35-40 kg of human and livestock manure and urine per mu. For drill sowing, open horizontal furrows in the bed, with a furrow center distance of about 25 cm, a sowing width of about 10 cm, and a depth of 4-7 cm. The furrow bottom should be flat. Before sowing, apply 2500-3000 kg of human and livestock manure and urine in the furrow, then evenly scatter the seed ash into it; there is no need to cover with soil. For hole sowing, open holes with a hole and row spacing of about 25 cm each, a hole diameter of about 10 cm, and a depth of 3-7 cm. The hole bottom should be flat. First apply 1000-1200 kg of human and livestock manure and urine per mu in the holes, then evenly scatter the seed ash into them; there is no need to cover with soil.