Share of the latest Schisandra chinensis planting techniques and methods tutorial

Schisandra chinensis is a plant of the genus Schisandra in the Magnoliaceae family, and its fruit is used as medicine. It has the effects of astringing the lungs, nourishing the kidneys, stopping sweating, stopping diarrhea, and stopping seminal discharge, and is commonly used clinically to treat cough and asthma, spontaneous sweating, night sweating, spermatorrhea, chronic diarrhea, and neurasthenia. It is mainly produced in Northeast China, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Shandong, Jiangxi, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan and other provinces.

Botanical characteristics of Schisandra chinensis

A perennial deciduous woody vine, reaching up to 800 cm in length. The stem bark is grayish brown with obvious lenticels; the branchlets are brown and slightly angular. Leaves are simple and alternate, with slender petioles; the blades are thin, slightly membranous, ovate, broadly obovate to broadly elliptic, 5-11 cm long and 3-7 cm wide, with an acute or acuminate apex, a cuneate or broadly cuneate base, and sparsely glandular fine teeth along the margin, glossy and hairless above, and with short pubescence on the veins beneath when young. In summer it bears yellow-white flowers tinged with pink, fragrant, unisexual, with male and female flowers on separate plants; tepals 6-9, the outer whorl smaller; male flowers have 5 stamens, the filaments united into a short column, the anthers with a relatively broad connective, with pollen sacs borne on both sides; female flowers have numerous carpels arranged spirally. After flowering, the receptacle gradually elongates and becomes a long spike shape when the fruit matures, bearing sparsely arranged small spherical indehiscent fleshy fruits, dark red when ripe, and wrinkled on the surface after drying.

Growth characteristics of Schisandra chinensis

It prefers shaded and moist environments, and can be cultivated in humus soil or loose, fertile loam. It is resistant to severe cold, avoids low-lying land, and the seedlings fear strong light.

Propagation methods of Schisandra chinensis

There are sexual propagation and asexual propagation, and seed propagation is often used in large-scale production.

1. Seed treatment

① Seed treatment: Soak the seeds in cold water for 3 days, then soak them in gibberellin 2.5*10 to the -4th power or copper sulfate solution for 24 hours. After sowing, they emerge only after 40 days, grow slowly, and the germination rates are 68% and 56% respectively. When soaking seeds in copper sulfate for 7 minutes, be careful in handling; take them out and wash with water, then soak them in a gibberellin 5*10 to the -4th power solution for 12 hours. After sowing, they emerge in 15 days to one month, and the seedling formation rate can reach 70%.

② Sowing time: Schisandra chinensis sowing is divided into spring sowing and autumn sowing. For spring sowing in May, broadcast or drill, with a row spacing of 10 cm, covering soil 1.53 cm, and a sowing rate of about 0.03 kg per square meter. Water thoroughly and cover with grass to preserve moisture. After emergence, remove the covering grass, set up a frame for shade, with ventilation and a small amount of sunlight. When the seedlings are 5-6 cm high, remove the frame shed, thin the seedlings to a plant spacing of 5 cm, and topdress with urea at 5 kg per hectare. In the second or third spring, plant them out in the field at a row spacing of 100 cm * 50 cm. Topdress once a year, and promptly prune new branches growing from the rhizome. In actual production, autumn sowing is preferable. Some also use new seeds of the current year. Rinse off the fruit pulp with clean water, drain dry, and sow in August, then set up a 100-150 cm high frame, cover it with reed curtains or curtains for shade, water when the soil is dry, and when the seedlings grow 2-3 true leaves, the shade material can be removed, and weeds should be frequently removed. In winter, the seedlings should be covered with grass, and they can be planted out in the following spring. Plant in north-south rows or on contour, with a plant-row spacing of 50-100 cm * 150-200 cm.

2. Layering propagation: Carry out before spring sprouting. Select robust stems and vines, clear away nearby dead branches, fallen leaves and weeds, dig a pit 10-15 cm deep at intervals on the ground, carefully take the Schisandra chinensis stems and vines down from the climbing plants, place them in the pits and cover with soil and firm it. After they take root and send out vines, they become new plants, and are transplanted in the second year.

3. Cutting propagation: Before the plants sprout in spring, select one-year-old branches, or in autumn after the flowering period, in the rainy season, cut firm and robust branches into 12-15 cm long sections with 2-3 buds, with a flat upper cut and a lower cut made into a 45-degree slant. Soak the base of the cuttings in ABT No. 1 rooting powder 150*10 to the -66th power for 6 hours, or in naphthaleneacetic acid NAA, 500*10 to the -6th power for 12 hours, then insert them obliquely into a seedbed of mixed loam 3 parts and sand 1 part, with a row spacing of 12 cm and a plant spacing of 6-9 cm, inserting to a depth of 2/3 of the cutting length. Cover the bed surface with blue plastic film and water frequently. Cuttings can also be made in a greenhouse electric-heated temperature-controlled seedbed, covering the bed surface with blue plastic film and flower curtains, adjusting the temperature. Shade the light, control the temperature at 20-25°C, relative humidity 90%, shade degree 60%-70%, and the rooting rate is 38%-87%. Plant out in the following spring.

