How to Grow Andrographis paniculata? Planting Methods and Key Technical Points

Andrographis paniculata (Andrographis paniculata) is an annual herbaceous plant; the whole plant tastes extremely bitter, and it is suitable for cultivation in the southern provinces.

Habits:It is a plant of the "four likes and one fear," namely it likes warmth, likes moisture, likes sunlight, and likes fertilizer, but fears drought.

Site selection:The seedling nursery and the planting site should be chosen as flat terrain, sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, with convenient drainage and irrigation, and loose, fertile sandy soil; Andrographis paniculata is not suitable for cultivation in arid and alkaline soil.

Cultivation:Andrographis paniculata is propagated by seed; the suitable temperature for seed germination is 25-30°C, below 20°C the germination vigor drops significantly, and below 15°C it cannot germinate. Sowing in February and March, it takes about 1 month for the seedlings to basically emerge completely. In April, when the temperature is around 20°C, the plants begin to grow. The growth period is 150-200 days. The main diseases are damping-off, rhizoctonia rot, phytophthora blight and black stem disease, and the insect pest is the African mole cricket.

Harvesting:Andrographis paniculata can be harvested continuously after sowing once. Generally, harvesting is done before flowering or at the early bud stage (when the total lactone content of Andrographis paniculata is highest). After threshing out the seeds, the whole herb is tied into bundles, which is the Andrographis paniculata medicinal material. It is harvested 2 times each year; the first harvest is around August when flower buds first appear, and this harvest should retain 2-3 nodes of the branches. After harvesting, continue weeding, loosening the soil, fertilizing, and watering to allow it to sprout again, and harvest the second time around November. After harvesting, manage the old plants well for overwintering, and in the following spring weed, earth up, and fertilize so that they continue to grow.