What are the precautions for growing dodder?
Dodder, also called chanzhen or bean parasite, is an annual parasitic plant. Its photosynthesis and nutrient supply must depend on other plants, otherwise it cannot grow. It can be used to treat symptoms such as kidney deficiency, waist pain, impotence, frequent urination, as well as uterine cold and infertility. It is mainly grown in Heilongjiang, Jiangsu, Yunnan and other places in China. So what should be noted when growing dodder? Let us take a look below.
1. Seed treatment
Dodder seeds can only germinate after experiencing low temperatures, so they must go through low-temperature storage over winter. At the same time, before sowing, the seeds need to be treated with carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl, then an appropriate amount of phoxim and water should be added and mixed evenly. Finally, remove the seeds, wrap them well with cotton cloth, pile them together to dry, and after about six hours they can be sown.
2. Sowing method
Sowing is generally done around June. We need to sow two crops at the same time, and either flax or soybean can be used. Because dodder needs to parasitize other plants, the other plants must emerge faster than dodder. After soybean or flax emerges, they must be carefully tended, because this is the key to successfully growing dodder. Dodder should be sown beside the other plants to make it easier to absorb nutrients.
3. Planting density
Planting density also requires great attention. If the planting density is too high, then the nutrients it needs to absorb will be greater, but it cannot support itself, so the plants that provide nutrients to them will die from being drained and withered due to insufficient nutrient supply. In general, the distance between rows is best kept at about 30 cm, and the distance between plants is about 25 cm.
4. Weeding and watering
Dodder likes warmth and moisture, but it cannot absorb these by itself, so we need to water reasonably according to the water needs of the main host, to avoid the main host's water being drained away and causing planting failure. Field humidity should generally be kept at about 60 to 75 percent. When weeding, note that cultivation should be shallow, not deep, so as not to harm the roots of the plants. To avoid variety mixing, we must remove all weeds when weeding. But note that herbicides cannot be used, because dodder itself is also a kind of weed.
Growing dodder is very different from growing other plants, so management is also a bit more complicated. When growing dodder, there are still many points that need attention, and everyone needs to discover them during the growing process. The editor has only briefly introduced a few of the most common issues, and hopes they can be helpful to everyone.