Detailed Explanation of Clematis chinensis Planting Technical Points and Field Management Methods
Clematis chinensisAlso known as Baitiaogen, Laohuxu, Tieshansao. It is the dried root and rhizome of the dicotyledonous plant Ranunculaceae Clematis chinensis Osbeck, Clematis hexapetala Pall. (Shanliao), or Clematis manshurica Rupr. (Heiwei). It has the effects of dispelling wind and removing dampness, unblocking collaterals and relieving pain, eliminating phlegm and water, and dispersing accumulations. Clinically it mainly treats gout and stubborn arthralgia, wind-damp arthralgia, numbness of the limbs, cold and painful knees, muscular contracture, difficult flexion and extension, beriberi, malaria, abdominal masses and accumulations, tetanus, tonsillitis, and fishbone or other bone stuck in the throat. It is mainly produced in Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong, Fujian and other places.
Plant Characteristics
Perennial vine. Fresh stems are smooth and hairless, with obvious longitudinal fibrous stripes. Stems and leaves turn black after drying. Pinnately compound leaves are opposite, powdery green, smooth; leaflets 3 to 5, narrowly ovate to triangular-ovate, 3 to 7 cm long, 1.5 to 3.6 cm wide, apex obtuse or acuminate, base cuneate or rounded, margin entire, hairy along the veins on the upper surface; petiole 4.5 to 6.5 cm long. Panicles are axillary or terminal; perianth segments one, white, densely covered with short white pubescence along the outer margin. Achenes narrowly ovate and flattened, sparsely pubescent. Flowering period June to August, fruiting period September to October. It grows on hillsides, in valleys, or in thickets.
1. Site Selection and Land Preparation
Select a plot facing away from the sun, with shorter sunshine duration and relatively deep soil, plow deeply and harrow finely, and make raised beds. Combine with land preparation and apply sufficient base fertilizer. Apply 3000 kg of farmyard manure per mu and 50 kg of compound fertilizer containing 15% each of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
2. Sowing
(1) Seedling raising and transplanting: In spring, use the broadcast sowing method to raise seedlings, cover with soil no more than 1 cm, then cover the bed surface with rice straw. Under suitable temperature and moisture, seedlings emerge in about half a month. After emergence, transplant and set out after 50—60 days.
(2) Root bud transplanting: In spring, before the root buds sprout, cut root buds with a knife, then directly transplant them into the field at a spacing of 30 cm X 40 cm.
3. Field Management
(1) Intertillage and weeding: During the seedling raising period, remove the covering rice straw promptly after the seedlings emerge. When the seedlings are 3—5 cm high, carry out intertillage and weeding once, and thereafter carry out intertillage and weeding another 1 to 2 times depending on weed growth. After field planting, carry out intertillage and weeding 2—3 times each year.
(2) Topdressing: During the seedling stage, combine intertillage and weeding with applying light and small amounts of diluted human manure and urine or other nitrogen fertilizer. After planting, apply phosphorus-containing fertilizer or compound fertilizer 2 times.
(3) Pruning: To promote root development, properly cut away overly dense vines.
(4) Drainage and irrigation: Drain promptly in rainy weather, and pay attention to watering in dry weather.
(5) Pest and disease control: Clematis chinensis has relatively few pests and diseases, but once found, they should be controlled promptly.
4. Harvesting and Processing
Clematis chinensis uses its root as medicine. After 2 years of planting, dig up the roots in autumn, pick out impurities, remove stems and leaves, wash off soil, soak in water, remove, soften thoroughly, cut into sections, sun-dry, and store in a dry place.