How to cultivate dandelion for high yield? Latest high-yield cultivation technique tutorial

In Jiangnan, dandelion is called Huahualang; it is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family. It has a capitulum inflorescence, and the seeds bear a fluffy ball formed by white pappus, which after the flowers bloom drift with the wind to new places to nurture new life. The dandelion plant contains taraxol, taraxacin, choline, organic acids, inulin and many other healthy nutritional components. It has diuretic, laxative, jaundice-clearing, cholagogue and other effects. Dandelion also contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, trace elements and vitamins, etc. It has rich nutritional value and can be eaten raw, stir-fried, or made into soup; it is a plant used both as medicine and food.

Harvesting seeds

Dandelion generally can bloom and set seed in its second year. Wild plants bloom from May to June, growing both as individual plants and in colonies. The older the dandelion, the more flowers it produces, with the maximum exceeding 20 flowers. After blooming, the seed maturation period is short; generally the seeds mature in 13—15 days. Whether the seeds are mature is mainly judged by the flower head shell changing from green to yellow, and the seeds in each flower head also changing from white to brown; this is the seed maturation period, and they can then be harvested. After the seeds mature, they quickly scatter with the pappus in the wind, so you can harvest early before the flower head splits open; this is the key to success or failure in seed harvesting.

After picking the flower heads, place them indoors to after-ripen for 1 day, wait until the flower heads are fully spread open, then dry them in the shade for 1-2 days. When the seeds are half-dry, rub off the pappus at the tip of the seeds by hand, then dry the seeds in the sun. The thousand-seed weight of large-leaf dandelion is 2 grams, and that of small-leaf varieties is 1—1.2 grams.

Land preparation and bed making

① Site selection. Dandelion has strong adaptability, tolerating both drought and alkali, and prefers loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam.

② Fertilization. Apply organic fertilizer per hectare, preferably horse manure, 30000-45000 kilograms, mixed with 225-300 kilograms of superphosphate, spread evenly on the ground, then deep plow 20 cm.

③ Making beds and ridges. After leveling and raking the ground fine, make sowing beds 100 cm wide, 15 cm high, and 10 m long, or make small ridges 30 cm high, with a base width of 30 cm and a shoulder width of 20 cm.

Sowing and root burying

① Bed sowing. Open small furrows 1 cm deep and 5 cm wide crosswise, sow the seeds evenly into the furrows, cover with fine soil, press with a wooden roller, with a row spacing of 15 cm.

② Ridge sowing. Open small furrows 1 cm deep and 5 cm wide along the ridges. After sowing, cover with fine soil and press with a wooden roller.

③ Root burying and planting. In order to bring to market earlier and increase income, digging roots in the wild and burying them for planting in a greenhouse can achieve twice the result with half the effort. In late autumn (mid to late October), when dandelion is first hit by frost and the leaf color changes from green to red, promptly collect and dig dandelion root systems in the wild, preferably whole roots. Make beds in the greenhouse with the specifications as above. Plant roots at a row spacing of 15 cm and a plant spacing of 5 cm, buried to the original root surface position, so that the root top is at the ground surface, seemingly exposed yet not exposed, and press firm by hand. Keep the greenhouse temperature at about 20°C, and dandelion can grow normally. If you want dandelion to come to market during the peak demand season, control the greenhouse temperature to restrict plant growth, and satisfactory results can be achieved.

In order to emerge earlier after sowing, warm water seed soaking for sprouting can be used, that is, place the seeds in 50-55°C warm water, stir until the water cools, then soak for 8 hours, remove them, wrap the seeds in wet cloth, and place them in a place at about 25°C. Cover the top with wet cloth, water once each morning and evening with 50°C warm water, and after 3—4 days when the seeds begin to sprout, they can be sown. The sowing rate per hectare is 11.25 kilograms.

Field management

① Loosening soil and weeding. Half a month after dandelion emergence, carry out 1 loosening of soil and weeding. For bed sowing, use a small pointed hoe to cultivate between the seedlings; for ridge sowing, use a pickaxe to cultivate in the ridge furrows. After that, carry out loosening and intertillage once every 10 days. After the rows close, keep doing manual weeding continuously.

② Thinning and final singling. Dandelion has large leaves above ground, and management must fully consider that the plants have a certain space for growth; do not be greedy for density and reluctant to thin the seedlings, which would affect growth. Generally, final singling can be done 10 days after emergence, with a plant and row spacing of 5—10 cm.

③ Watering and fertilizing. During the dandelion growth period, water frequently to keep the soil moist. After dandelion emergence, it needs a large amount of water, so maintaining the moist state of the soil is the key to dandelion growth.

Sown dandelion cannot be harvested in the same year. After winter begins, spread organic fertilizer on the beds (ridges) at 2000 kilograms per 667 square meters, preferably decomposed horse manure. In this way, it both fertilizes and protects the root system for safe overwintering. Chemical fertilizer is not advocated; although applying chemical fertilizer makes young plants and leaves dark and shoot up, it loses the essence of green plants and also loses the wild flavor style of dandelion. Generally, 9000—10500 kilograms can be produced per hectare.