A detailed explanation of the planting techniques and management methods for cattail
Cattail is a perennial aquatic or marsh herb, mostly growing wild in lakes, ponds, and slow-flowing ditch areas, with high economic and medicinal value. Its pollen can be used as medicine, having the effects of moistening dryness and cooling blood, and removing latent fire from the spleen and stomach. It mainly treats difficult urination. The young shoots can also be eaten as a vegetable, and the leaves are used for weaving and papermaking. It is one of the important aquatic economic plants. Let's take a look at its planting techniques below.
1. Land preparation and fertilization
It is advisable to choose a swamp or riverside/lakeside beach with a relatively deep silt layer and rich organic matter for planting. If the underwater soil of the planting plot is relatively soft and fertile, then no plowing is needed; the weeds can simply be cleared away, and then it can be leveled slightly. However, if the underwater soil is relatively hard and also low in fertility, then plowing is required, and 5000 kg of human manure and urine per mu should be applied as base fertilizer.
2. Propagation methods
Cattail grows vigorously and has relatively strong vitality, so its propagation methods are relatively simple. In production, two propagation methods are used: division and sowing. Division propagation is carried out from April to June. Dig out the underground rhizomes of vigorously growing cattail, cut them into several small sections with young buds, and then plant them. Sowing propagation is carried out in spring. Simply scatter the seeds on the soil, keep the soil moist, and transplant them only when they grow into small seedlings in summer.
3. Planting out
The planting time can be chosen during the transition period from spring to summer. At this time, the temperature is mostly 15-25 degrees, and the survival rate of planting out is high. When planting out, choose vigorously growing divisions as seedlings. The seedlings should be dug out with roots and planted immediately after digging. When planting out, control the plant spacing and row spacing at 50×50cm. If the leaves of the seedlings are too long, the tips can be cut off to prevent the plants from being too tall and lodging.
4. Field management
Cattail requires a moderate water depth. In the early stage, keeping the water depth at 15-20cm is sufficient. In the later stage, as the plants grow, the water level should be continuously deepened, but the deepest should not exceed 1.2 meters. Water depth control determines the yield and quality of cattail. One month after planting out, generally one topdressing should be applied, applying 1000 or 1500 kg of manure or barnyard manure per mu, and in the later stage, apply topdressing 1-2 times depending on plant growth. In summer, when the cattail stems grow out of the water surface, they should be pulled out in time. At the same time, the tender stems or leaves can also be peeled off for market. Reasonably control the density so that they are evenly distributed.
The above is an introduction to cattail planting techniques. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more about planting knowledge, please stay tuned to us.