Detailed Guide to Astragalus Planting Techniques: Teaching You to Grow Astragalus Well
Astragalus is a leguminous plant, a perennial herb, with a plant height of 1 m to 1.5 m. Its medicinal part is the rhizome, and its main root is cylindrical, yellowish-brown, and slightly lignified at the tip. Astragalus has the functions of tonifying qi and securing the exterior, expelling toxins and draining pus, and promoting diuresis and reducing swelling. It occupies a large proportion in traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions, and its annual export volume is large.
1. Site selection and land preparation: Astragalus has strong adaptability and is relatively cold-tolerant and drought-tolerant. It can grow in ordinary soil, but it is not suitable to plant it in low-lying waterlogged land. Its root is relatively deep, so the land should be deeply plowed before planting, and the land should be irrigated at the right time. In arid areas, planting in the rainy season is good.
2. Cultivation techniques: Propagate by seed. Sowing can be done in late autumn and spring, and summer sowing can also be done. Before sowing, soak the seeds in water until they swell. The soaking time is preferably about 6-8 hours. After removing them, mix them with sand, and sow when sprouts are found. Generally, seedlings emerge in 7-10 days. For drilling, open furrows 2 cm deep at a row spacing of 25 cm, evenly scatter the seeds into the furrows, push them flat with a large hoe with slight force, and then rake the floating soil off the bed surface.
3. Field management: When the seedlings are 8-10 cm tall, thin out the crowded seedlings, and a plant spacing of 8-12 cm is suitable. After final thinning, water and topdress, using 10-15 kg of urea per mu. During the seedling stage, pay attention to intertillage and weeding. In the rainy season, when humidity is too high, pay attention to drainage.
4. Pest and disease control: From July to August, powdery mildew sometimes occurs. It can be sprayed for treatment according to the instructions with Fenyouning or Baimoling, as well as carbendazim and thiophanate liquid, and it will recover after one or two treatments.
5. Harvesting and processing: After autumn of the same year or after autumn of the second year, dig out or pull out the plants, remove the soil and the reed stems, dry them in the sun for medicinal use, or sell them fresh.
Measures to increase income: Before planting, apply more organic fertilizer as base fertilizer, plow deeply and harrow finely, and the yield will increase noticeably.