Four steps for Salvia miltiorrhiza cultivation, teaching you how to grow Salvia miltiorrhiza well

The four-step process for Salvia miltiorrhiza cultivation
(Heze City Runkang Chinese Medicinal Materials Research Institute, Shandong) 

I. Site selection and land preparation
(1) Soil and topography: It is advisable to choose plots with deep soil layers, loose and fertile soil, relatively high terrain, and good drainage, with sandy loam soil for planting. Flat land should have drainage ditches; for mountain and ridge land, it is advisable to choose sunny low hillsides, and the slope should not be too steep, with 10—30 degrees being better. Soil organic matter content should be greater than 8. The pH value should be between 6.5—7.5.
(2) Land preparation and fertilization: Salvia miltiorrhiza roots go deep, penetrating about 33 cm or more into the soil. Therefore, after the previous crop is harvested, deep-plow the soil more than 35 cm. Along with land preparation, apply 2500—3000 kg of decomposed barnyard manure or compost per mu, plus 50 kg of superphosphate, and plow it into the soil as base fertilizer. Before planting, plow once more, break the soil up finely and rake it level, and make high beds 1.3 m wide, with deep drainage ditches opened around them to facilitate drainage.

II. Cultivation methods
       Seedling selection and cultivation: Salvia miltiorrhiza seedlings have a relatively high survival rate and easily achieve complete, vigorous, and strong stands, with high and stable yields. Spring planting is done in April—May, and autumn planting in late October. It is better to plant early than late; early transplanting leads to early rooting and early greening the following year. When planting, dig holes on the bed surface at a row spacing of 33×23 cm. The hole depth depends on root length. Apply an appropriate amount of manure at the bottom of the hole as base fertilizer, mix it evenly with the hole soil, and then plant 1—2 seedlings propagated from seed in each hole. The planting depth should be based on the original natural growth depth of the seedlings, with the heart buds slightly exposed. After planting, water thoroughly to settle the roots. For large-area planting, semi-mechanized operations can also be used, namely mechanical trenching, manual seedling distribution, and mechanical soil covering and compaction. 

III. Field management
(1) Loosening soil and weeding: Salvia miltiorrhiza grows relatively slowly in the early stage, so soil should be loosened and weeds removed in time. Generally, before the rows close, this is done 1—2 times together with topdressing. After the rows close, weeds should be removed promptly.
(2) Timely topdressing: In mid-June, apply 50 kg of ammonium sulfate per mu as topdressing. Open shallow furrows along the side of the plants, broadcast the fertilizer, and then cover with soil.
(3) Pest and disease control: The main pests and diseases of Salvia miltiorrhiza are root rot and cutworms. After root rot occurs, the roots turn black and rot, and the aboveground stems and leaves wither and die. This disease is prone to occur in the rainy and hot season from June to August. For control, drain water in time, avoid continuous cropping, and drench with a 1000-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim. Cutworms damage young seedlings; 3% malathion powder can be mixed with soil at 1:10 to make poisoned soil and scattered between rows for poisoning control.

IV. Harvesting and processing
(1) Harvest time: For spring planting, harvest from late autumn of the same year to before the ground freezes; for autumn planting, harvest from October to early November of the second year after planting, when the aboveground stems and leaves wither. At harvest, first loosen the soil around the roots, then dig along the rows and lift all the roots, taking care to keep the rhizomes as intact as possible. For large-area cultivation, mechanical harvesting can be used.
(2) Processing method: After digging up the root strips, do not wash them with water. After removing fibrous hairs, trimming the reed heads, and cutting off fine tails, spread them in a dry, ventilated place and dry them until 50∼60% dry. Then pile them to sweat for 2∼3 days, and then sun-dry until completely dry before selling. 

Heze City Runkang Chinese Medicinal Materials Research Institute, Shandong    
Telephone: 0530—3978801   Website: www.zyczzjs.com
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