What are the precautions for planting Coptis chinensis?
Coptis chinensis is a very common traditional Chinese medicine. Its medicinal properties are strong, its smell is rather heavy, and its taste is extremely bitter. Although we may have never seen or tasted it, we all know it is very bitter. After all, an old saying has been passed down to this day: a mute person eating Coptis chinensis cannot express his bitterness. So everyone knows that Coptis chinensis is very bitter, but because its value is very high, it is present in major traditional Chinese medicine shops and in the ingredients of Western medicines. Moreover, many people now make their fortune by growing Coptis chinensis. So what needs attention when planting Coptis chinensis, and how can high yields be achieved? Now let Qinnong Web tell everyone.
1. Planting time
The seasonality of planting Coptis chinensis is not particularly obvious, but attention is still needed when planting. Normally, Coptis chinensis can be planted in spring, summer, and autumn, but it cannot be planted in winter, because the temperature in winter is too low and the seeds cannot germinate. In spring, we generally plant in early March; in summer, we choose early May; and in autumn, we generally plant from late October to mid-November. These time periods are most suitable for the germination of Coptis chinensis seeds. Next, it can also be transplanted. For transplanting, it is generally best to transplant from March to April, when the survival rate is higher.
2. Planting conditions
The growth of Coptis chinensis does not require very much light, so the environment for planting it is best in a relatively shady place, but there will still be sunlight in the market, though not direct sunlight. Next, the planting site should have a certain slope to facilitate drainage. Then, for the land, try to choose sandy land with a relatively complete soil structure and more organic matter, so that the soil has stronger permeability, fertilizer storage, and water retention, which can reduce a certain amount of field management work. Never choose clay for planting, because it not only gives low yields but also requires a large workload.
3. Planting methods
There are two planting methods, but the most commonly used is still direct seeding with seeds, because its germination period is not very long, so the direct seeding method is relatively simple. Next, we can collect seeds at a certain time and then sow them directly. More importantly, the yield is also very good. However, here we still need to mention the precautions for transplanting: we must wait until the Coptis chinensis seedlings have thirteen or fourteen leaves and new plants grown from two-year-old plants before transplanting. Otherwise, after transplanting, the survival rate of Coptis chinensis will be poor and the yield will also be unsatisfactory.
4. Planting density
Although Coptis chinensis does not need a large amount of light, there must still be a certain density between each plant. Otherwise, the Coptis chinensis roots simply cannot swell, which means the yield will not be high. So we generally plant at a spacing of 5 to 20 cm between plants and 25 to 30 cm between rows. In this way, Coptis chinensis has a certain space for growth, the field will not appear too dense, and at the same time the occurrence of diseases can also be reduced.
5. Field management
In the process of planting Coptis chinensis, field management is key, so there are many issues that need attention, such as weeding, fertilizing, pruning branches and leaves, and clearing the field. We generally apply fertilizer several times, so we need to weed several times. Therefore, Coptis chinensis needs to be weeded at least three times each year, which can reduce unnecessary consumption of nutrients and water. Next, for Coptis chinensis we generally mainly apply decomposed farmyard manure or organic fertilizer. Of course, phosphate fertilizer, potassium fertilizer, cake fertilizer, and calcium fertilizer can also be mixed to replace it. Finally, because Coptis chinensis can grow continuously for several years, we need to cut off its excess branches and leaves to maintain the permeability of the field.