The Latest Planting Techniques and Method Tutorial for Balloon Flower

Balloon flower, also known as baofu flower, lingdang flower, daolaji, etc., is a perennial herb of the genus Platycodon in the Campanulaceae family. Its root is used as medicine and has the functions of dispersing lung qi, dispelling cold, eliminating phlegm, and discharging pus. Balloon flower prefers a mild climate, is cold-tolerant and sun-loving, and is best suited to loam, sandy loam, clay loam, and humus loam; it dislikes waterlogging and fears wind damage. It is cultivated throughout both northern and southern China, and the “Tong Jiegeng” from Tongcheng, Anhui is especially good in quality.

Balloon flower is both a valuable Chinese medicinal herb and can be used as a vegetable. When planting balloon flower, each mu can yield 800 kg to 1,200 kg of fresh balloon flower (two-year-old fleshy roots), and at a protective price of 5.5 yuan/kg (fresh product) per kg of balloon flower, an income of between 4,500 and 7,000 yuan can be obtained. Balloon flower has strong adaptability, and its cultivation techniques are relatively simple. It can be cultivated in both northern and southern China and is suitable for large-scale cultivation, with broad development prospects. The cultivation techniques are introduced as follows:

Selection of Land

Balloon flower is suitable for growing in relatively loose soil, and especially prefers sloping land and mountainous land, with a semi-shaded, semi-sunny terrain being optimal. Flatland cultivation must have good drainage conditions. Balloon flower is not suitable for continuous cropping.

Land Preparation

Balloon flower has relatively long fleshy roots, so it is best to cultivate it on ridges. In early spring (mid-to-late April), spread farmyard manure and plow the land, harrow it fine, and level it (deep plowing 30 cm). When making ridges, first mark grid lines on the ground at 2 m intervals, open furrows, then spread the soil from the furrows to both sides to make a ridge bed about 1.7 m wide with furrows about 30 cm wide. If drought occurs, irrigation can be carried out along the furrows in preparation for sowing.

Selecting Good Seed

For balloon flower seeds, choose seeds from plants at least 2 years old that are not old stock (if seeds are stored for one year, the germination rate drops by more than 70%). Before planting, conduct a germination test to ensure the seed germination rate is above 70%. The specific method for the germination test is: take a small amount of seeds, soak them in warm water at 40°C to 50°C for 8 to 12 hours, remove the seeds, drain the water, place them on cloth, mix with wet sand, and germinate them at a temperature of about 25°C. Be careful to stir and spray water in a timely manner, and they will germinate in 4 to 6 days.

Sowing

Balloon flower can be sown in spring or summer. Spring sowing should be around mid-May, that is, when the soil temperature reaches above 15°C, and summer sowing should be before late July. In our area, it is best to open furrows and sow in rows when the rains come (mid-to-late May). Before sowing, first open small furrows on the ridge bed at a row spacing of 20 cm, 5 cm wide and 2 cm deep, and scatter the seeds evenly into them, using about 1-1.2 kg of seed per mu, then immediately cover with decomposed fine manure soil or humus soil, with a covering depth of about 3 cm, and be sure the depth is consistent. After sowing, cover with mulch and then spray the seedbed with Decis at 2,000 times dilution to control underground pests and ensure the seedling emergence rate.

Fertilization

Before sowing balloon flower in the field, apply 2,000-3,000 kg of farmyard manure per mu, 40 kg of grain compound fertilizer, and 30 kg of superphosphate. To control white grubs, when turning the farmyard manure, add 1 kg of Jiadifen per ton and mix it evenly with the farmyard manure before applying it before plowing. Later topdressing mainly uses clear manure water or urea. In July of the same year and July-August of the following year, 25 kg of urea or clear manure water can be used for topdressing to promote seedlings. Clear manure water can be applied at about 2 tons per mu each time, with a concentration of about 10%. If the concentration is relatively high after topdressing, rinse the seedlings with clean water in a timely manner.

Field Management

Dry-sown seeds need about 25 days to emerge, and pre-germinated sown seeds also need about 10 days to emerge. After the seedlings emerge, remove weeds in a timely manner. If the seedlings are too dense, thin them in a timely manner, preferably at 10 to 12 plants per 100 square cm, keeping one plant at 5 cm intervals for thinning (about 60,000 plants per mu), and combine this with loosening the soil. Weeding should also be carried out in a timely manner later. In addition, balloon flower has a relatively long flowering period and consumes a large amount of nutrients, affecting root growth. Except for seed production fields, flowers and fruits should be removed in a timely manner to improve root yield and quality.

Pest and Disease Control

The insect pests of balloon flower are mainly underground pests, such as cutworms, white grubs, wireworms, etc. If cutworms occur, Decis can be used at 40 mL per mu for control. White grubs can be removed manually when plowing, and in the later seedling stage, phoxim diluted 2,000 times can be used for pouring irrigation control. The main disease of balloon flower is rot disease, that is, rot occurs at the junction between the root and the outside, eventually causing the whole plant to die. For control, spray with Kangku Ling combined with streptomycin. For each vial of Kangku Ling, add one vial of streptomycin, add 20 kg of water, and spray 0.5 mu of land.

Harvest

When harvesting balloon flower, after cutting the aboveground plants, dig out the fleshy roots, remove impurities, and sell them fresh in a timely manner.