How to Grow Pokeweed for High Yield? A Detailed Guide to Cultivation Techniques
Pokeweed, also known as white pokeweed, or "jianzhongxiao." Its underground rhizome is used medicinally and has the effect of promoting diuresis and detoxification. It mainly treats edema with scanty urine and abdominal distension; externally it treats traumatic bleeding, carbuncles, swellings, sores and toxins, and other conditions.
Morphological characteristics: A perennial herb of the Phytolaccaceae family. The plant height is 150-200 cm. The root is conical, fleshy and enlarged, with brownish outer bark bearing raised wrinkles. The stem is erect, green or tinged with red-purple, with a conspicuous pith. Leaves are simple and alternate; the petiole extends down the main stem as a longitudinal groove; the leaf blade is broadly elliptical, with an acuminate apex and a wedge-shaped base, asymmetrical on both sides. The terminal raceme droops, with branches developed from axillary buds replacing the main axis, appearing as though the inflorescence is opposite the leaves; the pedicels bear lanceolate bracts. There are 5 sepals, white, fleshy, arranged in an imbricate pattern; the corolla is absent; there are 10 stamens; the pistil has 10 fused carpels arranged in a single whorl, the styles are separate, the stigma bears sparse short hairs, the ovary is flattened-round, 10-loculed, with basal placentation, campylotropous ovules, 1 ovule per locule. The berry turns red-purple, with the calyx persistent. The seed is flattened-spherical, black, and glossy.
I. Growing habits: It prefers a warm and humid environment. It is not cold-tolerant, and the roots must be covered to survive the winter. It is not demanding about soil, but cultivation is best in deep, organic-rich, loose and fertile sandy loam. Low-lying land is not suitable for planting.
II. Land preparation and fertilization: Choose a field with high terrain and good drainage, and plow and harrow thoroughly. In conjunction with land preparation, apply sufficient manure: 5000 kg of farmyard manure, 20 kg of urea, and 50 kg of phosphorus-potassium fertilizer per mu. Then make beds and wait for sowing.
III. Sowing: Pokeweed is propagated by seed, and the sowing period is spring sowing, around Qingming. When sowing, dibble the pokeweed seeds on the prepared bed surface at a row spacing of 45 x 15 cm. Water to preserve soil moisture and promote seedling emergence. The sowing rate is 1 kg per mu. Sow several seeds per hole.
IV. Field management: After the pokeweed seedlings are established, pay attention to cultivating and weeding. For large-scale planting, a herbicide for medicinal fields should be used for soil treatment before emergence, which can effectively control various weeds. Water promptly in dry weather and pay attention to drainage in rainy weather. Apply a topdressing once around the Beginning of Autumn: apply 10 kg of urea and 10 kg of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per mu. In winter, spread a layer of farmyard manure on the bed surface. After bolting, except for plants kept for seed, the flower buds should be cut off to prevent nutrient consumption.
V. Pest and disease control: The main disease of pokeweed is root rot. Comprehensive control measures can be used: 1. During land preparation, apply 3 kg of 70% quintozene per mu for soil disinfection. 2. Before the disease occurs, use a 1:1:120 Bordeaux mixture for control. 3. In the early stage of the disease, use 50% carbendazim for control. Spray once a week, for three consecutive sprays. For underground pests, use phoxim mixed with poison bait to trap and kill them.
VI. Harvesting and processing: Pokeweed is generally harvested 2—3 years after sowing. After autumn, when the aboveground stems and leaves wither, harvest by first cutting off the aboveground stems and leaves, then digging out the underground roots, removing the soil thoroughly, and sun-drying them for sale as medicine. The yield per mu is 500 kg.