The Latest Efficient Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial for Bletilla striata

Bletilla striata is a plant of the genus Bletilla in the orchid family, also known as Lianjicao, Gangen, Baigei, Zhulan, Zilan, and so on. It is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine with functions such as tonifying the lungs and stopping bleeding, reducing swelling and promoting tissue regeneration. It is mainly used to treat pulmonary tuberculosis with coughing of blood, bronchiectasis with hemoptysis, gastric ulcer with vomiting of blood, blood in the urine, blood in the stool, and other conditions, and is used externally to treat bleeding from trauma, burns and scalds, chapped hands and feet, and other conditions. Bletilla striata has an especially good hemostatic effect. Nowadays, the adhesive film blocks made from Bletilla striata are used in liver and spleen surgery, applied to the incision site to replace hemostatic forceps, with an especially good effect. It has a rapid coagulation effect and can substitute for blood plasma, and is mostly used in surgical operations. It is mainly produced in Sichuan, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and other provinces, and is cultivated throughout the country.

Morphological Characteristics

Bletilla striata is a perennial herb with a plant height of 30-60 cm. The tuber is fleshy and white, with 2-3 forks in a water-caltrop shape, has fibrous roots, and often several grow together. The raceme is terminal and usually has 3-8 flowers; the flowers are pale purplish red and the petals are irregular. The capsule is cylindrical, with 6 longitudinal ridges and slightly pointed at both ends. The seeds are tiny and numerous. The flowering period is April-May, and the fruiting period is July-August. There are two types of Bletilla striata. There is another type with yellowish-white flowers and linear-lanceolate leaves, which is Bletilla striata var. angustifolia. Among the purplish-red-flowered types, there are also large and small types, among which the large type has higher tuber yield.

Growth Characteristics

Bletilla striata prefers a warm, cool, and relatively shady and moist environment, is not cold-tolerant, and requires fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam or humus loam. It should be cultivated on shady slopes or relatively shady and moist plots.

Cultivation Techniques

1. Site selection and land preparation: Choose loose, fertile sandy loam and humus loam, in a warm, slightly shady and moist environment; it is not cold-tolerant. When planting on well-drained mountainous land, it is advisable to choose a shady slope of virgin land for planting. Plow the soil more than 20 cm deep, apply barnyard manure and compost, with 1000 kg of farmyard manure per mu; if there is no farmyard manure, 50 kg of ternary compound fertilizer can be broadcast. Then plow again to mix the soil and fertilizer evenly. Before planting, shallow-plow once, break the soil up finely, rake it level, and make raised beds 130-150 cm wide.

2. Propagation method: Bletilla striata is relatively difficult to propagate by seed and relatively easy to propagate by dividing tubers. From September to early November, dig out the Bletilla striata, select disease-free tubers of medium size with many buds, each piece with 1-2 buds, dip them in plant ash, and then plant them. Open furrows with a row spacing of 20-25 cm and a depth of 5-6 cm, place one tuber at a plant spacing of 10-12 cm with the buds facing upward, cover with soil, press firm, water, and cover with grass, keeping it moist regularly. They sprout in March-April. The seedling requirement per mu is 100 kg.

3. Field management

① Intertillage and weeding: Bletilla striata has very strict weed control requirements in field management. After planting, spray acetochlor for pre-emergence closure. After the Bletilla striata seedlings emerge completely, in May-June Bletilla striata grows very vigorously and weeds also grow very quickly, so weeding should be carried out. Weeding should be combined with loosening the bed surface, and shallow hoeing should be used when weeding to avoid damaging the roots.

② Timely topdressing: Bletilla striata is a fertilizer-loving plant. Spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate or dilute human and livestock manure once a month. In July-August it stops growing and enters dormancy, but weeds must still be prevented from growing densely.

③ Irrigation and drainage: Bletilla striata prefers shade and should be kept moist regularly. Water during drought, and in July-September water once in the morning and once in the evening. Bletilla striata is also afraid of waterlogging, so drain promptly after heavy rain to avoid damaging the roots.

Pest and Disease Control

1. Root rot: It mostly occurs in the rainy seasons of spring and summer in the south. Control method: Pay attention to drainage and waterproofing, and dig drainage ditches deep.

2. Cutworms and wireworms: They can be controlled by manual capture and trapping, or by mixing poisonous soil, and by applying Dichongjue into the bed soil. Irrigate the bed soil with a 700-fold solution of 50% zinc phoxim emulsifiable concentrate.

Harvesting and Processing

After Bletilla striata has been planted for 2-3 years, when the aboveground stems wither in September-October, dig out the tubers, remove the soil, and process them. Pick off the tubers individually, select and keep the tubers with new stems for seed use, cut off the stems, soak them in clean water for 1 hour, wash off the soil, put them in boiling water and boil for 5-10 minutes, take them out and dry them over a kang until completely dry. Remove all coarse skin and fibrous roots, and sieve out impurities. Generally, 800-1000 kg of fresh product can be harvested per mu, which can be processed into 200-300 kg. Those that are large, plump, white, semi-transparent, and firm in texture are considered best. Bletilla striata tubers contain starch, glucose, and volatile oil, and the roots contain bletilla glucomannan.

Now that you have finished reading the cultivation techniques for Bletilla striata, let's take a look together below at how the cultivation prospects for Bletilla striata are!