A detailed guide to growing Houttuynia cordata: you'll get it at a glance

Growing Houttuynia cordata. Houttuynia cordata is a perennial herbaceous plant, suitable for growing south of the Yangtze River, and the whole plant has a distinctive fishy odor.

Habits: It likes moisture, grows on field ridges, beside ditches and in shady mountain grass, and can also spread as a vine.

Site selection: Fertile sandy soil and humus soil are best.

Cultivation and propagation: There are two methods. One is rhizome propagation: in early to mid-March, before the plant sprouts new shoots, dig out the rhizomes. Cut them into small sections 10-12 cm long, each section must have 2-3 nodes and retain fibrous roots. At a row spacing of 30 cm, open shallow furrows 3-4.5 cm deep, place the cut rhizomes into the furrows at a plant spacing of 15 cm, cover with 6-10 cm of soil, press down lightly, then water to keep the soil moist; seedlings can emerge after 20 days. The second is cuttings propagation: in the hot summer season, take cuttings in an open-field seedbed. Choose relatively thick aboveground stems and cut them into cuttings with 3-4 nodes. Insert two nodes into the soil.

Management: After inserting, set up a suitable shed for shade and keep the relative humidity above 90%. After the cuttings take root and grow new leaves, gradually remove the shade shed, and transplant to the field after 10-15 days. Field management is easy. Houttuynia cordata is not tolerant of drought, and the soil must be kept moist during the growing period, so pay attention to topdressing. Houttuynia cordata has few pests and diseases. To avoid damaging the roots and seedlings, do not loosen the soil again, but pull out any weeds you see.

Harvesting: Houttuynia cordata is best harvested in summer and autumn, when the stems and leaves are lush, there are many flower spikes, and the fishy odor is strong (the content of active volatile oil components such as decanoyl acetaldehyde and lauraldehyde is high). Remove the soil, dry in the sun, and tie into small bundles.