Turmeric Planting Methods and Key Technical Points
Turmeric, also known as Yujin and Baodingxiang, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Curcuma. It is hailed as a “superfood” and is a powerful natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant with extremely high medicinal value. It can be used as an antidepressant and has protective effects against cancer and Alzheimer's disease. It also frequently appears in our daily lives, such as turmeric powder. Let's take a look at its planting methods below.
1. Land Preparation and Fertilization
Turmeric grows best in a warm and humid climate. For planting, it is advisable to choose sandy loam soil with deep soil layers, loose and fertile texture, and good drainage. After selecting the planting site, clear away weeds and crop residues from the field, and deeply plow the soil. During plowing, apply 3000 kg of livestock compost and 50 kg of superphosphate per mu as base fertilizer. Chemical fertilizers can also be used instead, applying 90-100 kg of high-potassium compound fertilizer per mu. Mix the fertilizer and soil evenly, then rake fine and level.
2. Sowing
Turmeric is mainly propagated asexually through rhizomes. Select turmeric with robust growth, plump and full rhizomes, and dense buds as seed material. When sowing, cut the selected rhizomes into small sections of 2-3 cm, each section requiring 1-2 small buds so that they can germinate and emerge normally. Sowing can be done in holes or furrows. The sowing time is in October-November. When sowing, control the plant and row spacing at 20×15 cm, and 6000-8000 seed pieces are needed per mu.
3. Cultivation and Weeding
After sowing, germination and emergence begin 25-30 days later. When the seedlings grow to more than 10 cm, manual weeding should be carried out. When weeding, it is recommended to pull them out directly by hand rather than using pesticides, so as not to cause seedling death. July-August each year is the active period for turmeric, so soil should be hilled up in time, generally to a height of about 10 cm, to prevent the plants from lodging. Weeding should also be carried out during hilling, and again do not use herbicides; cutting with a knife can be used instead.
4. Fertilizer and Water Management
Turmeric should be fertilized three times a year. The first is at the seedling stage, when nitrogen fertilizer is the main type, applying 30-40 kg per mu. When fertilizing, avoid direct contact with the plants, so that concentrated fertilizer does not affect plant growth. Generally, water after fertilizing to reduce the concentration and further speed up fertilizer absorption.
The second is in May-June, when the plants are in their peak growing season, so the demand for nutrients is greater. Therefore, timely topdressing is needed to provide what the plants need for growth. At this time, apply nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer, generally about 80 kg per mu, covering with soil while applying to prevent nutrient loss.
The third is in July, and it can be combined with cultivation and hilling. This fertilization is extremely important and is related to the yield of turmeric. Apply 1-5 kg of organic fertilizer or 0.1 kg of compound fertilizer per plant, or use them in combination, but pay attention to the supply of potassium fertilizer, as potassium fertilizer can improve the yield and quality of turmeric.
Turmeric likes moisture but fears waterlogging. When dry, water more; during the rainy season, take good drainage measures to avoid root rot. Watering can be done together with fertilizing.
The above are the planting methods for turmeric. We hope they can help you. If you want to learn more about medicinal herb cultivation, please stay tuned to us.