How to Select Licorice Seeds? A Detailed Guide to Seedling Cultivation Methods
Licorice, also known as sweet grass root, red licorice, powder licorice, etc., is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Glycyrrhiza in the Fabaceae family, and is a common tonic Chinese herbal medicine. In recent years, as people pay more and more attention to health and wellness, licorice has been widely used in various medicines, and market demand has increased year by year. The number of farmers growing licorice has also gradually increased. So how do you select licorice seeds? What are the seedling cultivation methods? Let's take a look together below.
1. How to select licorice seeds?
Licorice seeds should be fresh and plump; seeds that have been stored too long or have mold should be discarded. Before sowing licorice, mix the seeds at a rate of 30 ml of 80% concentrated sulfuric acid per 1 kg of seeds, stir repeatedly with a smooth wooden stick, stratify the seeds at 20°C for 7 hours, then rinse multiple times with clean water and dry for later use.
2. What are the seedling cultivation methods for licorice?
1. Soil selection
For licorice cultivation, it is best to choose sandy soil with a groundwater level below 1.50 m, good drainage conditions, a soil layer thickness greater than 2 m, no hardpan layer within, a pH value of around 8, and convenient irrigation. Break up clods and level the ground.
2. Sowing time
Licorice can be sown in all three seasons: spring, summer, and autumn, with sowing in May in summer being the best. At this time the temperature is relatively high, seedlings emerge quickly, and there is still a long growth period before winter.
3. Sowing and seedling cultivation
Before sowing licorice, apply 4000 kg of high-quality farmyard manure and 35 kg of diammonium phosphate per mu as base fertilizer. It can be drilled or dibbled, with a row spacing of 30-40 cm, a plant spacing of 15 cm, a sowing depth of 2.5-3 cm, and 3-5 seeds per hole. After sowing, cover with soil and harrow to preserve moisture.
4. Thinning and final thinning
When licorice seedlings grow to 15 cm tall, thinning can be carried out. The number of seedlings retained per mu is generally about 12000-15000 plants. If the sowing row spacing is 30 cm, then the plant spacing during final thinning can be maintained at 18.5-20 cm.
5. Reasonable irrigation
Before and after licorice emergence, the soil should be kept moist frequently to facilitate emergence and seedling growth. Specific irrigation should depend on soil type and salinity-alkalinity. The key to cultivating licorice is preserving seedlings; generally, after the plants have grown, watering is no longer needed.
6. Cultivation and weeding
Cultivation and weeding of licorice are generally carried out in the same year as emergence, especially during the seedling stage, when weeds must be removed in time. From the second year onward, licorice roots begin to tiller, and weeds find it difficult to compete with them, so cultivation and weeding are no longer needed.
7. Reasonable fertilization
Before sowing licorice, sufficient base fertilizer should be applied, preferably barnyard manure. In the sowing year, phosphate fertilizer can be applied as a top dressing in early spring, and before winter freezing, 2000-2500 kg of organic fertilizer can be applied per mu as a top dressing. Because licorice roots have nitrogen-fixing ability, nitrogen fertilizer is generally not applied.
The above is an introduction to licorice. Licorice grown from seeds can be harvested after 3-4 years, and from rhizomes after 2-3 years. It is dug in autumn from late September to early October when the aboveground stems and leaves wither, or in spring before the licorice stems and leaves emerge, but the quality of autumn digging is better.
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