Detailed Explanation of Maca's Planting Conditions and Environmental Requirements
Maca is a plant of the Brassicaceae family, with a root resembling a small round radish. It is a purely natural food and also a medicinal material of extremely high value, with strong medicinal properties, and it is extremely expensive on the market. Many people are drawn by its high price and develop the idea of growing it, but it cannot be grown in just any region. It has fairly strict requirements for its growing environment, and can only be cultivated in specific environments. Let's take a look at its planting conditions below.
1. Suitable altitude
To cultivate maca artificially, this condition must first be met. Maca is suited to growing in the cold alpine zones of plateau mountainous areas at an altitude of 3200-4000 m. Because maca is a cold-tolerant plateau plant, it is not suitable for growing at lower altitudes, and the high-altitude condition is also the main limiting factor for artificial cultivation of maca. When planting, this environment must be overcome, especially altitude sickness, so the cultivation cost is relatively high and the yield is relatively low.
2. Temperature
Many plants have temperature requirements; for example, tropical plants are very difficult to survive in temperate regions. Maca's temperature requirements are fairly special. It likes environments with a large temperature difference between day and night. The larger the temperature difference, the more favorable it is for its growth, and the greater its medicinal efficacy will be. In China, an environment with such a large temperature difference can only be found near the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. This place belongs to the tropical and subtropical zones, and the temperature difference in this region is above 20-30 degrees, which can satisfy the temperature difference required for maca's growth.
3. Soil
Maca also has fairly strict soil requirements. The soil it grows in is best chosen as well-drained sandy soil, and the soil pH is best slightly acidic. Moreover, maca has an extremely strong capacity to absorb soil fertility. If the soil fertility is insufficient, it is not suitable for its growth. After each harvest, the planting site must rest for several years before it can continue to be planted.
4. Rainfall
Abundant rainfall is also a limiting condition for its cultivation. Generally, plants growing at low latitudes have relatively high rainfall requirements. When planting, in addition to abundant rainfall, there should be a freshwater lake or river nearby, which makes irrigation convenient and meets its water needs.
The above are maca's planting conditions. As for maca's growing conditions, at present in China only the Yulong Snow Mountain area of Lijiang, Yunnan, meets the requirements for its growth. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.