How to grow Schisandra chinensis? Mastering these cultivation techniques is key
1. Site selection and land preparation
Choose a moist environment, loose and fertile loam or humus soil, and a site with irrigation access under forest, in river valleys, on both banks of streams, or on slopes of about 15 degrees, with 50%-60% shade and a spot that is ventilated and lets light through. Once the terrain is chosen, prepare the land, plow it, work it fine and make beds. For low-lying plots prone to waterlogging with a lot of rain, make raised beds about 15 cm high; for high, dry areas with less rain, make flat beds. No matter which type of bed, there must be more than 15 cm of loose soil. The beds should be 120-150 cm wide, with length depending on the seeds and the terrain. Apply 5-10 kg of decomposed farmyard manure per sq m, mix it evenly with the bed soil, and rake the bed surface level ready for sowing.
2. Propagation methods
These are divided into sexual propagation and asexual propagation. For large-scale production, seed propagation is often used.
(1) Seed treatment
Schisandra chinensis seeds have post-embryonic dormancy, that is, they belong to the deep dormancy type. When the seeds are harvested, the embryo has not yet developed and grown well. Embryo growth and development require low-temperature and moist conditions. After being buried in wet sand at a low temperature of 0-5°C for 3-4 months, the embryo matures and the seeds can germinate. In production, it is necessary to sow in autumn or keep them in low-temperature sand storage until sowing the following spring. At seed harvest, select spikes and choose large, uniform fruits as seed, dry them in the sun or in the shade, soak them in clean water before freezing until the flesh swells, then remove the flesh, discard the shriveled seeds floating on the water surface, and soak again in clean water for 5-7 days so they absorb water fully, changing the water every other day. When changing the water, some shriveled seeds can also be removed. After soaking, take them out and drain them, mix them evenly with 2-3 times their volume of wet sand and the seeds, put them into a pit about 50 cm deep prepared outdoors, cover with 10-15 cm of fine soil, then cover with firewood or a straw curtain for low-temperature treatment. In late February, move the seeds indoors, mix with wet sand, put them into a wooden box for sand storage treatment, keeping the temperature between 5-15°C, and by May-June of the following year they can split open and be sown. The germination rate reaches 60%.
Soak the seeds in cold water for 3 days, then soak them with gibberellin at 2.5*10 to the -4 power or copper sulfate solution for 24 hours. They emerge only 40 days after sowing, grow slowly, and the germination rates are 68% and 56% respectively. Soak the seeds with copper sulfate for 7 minutes (handle with care), take them out and wash them with water, then soak them in a gibberellin solution at 5*10 to the -4 power for 12 hours. After sowing, they emerge in 15 days to one month, and the seedling survival rate can reach 70%.
Sowing of Schisandra chinensis is divided into spring sowing and autumn sowing. For spring sowing in May, broadcast or drill sow with a row spacing of 10 cm, cover with 1.53 cm of soil, and sow about 0.03 kg per sq m. Water thoroughly and cover with grass to preserve moisture. After emergence, remove the covering grass, set up a frame for shade, and provide ventilation and a small amount of sunlight. When the seedlings are 5-6 cm tall, remove the frame and thin to a plant spacing of 5 cm, and topdress with urea at 5 kg per hectare. In the second or third spring, transplant to 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 them in clean water to remove the flesh, drain them, and sow in August. Afterward, set up a frame 100-150 cm high and shade it with reed curtains or curtains. Water in dry soil. When the seedlings grow 2-3 true leaves, the shading material can be removed, and weeds should be removed frequently. In winter, the seedlings must be covered with grass, and they can be transplanted the following spring. Plant in north-south rows or on contour, with a plant and row spacing of 50-100 cm*150-200 cm.
(2) Layering propagation
Carry this 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, cover with soil and firm it. After they take root and send out vines, they become new plants, to be transplanted the following year.
(3) Cutting propagation
Before the plants sprout in spring, select one-year-old branches, or in autumn after flowering, during the rainy season, cut sturdy, robust branches into sections 12-15 cm long with 2-3 buds, with a flat upper cut and a lower cut made at a 45-degree slant. Soak the base of the cuttings in ABT No. 1 rooting powder at 150*10 to the -66 power for 6 hours or naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at 500*10 to the -6 power for 12 hours. Insert them into a seedbed mixed with 3 parts loam and 1 part sand, with a row spacing of 12 cm and a plant spacing of 6-9 cm, inserted slantwise to a depth of 2/3 of the cutting length. Cover the bed surface with blue plastic film and water frequently. Cutting can also be done in a greenhouse in an electrically heated temperature-controlled seedbed, covering the bed surface with blue plastic film and a flower curtain, adjusting the temperature, shading the light, keeping the temperature at 20-25°C, relative humidity at 90%, and shade at 60%-70%. The rooting rate is 38%-87%, and they are transplanted in the following spring.
(4) Field planting
About 60 cm from the tree stump, plant one plant on each side. This planting method gives high yields. Build artificial frames, and plant Schisandra chinensis seedlings at row and plant spacings of 100 cm*50 cm, 60 cm*50 cm. Use north-south rows to facilitate ventilation and light. 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, lift the seedlings slightly so the root system straightens out, which helps survival. Firm the soil, water, and after the water seeps in, cover with another layer of soil to conserve moisture.
3. Field management
(1) Irrigation and fertilization
Schisandra chinensis likes water and fertilizer, and grows very slowly at the seedling stage, so it must be watered, weeded and fertilized frequently. During the bud, flowering and fruiting stages, in addition to supplying enough water, it needs a large amount of fertilizer. Generally, topdress twice a year: the first time before leaf expansion, the second time before flowering. Apply 5-10 kg of decomposed farmyard manure per plant, 30-50 cm from the roots, opening a ring-shaped ditch 15-20 cm deep around them, without injuring the roots, and cover with soil after application. For the second topdressing, appropriately increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizer 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, fixed to the horizontal line with rope, and guide the Schisandra chinensis stems and vines onto the trellis in a right-handed spiral direction, tying them well with rope. Afterward they will all climb naturally.
(3) Pruning
Besides selecting and keeping 3-4 thick, strong branches per plant for cultivation, most of the other basal branches are cut off. Pruning is done three times a year in spring, summer and autumn.
Spring pruning: cut off short fruiting branches and dead branches; keep 8-12 buds on long fruiting branches and cut off the rest. After pruning, the branches should be moderately sparse and not interfere with each other. Carry it out before sprouting.
Summer pruning: carry it out from early May to mid-to-late August. Cut off basal branches, cavity branches, overlapping branches and diseased and pest-infested branches. Overly dense new branches should also be thinned or shortened.
Autumn pruning: carry it out after leaf fall, cutting basal branches. In all three prunings, be careful to keep 2-3 vegetative branches as main branches, and guide the vines onto the trellis.