How to Grow Astragalus for High Yields? Key Cultivation Techniques Explained
How can astragalus be grown for high yields? Please give guidance. Astragalus, also known as Yuanqi and Beigi, is a perennial deep-rooted herbaceous plant of the legume family. Its root is used medicinally and has the functions of tonifying qi, consolidating the exterior, and promoting tissue regeneration and wound healing. Astragalus is highly adaptable and can be grown in ordinary soil. It is drought-tolerant and cold-tolerant, and deep, loose sandy soil is most suitable...
How can astragalus be grown for high yields? Please give guidance.
Astragalus, also known as Yuanqi and Beigi, is a perennial deep-rooted herbaceous plant of the legume family. Its root is used medicinally and has the functions of tonifying qi, consolidating the exterior, and promoting tissue regeneration and wound healing. Astragalus is highly adaptable and can be grown in ordinary soil. It is drought-tolerant and cold-tolerant, and deep, loose sandy soil is most suitable. The key points of its cultivation techniques are as follows:
Sowing: It can be sown in spring, summer, or autumn. Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water for 6 hours, then remove the seeds and place them in a basin before sowing. Choose sandy soil with good drainage and strong water permeability, apply sufficient base fertilizer, plow and harrow finely, and make wide beds. After watering for 3-5 days, level the bed surface with an iron rake, open furrows 1-2 cm deep at a row spacing of 23-27 cm, scatter the seeds into the furrows, push over them once with a large hoe, then rake the bed surface flat and fine. Seedlings emerge in 6-7 days.
Field management: Keep the soil moist before emergence. After emergence, water less and loosen the soil more to encourage the roots to grow downward. When the seedlings are 6-7 cm tall, thin them to a plant spacing of 10-13 cm. When they are 17-20 cm tall, apply topdressing: 10-15 kg of chemical fertilizer per mu and 25-40 kg of fermented cake fertilizer. When they are about to flower, water demand gradually increases, so the number of waterings can be appropriately increased. There are generally no pests or diseases. If there is excessive rain, pay attention to drainage.
Harvesting and processing: Dig up the roots after the aboveground stems and leaves wither in the autumn of the same year or the autumn of the following year. Shake off the soil, remove the reed stems, dry in the sun, and tie into small bundles for sale. Generally, the yield per mu in the same year is about 300 kg of dried product, or 900-1100 kg of fresh product.
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