How to Grow Balloon Flowers? A Detailed Guide to Practical Cultivation Techniques

I. Cultivation Methods: Sowing can be done in spring or late autumn. Apply plenty of base fertilizer, then plow and make raised beds. Draw shallow furrows about 1.5 cm deep at a row spacing of 18-20 cm, sow the seeds, then level the soil with a hoe and press it down lightly. If it is dry, water the bed; if the bed surface is fairly moist, do not water for now. Under normal conditions, the seeds germinate in 6-7 days and the seedlings emerge in 10-12 days. After emergence, pay attention to cultivating and weeding, but do not cultivate too deep - just break the surface of the soil.

II. Field Management: In mid-June, apply a moderate amount of topdressing, using 10 kg of urea or diammonium phosphate per mu. After the Start of Autumn solar term, when the roots begin to swell, apply topdressing of human and animal manure or a fertilizer containing the three elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, then water. If powdery mildew is found, spray with triadimefon or carbendazim, and one application will cure it. Land that has never been planted with balloon flowers generally has no disease problems. During the rainy season, pay attention to drainage; too much water standing in the beds for too long will cause root rot.

III. Harvesting and Processing: After growing for 1 or 2 years - in some areas it can grow for many years - dig the roots out in late autumn or spring, remove the soil, scrape off the outer skin and dry them in the sun to obtain the medicinal material. Yield-increasing measures: during the growing period, spray an appropriate amount of potassium dihydrogen phosphate or a root and stem swelling agent; when fertilizing, it is best to cover the fertilizer with soil to increase its effectiveness.