How to grow Prunella vulgaris? The latest planting technique and method tutorial is here
Prunella vulgaris is a perennial herb of the genus Prunella in the Lamiaceae family, also known as wheat-ear selfheal, iron-wire selfheal, iron-wire Prunella, etc. It is a common Chinese medicinal herb with the effects of clearing the liver and brightening the eyes, dispersing nodules and detoxifying, and is mainly used to treat eye deviation, pulmonary tuberculosis, breast cancer and other conditions. Planting Prunella vulgaris is a good way for farmers to get rich. Let us take a look at the planting techniques for Prunella vulgaris below!
Growth habits of Prunella vulgaris
In China, Prunella vulgaris is mainly distributed in Shaanxi, Gansu, Xinjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, China, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan, and other provinces and regions. It prefers a warm and humid environment, can tolerate cold, and has strong adaptability, but sandy loam with sufficient sunlight and good drainage is best. It can also be planted on dry slopes, at the foot of mountains, in grassland at forest edges, along roadsides and in fields, but low-lying, waterlogging-prone land is not suitable for cultivation.
Propagation techniques for Prunella vulgaris
1. Division propagation: For division propagation of Prunella vulgaris, mostly in late spring before sprouting, dig out the old roots and divide them. Dig holes at a row spacing and plant spacing of 25×10 cm, plant 1-2 plants per hole, then cover with soil and press firm, water, and keep the soil moist. They emerge in 7-10 days.
2. Seed propagation: When the flower spikes of Prunella vulgaris turn yellow-brown, pick the fruit spikes, dry them in the sun, shake out the seeds, remove impurities, and store them for later use. In northern China, spring sowing is from late March to mid-April, and autumn sowing is in late August. Drill sowing is mostly used. Open furrows on the bed at a row spacing of 20-25 cm, with a furrow depth of 0.5-1 cm. Sow the seeds evenly into the furrows, cover with fine soil, press lightly, water, and keep the soil moist regularly. They emerge in about 15 days. The seeding rate is 0.5-1 kg per mu.
⟦NL>Planting techniques for Prunella vulgaris
1. Land selection and bed preparation: For planting Prunella vulgaris, choose sunny, well-drained sandy loam fields or plots for sowing. Before sowing, plow deep and harrow fine so that the soil is fine and the bed is level. Apply 2000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure or 25-30 kg of 48% imported compound fertilizer per mu, mix the soil and fertilizer evenly, then make bed surfaces 1.2 m wide, and at the same time open the three ditches and wait to sow (or raise seedlings).
2. Seedling raising and sowing: Usually mid-to-late August to the end of September is the best time for sowing and raising seedlings. When soil moisture is good, broadcast or sow in holes. When broadcasting, the seeds can be mixed with fine sand or fine soil and sown evenly; at the same time, control the sowing rate well. For broadcasting, use 1.0-1.5 kg of seed per mu. For hole sowing, the seeds can be sown directly, 8-10 seeds per hole, 17,000 holes per mu, and 0.5-1.0 kg of seed per mu, then cover lightly with soil after sowing. If there is drought after sowing, replenish water in time or irrigate once with running water. They emerge after 15-20 days. During the seedling stage, weed by hand 1-2 times.
3. Weeding and thinning: For Prunella vulgaris, when the seedlings have about 4 leaves, combine weeding with removing small seedlings and keeping large ones, and removing weak seedlings and keeping strong ones. When they have about 10 leaves (beginning to tiller), finalize the seedlings, setting the basic seedling population at a plant spacing and row spacing of 5-6 cun, basically ensuring 2-3 strong seedlings per clump.
4. Reasonable topdressing: Topdressing for Prunella vulgaris is generally carried out 2 times. The first time is around mid-March at the beginning of the tillering stage, applying 5-10 jin of urea per mu by broadcasting. The second time is around mid-May at the late flowering stage, applying 10-15 kg of imported compound fertilizer per mu by broadcasting. Carry out topdressing when soil moisture is good or before rain, so that the fertilizer can be better absorbed by the crop.
5. Harvesting and processing: Spring-sown Prunella vulgaris is harvested in the same year, and autumn-sown ones in the second year. Because the Prunella spikes mature in stages, they are harvested in stages. Generally, those with a length of more than 8 cm (with more than 13 layers in the spike interlayer) can be exported, and can be packed separately by grade. When most of the spikes show yellow-brown, the stems together with the spikes can be cut, dried in the sun and stored in stacks. When there is less farm work, grade and pack the spikes and stems for sale. After harvesting, the old clumps can be retained and can continue to grow.