Detailed guide to Asarum planting techniques, easily master the key cultivation points
Asarum is a commonly used Chinese herbal medicine with the effects of opening the orifices and relieving pain, dispelling wind and dispersing cold. It is mainly used to treat headaches, coughs, rheumatism and other diseases, and is deeply loved by physicians. With the expansion of market demand, artificial cultivation of Asarum has risen. Nowadays, large-scale cultivation and planting are carried out in Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang and other places in China. Let's take a look at the cultivation techniques for Asarum below.
1. Site selection and land preparation
Asarum generally grows in coniferous forests and broad-leaved forests, so understory cultivation can be chosen. The soil requirement is preferably deep humus loam. Farmland cultivation can also be chosen. Farmland cultivation requires loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam, and soil that is low-lying, highly clayey and poor in nutrients should be avoided. For understory cultivation, excessively dense trees should be cut down, then tree roots should be cleared, and the land should be plowed, leveled and made into high beds; for farmland, the land should be leveled and harrowed fine, then made into high beds.
2. Sowing
The seeds must be sown immediately after harvesting to prevent the seeds from naturally falling off and causing losses. After the fruits are picked, place them in a dark environment for 1-2 days until the fruits become soft, then rub off the fruit skin, rinse with clean water, and sow after briefly drying. If not sown in time, the seeds can be buried in wet sand and taken out when sowing. Broadcasting and drilling methods can be used when sowing. For broadcasting, spread the seeds evenly on the seedbed, then cover with a layer of fine soil, and then cover the fine soil with a layer of fallen leaves or rice straw to keep warm and moist, and remove it in the second year. Broadcasting generally uses 10 kg of seeds per mu. For drilling, open furrows on the seedbed, generally 5-6 cm wide and 3-5 cm deep. The bottom of the furrow should be leveled and compacted. After sowing in the furrow, cover with a layer of shallow soil, likewise cover with fallen leaves or rice straw, and remove in the second year, generally 6-7 kg.
3. Seedling stage management
After sowing, keep the soil moist. Water during drought and drain during rainy periods to prevent waterlogging from causing seed rot. When the ground thaws in early spring the following year, remove the covering material in time to raise soil temperature and speed up emergence. Weeds should also be pulled out. For forest cultivation, thin and adjust the tree canopy to increase light. Starting from the third year, apply fertilizer once each year during overwintering, generally using decomposed farmyard manure or decomposed fallen leaves from the forest.
4. Transplanting
Asarum is a perennial plant with an extremely long growth and development cycle. It generally blooms and bears fruit only 6 years after sowing, so in artificial cultivation, wild seedlings are generally used for transplanting to expand the planting area. Sowing and transplanting can be carried out in both autumn and spring. Spring transplanting should be done before the buds sprout; otherwise, Asarum has already begun to emerge or unfold leaves, and at this time transplanting requires a large amount of watering and a long recovery period, which is unfavorable to the growth and development of Asarum. Autumn transplanting is in October. Dig up Asarum that has grown for 2-3 years, grade and plant them according to plant size, spread the root system flat in the hole when planting, and also plant at a reasonable density.
5. Field management
Strengthen management after transplanting. Loosen the soil and remove weeds 3-4 times each year, and also raise soil temperature, conserve water, prevent and control diseases, and promote its growth. In addition, fertilization is also essential. Apply topdressing 2-3 times each year. The first time is in January, applying 5-7.5 kg of ammonium sulfate per mu, and the second time applying 3000-4000 kg of farmyard manure per mu. Forest cultivation should be cleared regularly to prevent excessive branches from causing insufficient light in the forest, while farmland should be set up with shade sheds to regulate light.
The above are the cultivation techniques for Asarum. I hope it can help you. If you want to learn more about Chinese herbal medicine cultivation, please follow us.