Growing He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) in a pot is easy, and it is both ornamental and medicinal
He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) is a well-known Chinese medicinal herb, with effects such as calming the mind, nourishing the blood, promoting hair growth, and strengthening the sinews and bones. Grown as a potted plant, it is extremely vigorous, has climbing ability, and its leaves are very ornamental. Here Xiaonong will share with everyone how to grow He Shou Wu as a potted plant.
1. The growth habits of He Shou Wu
He Shou Wu has strong vitality and very strong adaptability, and can grow in most areas of our country. It likes a warm and humid growing environment and can grow in shaded environments, which makes it very suitable for indoor cultivation. It likes relatively fertile sandy soil.
2. Planting He Shou Wu
Growing He Shou Wu now is much easier than before. In the past, if you wanted to grow He Shou Wu, you had to look for places selling He Shou Wu seedlings, or go up into the mountains to dig up wild He Shou Wu. Now it is much easier: you only need to open your phone and you can buy He Shou Wu seedlings online. If you do not want to plant seedlings directly, you can also buy He Shou Wu seeds to grow them.
To grow from seed, first prepare the He Shou Wu seeds, wash the seeds clean, and soak them in warm water for 24 hours. Sow the seeds in a flower pot, water thoroughly, and cover with plastic film. Generally, under suitable temperatures, seedlings will emerge in about two weeks. When they grow to about 20 cm, they can be transplanted.
For transplanting, first prepare a somewhat larger flower pot, because He Shou Wu has tuberous roots and a pot that is too small will restrict growth. For the soil, you can use humus soil, garden soil, and sand soil, mixed in a ratio of 4 to 3 to 3. When transplanting, planting two plants in the pot is enough. After planting, water thoroughly and move to a shady place to let the roots recover for about a week.
3. Management of He Shou Wu
Water and light: He Shou Wu relatively likes a humid environment, so keep the soil moist and do not let it dry out. In summer, generally water once a day, and usually spray the leaves more often to keep moisture on the leaves. However, be careful not to let water accumulate in the pot. He Shou Wu is relatively shade-tolerant, so it is fine to place it in a spot with scattered light. In summer, pay attention to shading.
Fertilizer: He Shou Wu grows relatively fast and needs a relatively large amount of fertilizer, so pay attention to topdressing. The base fertilizer should also be applied sufficiently. For the base fertilizer, you can use rotted cake fertilizer or rotted chicken manure. Usually, once every two or three months, you can apply rotted and diluted farmyard manure.
Trellis: He Shou Wu is a climbing plant, so when He Shou Wu grows to about 30 cm, you can consider setting up a trellis for it. Only in this way can He Shou Wu grow even better.