Detailed Explanation of Key Points for High-Yield Cultivation Techniques of Dwarf Lilyturf

Dwarf lilyturf, also known as Maimendong or lilyturf. Its underground rhizome is used as medicine, and it has the effects of nourishing yin and clearing heat, moistening the lungs, nourishing the stomach, and promoting fluid production to quench thirst. It is mainly produced in Sichuan, Zhejiang, Hubei, Henan, Hunan, Fujian, Shaanxi, Gansu, Shandong, Anhui and other provinces.

Morphological Characteristics

A perennial evergreen herb of the Liliaceae family, with clustered plants, 12-40 cm tall, and a spread of 30-40 cm. The rhizome is thick and short, white, jointed, and covered with membranous scales at the nodes. It has a fibrous root system; the fibrous roots grow around the thick, short stem base, are numerous, thick and strong, tough, and slightly white. The tip or middle part expands into spindle-shaped fleshy tuberous roots, white in color. The leaves are clustered at the base of the stem, narrowly linear, with many fibrous remnants of old leaves at the base; the leaves are 15-40 cm long and 1.5-4 mm wide, acutely pointed or gradually pointed at the tip, greenish-white and slightly enlarged at the base, with membranous transparent leaf sheaths at the margins. The leaf margins have fine bristles, both surfaces are smooth and hairless, the upper surface is deep green or dark green, and the lower surface is powdery green. The leaf veins are parallel. The flowering stem emerges from the leaf cluster, 7-15 cm long, hidden among the leaves; the inflorescence is a spike-like raceme, terminal, 3-9 cm long, with about 10 flowers; the bracteoles are membranous, and each bract axil bears 1-3 flowers; the pedicels are thick and short, 3-4 mm long; the flowers are small, slightly drooping, light purple and light blue, occasionally white; the perianth has 6 parts, not spreading, lanceolate, deeply cleft to the base, connate at the bottom; there are 6 stamens, inserted at the base of the perianth segments; the ovary is semi-inferior, 3-locular. The fruit is berry-like, spherical, dark purple when mature; it contains 1 spherical seed, hard and semi-transparent.

Hubei dwarf lilyturf: the roots are slightly thicker, sometimes with many branches, and the middle or near the end often expands into elliptical or spindle-shaped fleshy tuberous roots. The rhizome is short. The leaves are not as upright as those of Liriope spicata, and the leaf color is lighter; the stamens have no pollen grains. The flowers open in 2-3 batches. When the first batch blooms, the flowering stem is obviously shorter than the leaves; when the second batch blooms, the flowering stem is shorter than or longer than the leaves; afterward the flowering stem gradually elongates, and after flowering the inflorescence stalk is obviously longer than the leaves. After the flowering period, the remaining pedicels in the axils of the pedicel bracts are mostly 6-8, and below the pedicel cluster a leaf cluster expands and grows out.

I. Growth Habits

Dwarf lilyturf prefers a warm and humid environment. It is cold-resistant, afraid of drought, and fond of water and fertilizer, so fields without irrigation conditions are not suitable for planting. It is suitable for growing in deep, loose, fertile sandy loam soil.

II. Land Preparation and Fertilization

Choose a field with high terrain and good drainage, and cultivate it intensively. In combination with land preparation, apply sufficient base fertilizer: 3000 kg of farmyard manure, 20 kg of urea, and 50 kg of phosphate and potassium fertilizer per mu.

III. Sowing

In dwarf lilyturf production, root division propagation is used. The sowing period is around Qingming. Dig out dwarf lilyturf that has grown for one year, remove the soil clean, and pick off all tuberous roots. Use a knife or scissors to cut off the lower rhizome nodes at the root. Then cut off one third of the upper leaves. Divide each cluster into 3—4 clumps. Then plant them, with row spacing and plant spacing of 20×30 cm. Water after planting to preserve soil moisture and promote survival.

IV. Field Management

After dwarf lilyturf survives, pay attention to intertillage and weeding. If planting on a large scale, herbicide for medicinal fields should be used for soil treatment before emergence, which can effectively prevent and control various weeds. Pay attention to watering in dry weather and drainage in rainy weather. Dwarf lilyturf likes water and fertilizer, so it should be irrigated frequently to keep the ground moist. During the bolting and flowering period, apply topdressing once. Apply 10 kg of urea and 10 kg of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per mu as topdressing. This promotes the growth of underground rhizomes.

V. Pest and Disease Control

Dwarf lilyturf is prone to leaf blight in dry seasons. Black spot disease is prone to occur in continuous rainy weather. Before the disease occurs, 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture or carbendazim can be used for control. For underground pests, phoxim can be mixed with poisoned bait to trap and kill them.

VI. Harvesting and Processing

The growth period of dwarf lilyturf is one year. The harvest period is around Qingming. Remove the soil from the dug-out underground rhizomes, wash them with water, dry them in the sun for 3—4 days, then air-dry them for 2—3 days, rub them, and extract the inner core. After sun-drying or oven-drying, they can be sold as medicine. The yield per mu is 150 kg.