Dandelion Cultivation Techniques and Harvesting Methods Explained in Detail

I. Variety Selection and Seed Collection

There are some excellent dandelion varieties abroad, such as the thick-leaf variety from France, whose leaves are large and thick. In China, mainly wild dandelion seeds are collected. When collecting seeds, select plants with large leaves, abundant green leaves, deeper serrations, and thick rhizomes as seed-producing cultivation stock. In summer, when the receptacle turns from green to yellow, cut the flowers at around 8 or 9 o'clock every morning, place them indoors to after-ripen for 1 day, and once the inflorescences have fully opened, dry them in the shade for 1-2 days, rub off the pappus by hand, and dry them in the sun for later use. Seed collection and preservation for dandelion should have a fixed seed plot.

II. Cultivation of Dandelion Fleshy Taproots

The fleshy taproots used for producing body bud vegetables can be collected directly from the wild. Although this is relatively economical, the fleshy taproots are not plump and cannot produce high-quality body bud vegetables, so artificial cultivation is recommended.

1. Pre-sowing preparation: Choose loose, fertile, organic matter-rich sandy loam soil as the planting site. After the autumn harvest, clean the field and plow and prepare the soil. Apply 4000-5000 kg of fully decomposed high-quality farmyard manure per 1 mu. After the soil thaws the following year, make beds 1.2 m wide and wait for sowing.

2. Sowing: Begin sowing when the soil temperature reaches above 15°C. Open shallow furrows 2-3 cm deep in the beds, with a furrow spacing of 10 cm and a width of 10 cm, firm them and water thoroughly, mix the seeds with fine sand, stir evenly, and broadcast them into the furrows. Cover with 2-3 cm of soil, and finally insert bamboo hoops on both sides of the bed and cover with plastic film to maintain the optimal temperature and humidity for dandelion germination.

3. Seedling stage management: Seedlings emerge about 9-12 days after sowing. After the seedlings have emerged completely, remove the film and promptly carry out intertillage and weeding, topdressing, and watering to promote vigorous seedling growth. When dandelion seedlings enter the 2-3 true leaf, 5-6 true leaf, and 7-9 true leaf stages, thinning should be carried out 3 times in combination with intertillage and weeding (the thinned seedlings can be sold on the market). For the last thinning, select strong seedlings and set them at a plant spacing of 5 cm and a row spacing of 10 cm. After thinning and setting, timely watering is generally required. After setting, apply 15-20 g of urea and 6-8 g of monopotassium phosphate per square meter, and water once more in combination with topdressing. During this period, excessive vegetative growth and lodging should be prevented, and field weeds should be removed promptly in combination with intertillage.

4. Seedling hardening and field management: After dandelion seedlings are set, they quickly enter the rosette stage, which is the key stage for laying the foundation for fleshy root enlargement. For a period afterward, do not water until the fleshy roots enter the rapid enlargement stage. Dandelion has strong stress resistance and disease resistance, and the focus of field management is weed removal and fertilizer-water management. Water and topdress promptly according to plant growth conditions and soil moisture. Foliar fertilization can also be used to delay leaf senescence. Do not harvest in the sowing year, so as to promote lush growth and thick fleshy roots, facilitating the production of high-quality body bud vegetables in early spring the following year.

5. Harvesting and storage of fleshy roots: The harvesting of fleshy roots should be completed at the latest before the soil freezes. Sort the dug-out root plants, remove old leaves, and retain the complete root system and terminal buds. At the same time, a storage cellar should be prepared. It is best to choose a shaded plot and dig a storage cellar 1-1.2 m wide and 1.5 m deep (extending east-west). Place the fleshy roots into the cellar, stack them neatly, with a height not exceeding 50 cm. In the early storage period, prevent excessively high temperatures from causing fleshy root rot or sprouting, and in the later storage period, prevent freezing.

III. Dandelion Forcing Cultivation Techniques

1. Preparation of the forcing bed: According to conditions, choose various protective facilities that can stably maintain a temperature of 8-25°C. Inside the facility, make a cultivation bed with a soil thickness of 40-50 cm, using clean soil or river sand, etc., as the cultivation substrate. Finally, disinfect the interior of the facility with a smoke fumigant.

2. Forcing method: Before forcing, take the fleshy roots out of the storage cellar 1 day in advance and air-dry them in the shade. Grade the dandelion fleshy roots by length. Then stack and bury them trench by trench according to grade, with a spacing of 2-3 cm, and bury them to a depth that exposes the growth point at the root head, stacking them neatly. After stacking and burying, water thoroughly immediately. After watering, 2-3 days later, set up small tunnels and cover with black film.

3. Management after forcing: Management after forcing mainly involves regulating temperature and humidity within the facility. Generally, the temperature in the bed should be maintained at 15-20°C, and the relative air humidity should preferably be controlled at 60%-75%. The specific methods for regulating temperature and humidity are the same as for general protected cultivation. Because young leaves mainly rely on stored nutrients for growth, no fertilization is needed during this period. The key to high yield is cultivating thick, strong, and plump fleshy roots, and storing them reasonably in winter to reduce nutrient consumption.

4. Harvesting: When the leaves reach 10-15 cm, cut the leaves with a knife, taking care to protect the growth point. After washing, the young leaves are bundled, packaged, and marketed. Harvesting should generally be carried out in the early morning. To extend the market supply period, forcing can be carried out in batches and stages, which requires cold storage equipment such as cold storage rooms.

High-Yield Cultivation Techniques for Dandelion

Dandelion is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family. The whole plant can be used as medicine, with effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and reducing abscesses and dissipating nodules. In addition to medicinal use, the young seedlings and tender leaves of dandelion can be eaten raw, served as cold dishes, stir-fried, used in soups, or salted as pickles. Because wild dandelion resources have been depleted year after year, developing artificial cultivation is imperative.

I. Growth Characteristics

Dandelion has strong adaptability, likes light and tolerates cold, heat, poor soil, and barren conditions, has very strong disease resistance, and rarely suffers from pests and diseases, and can be cultivated in most parts of China.

II. Land Preparation and Fertilization

Choose loose, fertile, moist, well-drained sandy soil for planting. Deep plow 20-25 cm, level and harrow finely, and make beds 10-20 cm long, 1.2-1.5 m wide, and 15 cm high, or make small ridges 45 cm wide for planting. Apply 4000-4500 kg of organic fertilizer and 15 kg of superphosphate per mu, scattering them evenly into the beds.

III. Sowing

1. Seed treatment: Soak the seeds in 50°C water, then place them at 25°C to promote germination. The seeds have no dormancy period and can be sown in the open field at any time from spring to autumn, and can be sown in a greenhouse in winter.

2. Open-field sowing: Use either drilling or broadcasting on the bed surface or ridges. Drilling: open shallow horizontal furrows on the bed surface at a row spacing of 25-30 cm, with a sowing width of about 10 cm. After sowing the seeds, cover with 1 cm of soil, then press lightly. Broadcasting: broadcast on a flat bed, using about 1 kg of seed per mu. After sowing, cover with grass to keep warm and moist. Remove the covering grass when seedlings emerge; seedlings can emerge in about 7-10 days.

3. Greenhouse sowing: From late November to early December, raise seedlings and transplant. If cultivating in a large greenhouse or small and medium-sized arch sheds, cover with agricultural film from February to March of the following year, and harvest new shoots in late March. At this time, market prices are relatively high, which can increase income.