Detailed Explanation of Key Points for High-Yield Asparagus Fern Cultivation Techniques

Asparagus Fern, also known as Tianmen Dong, Xiao Ye Qing, San Bai Bang. Its underground tubers are used as medicine, with effects of nourishing yin and moistening dryness, clearing the lungs and promoting fluid production. It is mainly used to treat consumptive fever, dry lung cough, blood ejection, thirst due to fluid depletion, and constipation due to intestinal dryness. It is mainly produced in Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Zhejiang and other provinces and regions.

Morphological characteristics: A perennial climbing herb of the Liliaceae family, the whole plant is hairless. The tuberous roots are fleshy, swollen in a spindle shape at the middle and near the ends. The stems cannot stand upright, reaching 1-2 m in length, with branches that are ridged or narrowly winged; the leaf-like branches are usually in clusters of 3, flat, or slightly acute-triangular and sickle-shaped due to the keeled midrib, reduced; the leaves are scale-like, with long pointed tips and woody recurved spines at the base. Flowers are usually 2 per axil, unisexual, dioecious, light green; the berry is spherical, red when mature, containing one seed.

I. Growth Habits: Asparagus fern prefers a warm and humid environment. It likes shade and fears strong light. It is best cultivated in sandy loam with deep soil layers, loose and fertile texture, and rich organic matter. Heavy clay and saline-alkali land are not suitable for planting.

II. Land Preparation and Fertilization: Choose a shady slope plot with high terrain and good drainage, and cultivate carefully. In combination with land preparation, apply sufficient manure: apply 5000 kg of farmyard manure, 26 kg of urea, and 50 kg of phosphorus-potassium fertilizer per mu. Then make beds and wait for sowing.

III. Sowing: Asparagus fern is propagated by two methods: seed propagation and division propagation. In production, division propagation is mostly used. The sowing period includes spring sowing and autumn sowing. Spring sowing is around Qingming, and autumn sowing is after seed collection.

Seed propagation: After asparagus fern seeds dry, they easily lose viability. Therefore, after the seeds mature and are harvested, the fruit skin should be rubbed off immediately, washed clean, and sown promptly. If there is no time to sow, they can be mixed evenly with wet sand at a ratio of 1:3 for storage. When sowing, first open shallow furrows on the prepared beds, then evenly scatter the asparagus fern seeds into the furrows, cover with soil, water, and cover with weeds to preserve moisture, so as to facilitate seedling emergence. After the asparagus fern seedlings emerge uniformly, strengthen field management. After one year of growth, transplant them on the prepared beds at a row spacing of 30×20 cm. The sowing rate is 10 kg per mu. One mu of seedlings can be transplanted to 10 mu.

Division propagation: Select healthy, pest-free mother plants of asparagus fern and divide them into 3—5 clusters, each with 1—2 buds and 2—3 tubers. Transplant them on the prepared beds at a row spacing of 30×20 cm. Water to preserve moisture, so as to facilitate survival.

IV. Field Management: After the asparagus fern seedlings emerge uniformly, attention should be paid to intertillage and weeding. Water promptly in dry weather and drain promptly in rainy weather. Because asparagus fern fears strong light, corn, sorghum and other tall-stalk crops can be appropriately intercropped around Guyu for shade. Around Liqiu, topdressing should be applied once: apply 10 kg of urea and 10 kg of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per mu. In winter, spread a layer of farmyard manure.

V. Pest and Disease Control: Asparagus fern has relatively few pests and diseases. If found, control them by conventional methods. The main pest is the red spider, which can be controlled by spraying with 500-fold chlorphenamidine aqueous solution. Once a week, spray three times consecutively.

VI. Harvesting and Processing: Asparagus fern is dug in autumn after 3—5 years of planting, after the aboveground stems and leaves wither. Before digging, first cut off the aboveground stems and leaves, then dig out the underground tubers, remove the soil cleanly, and keep the mother plant and small tubers as seed stock. Put the large tubers into boiling water and cook for 12 minutes, peel off the outer skin, bake until 80% dry, fumigate with sulfur, then sun-dry until completely dry. The yield per mu is 300—500 kg.