How to grow Chinese lantern seeds? A detailed guide to the planting method
Chinese lantern is also known as Gua Jin Deng, lantern fruit, red lantern, Jin Guniang and so on. It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Physalis in the Solanaceae family. The Bashang area of Hebei is the main producing area, and the medicinal fruit calyx has the functions of clearing heat and detoxifying, relieving cough and promoting diuresis. There are wild plants in the three northeastern provinces and the Inner Mongolia region, but they are not mainly used as medicine. Now let us take a look at how to grow Chinese lantern seeds!
Growth habits
Chinese lantern has strong adaptability and can be planted in all parts of the country. The temperature requirement is 12-30°C, and the light requirement is not strict. It is distributed throughout the country, mainly produced in the three northeastern provinces, Shanxi and the Inner Mongolia region. It is resistant to severe cold and drought. The soil requires neutral or weakly acidic and alkaline plots rich in organic matter. It can grow well on hillsides, mountain gullies and wasteland, and its drought resistance and cold resistance are very strong.
Seed treatment
Chinese lantern seeds are usually harvested in October, washed, and dried in the shade. Before November 10, soak the seeds indoors in clean water for 24 hours, then remove them and drain off the water. Mix them evenly with fine sand twice the amount of the seeds. The moisture standard is that when squeezed by hand they form a ball and break apart as soon as touched. Then put them in a breathable bag, choose a place outdoors with high, dry sandy loam soil, dig a pit 30 cm deep, place the seed bag in the pit, and cover the seed bag with 10 cm of soil. After the ground freezes, cover the surface with 10 cm of mulch to delay the rise of ground temperature in early spring, so as to prevent the seeds from germinating underground.
Sowing method
Remove the mulch 5 days before sowing Chinese lantern. When sowing, take out the seeds and sow them together with the sand. Draw a furrow 1-1.5 cm deep at a row spacing of 25-30 cm, scatter the seeds into it, cover with fine soil or fine sand 0.8-1 cm, and then water. At a suitable temperature, seedlings emerge in 7-15 days. After about 28 days, when the seedlings have 3-4 leaves, they can be transplanted. Use wide ridges with double rows, with a row spacing of 60-70 cm and a plant spacing of 20-25 cm, planting two plants per hole.
Field management
Chinese lantern management is relatively extensive. During the seedling stage and before flowering, normally hoe 2 times to keep weeds under control. Generally no management is needed from after flowering to the harvest period. Starting from the second year, promptly remove excess tillers. Keep about 50,000 plants per 667 sq m. The yield of Chinese lantern planted in the same year is not high, and from the second year onward the yield will continue to increase. If Chinese lantern is to have a high and early yield, when the seedlings are 10 cm high, combine thinning with cultivating and weeding, apply 20 kg of urea per mu in May-June, and pay attention to drainage during the rainy season. During the growth period, spray dwarfing agent twice to prevent excessive growth. Before harvesting the fruit, spray mancozeb twice to prevent spot disease. Spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate twice to promote early ripening and increase yield.