What issues need attention during the process of growing Gastrodia elata
Gastrodia elata is a rather expensive medicinal herb. On the market, the price of Gastrodia elata can be said to reach over a hundred yuan per jin. The place in our country that grows the most and the best Gastrodia elata is Yichang in Hubei. Because of its high medicinal efficacy, its high price is determined, and at the same time, because of its high price, it is destined that growing it is not something that can be done well so casually. So today Qinnongwang wants to tell everyone what issues need attention when growing Gastrodia elata. Let's take a look below.
Planting time
Like other crops, Gastrodia elata also has its own growing time. Generally, the planting time for Gastrodia elata is spring and winter each year. At the same time, in these two seasons, the temperature cannot be lower than ten degrees. The best sprouting temperature is fifteen degrees. If the temperature is too low, it will seriously affect the yield of Gastrodia elata. So the sowing time is generally in August and September and March and April. This time period for sowing is exactly the peak growing season suitable for Gastrodia elata, so you must seize the opportunity to sow.
Planting conditions
In the place where Gastrodia elata is grown, the soil must be more on the sandy side, and it is also relatively moist. Gastrodia elata cannot absorb nutrients on its own. Its growth needs to rely on a kind of fungus from the outside to promote growth. The most common one is Armillaria mellea. And if Armillaria mellea is to be produced, then a large amount of wood is needed. So Gastrodia elata is generally grown in mountainous areas with more wood, but some kinds of wood cannot produce this fungus, such as Chinese fir.
Water management
Gastrodia elata needs a large amount of water throughout its entire growth process, but the water should not be too much either, so you just have to grasp a degree carefully. In the early stage of Gastrodia elata growth, it is generally necessary to ensure that the water content in the soil exceeds sixty percent, that is, when you touch the soil with your hand, you can clearly feel that there is moisture. Next, in the middle stage of Gastrodia elata growth, it is enough to keep the water at around fifty percent. When it reaches the later stage of Gastrodia elata growth, its requirements for nutrients and various substances will gradually decrease, but the water content in the soil still needs to account for about forty percent. So when planting, we must always pay attention to changes in the moisture of the planting site. If there is too much water, it needs to be drained; if it is too low, water needs to be introduced. We must maintain a balance of soil moisture.
Temperature management
During the process of growing Gastrodia elata, temperature regulation is a very key and very important issue. If there is a problem with the temperature, the loss of Gastrodia elata will be relatively large. The growing temperature for Gastrodia elata generally needs to be controlled at around fifteen to twenty-five. When the summer temperature is relatively high, we generally use some objects that can block direct sunlight for shading, and at the same time use artificial technology for ventilation and heat dissipation. In winter, when the temperature is relatively low, in order to avoid Gastrodia elata being damaged by freezing, we generally use greenhouses for heat preservation.
Daily management
In our daily environment, there are relatively many bacteria and other fungi, but the growth of Gastrodia elata cannot be disturbed by other fungi, so we remove fungi by sun exposure. Of course, there will also be trouble from animals such as rats, and generally chemical agents are used to eliminate rats. In the Gastrodia elata planting site, no moving organisms can appear.
Disease and pest control
The ones that cause relatively great harm to the growth of Gastrodia elata are pests such as mole crickets, white grubs, and termites. In order to prevent and control these diseases and pests, when planting Gastrodia elata, we spread some 5% chlordane powder and pesticides specifically for killing termites on the seedbed, or buy some traps specifically targeting termites and place them near the Gastrodia elata planting area to capture and kill them.