Cultivation techniques for Schisandra chinensis

1. Site selection and land preparation: Choose a moist environment, loose and fertile loam or humus soil, and places with irrigation conditions under forests, in river valleys, on both banks of streams, and on slopes of about 15 degrees, with a shade degree of 50%-60%, and with ventilation and light penetration. Select a good site, prepare the land, plow the land, and make finely worked beds. For low-lying, waterlogged plots with abundant rain, high beds can be made, with a bed height of about 15 cm; for high, dry areas with less rain, flat beds can be made. Regardless of the type of bed, there must be more than 15 cm of loose soil layer. The bed width is 120-150 cm, and the length depends on the seeds and terrain. Apply 5-10 kg of decomposed barnyard manure per square meter, mix it evenly with the bed soil, and rake the bed surface level for sowing.

2. Field planting: About 60 cm from the tree stump, plant one plant on each side. This planting method gives high yields. Set up artificial frames and plant Schisandra chinensis seedlings at row spacings of 100 cm * 50 cm and 60 cm * 50 cm. Use north-south rows to facilitate ventilation and light penetration. Dig holes about 30 cm deep and wide, mix fertilizer and soil evenly and fill them into the holes. When planting seedlings, fill half the soil, then slightly lift the seedling so the root system straightens out, which helps survival. Firm the soil, water, and after the water seeps in, cover with a layer of soil to preserve moisture.

Field management

1. Irrigation and fertilization: Schisandra chinensis likes water and fertilizer, and the seedlings grow very slowly, so they should be watered, weeded and fertilized frequently. During the bud, flowering and fruiting stages, in addition to supplying sufficient water, a large amount of fertilizer is needed. Generally, topdressing is done twice a year: the first time before leaf expansion, and the second time before flowering. Apply 5-10 kg of decomposed farmyard manure per plant, 30-50 cm from the roots, open a ring-shaped ditch 15-20 cm deep around them, do not damage the roots, and cover with soil after application; for the second topdressing, appropriately increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to promote fruit ripening.

2. Trellising: After the second year of transplanting, set up a trellis. Use concrete posts or angle steel as uprights, and use wooden poles or bamboo poles or No. 8 iron wire to stretch a horizontal line at the upper part of the uprights. At each main vine, set up a bamboo pole or wooden pole, 250-300 cm high and 1.5-2 cm in diameter, fix it to the horizontal line with rope, and guide the Schisandra chinensis stems and vines onto the trellis in a right-handed spiral direction, tie them well with rope, and afterward they will naturally climb the trellis.

3. Pruning: For each plant, select and retain 3-4 thick and strong branches for cultivation, and cut off most of the remaining basal branches. Pruning is done in three seasons a year: spring, summer and autumn.

① Spring pruning: Cut off short fruiting branches and dead branches; for long fruiting branches, retain 8-12 buds and cut off the rest. After pruning, the branches should be moderately sparse and dense, without interfering with each other. Carry it out before sprouting.

② Summer pruning: Carry out from early May to early-to-mid August. Cut off basal branches, cavity branches, overlapping branches and diseased and pest-damaged branches. Overly dense new branches should also be thinned or shortened.

③ Autumn pruning: Carry out after leaf fall, cutting basal branches. For all three prunings, be careful to retain 2-3 nutrient branches as main branches, and guide the vines onto the trellis.

4. Loosening soil and weeding: During the growth period of Schisandra chinensis, loosen the soil and weed in time, keep the soil loose and free of weeds, do not damage the roots, and at the same time make a tree basin at the base to facilitate irrigation.

Pest and disease control

1. Leaf blight

[Damage characteristics] At the early stage of the disease, it starts from the leaf tip or edge, infects the entire leaf surface, causing it to wither, yellow and fall off, and in severe cases the fruit clusters fall off.

[Control method] Strengthen field management and pay attention to ventilation and light penetration. At the early stage of the disease, spray with 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture, once every 7 days, for several consecutive times.

2. Leaf roller

[Damage characteristics] The larvae cause damage, causing leaf curling, affecting fruit growth, and even causing fruit drop.

[Control method] Spray with 50% phoxim 1500 times solution, or 50% phosphamidon 1500 times solution, or 40% dimethoate 1000 times solution, or 80% trichlorfon 1500 times solution.

Harvesting and processing of Schisandra chinensis

Seedling-grown Schisandra chinensis bears fruit after 5 years, asexually propagated plants bear fruit in 3 years, and generally after planting they bear fruit abundantly in 4-5 years. In August-September, when the fruits turn purple-red, pick them and dry them in the sun or in the shade. Timely harvesting is very important, otherwise it affects yield and quality. Harvesting too early gives poor commodity quality; harvesting too late means they are overripe, the fruit skin easily breaks, and drying and airing are inconvenient. The method for sun-drying the fruit is: place branches under a mat, put 3 cm thick Schisandra chinensis on the mat, dry in the sun for 3-5 days until the fruit skin wrinkles, stir gently, and after 2-3 weeks it is sun-dried. If the harvest season encounters cloudy and rainy days, dry them with a slow fire, but the temperature must not be too high, otherwise the volatile oil easily evaporates and the fruit grains become scorched.