Detailed Explanation of Schisandra chinensis Seedling Cultivation Techniques, Master All the Key Methods
Schisandra chinensis, as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, is the finest among the Schisandra species, mainly growing in the eastern mountainous areas of Liaoning Province. In recent years, the price of Schisandra has risen in the market, with supply falling short of demand. The main reasons are: first, as China joined the WTO, the export volume of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs increased, and market demand for Schisandra grew; second, with the development of animal husbandry, the wild resources of Schisandra have been damaged, especially since goats like to eat Schisandra. In the past two years, artificial cultivation of Schisandra has begun in Liaoyang, Dandong and other areas, but due to immature seedling cultivation techniques, many farmers cannot produce seedlings or have very low germination rates. Through two years of experiments and visits to farmers, our station has summarized some successful experiences.
1 Seed Treatment: After mid-October, harvest large-cluster fruits as seeds. Seeds from this period have good maturity, a high germination rate, and produce strong seedlings. The fruits should be soaked in water for three to four days, then the flesh should be rubbed off using a washboard or by adding river sand equal to 1/3 of the fruit volume, the shriveled seeds floated off, and the plump, solid seeds scooped out and dried in the shade.
Schisandra seeds have a hard seed coat and an oily layer beneath the seed coat, so they must undergo freezing, alternating temperature, and chemical treatments to break dormancy before sowing and germination can occur. Soak the seeds in a gibberellin solution of 250 mg/l or a 1% copper sulfate solution at 3 times the seed weight for 24 h, then after scooping them out, mix with river sand at two to three times the amount of the seeds, place in a cool, ventilated place, and turn once a week. Around Minor Snow (Xiaoxue), choose a wind-sheltered, sun-facing spot, dig a pit 60 cm deep, with length and width depending on the amount of seeds, put the seeds mixed with moist sand into bags and place them in the pit, then cover with soil for freezing treatment. After the thaw the following spring, take out the seeds and place them at 22-25 degrees C to promote germination, paying attention to moisture retention during germination. Sow when 50% of the seeds have cracked and shown white. Prevent sowing with over-grown sprouts, otherwise the sprouts are easily knocked off during sowing, or in dry years when water cannot be supplied in time, the sprouts will "die off."
2 Sowing: Choose flat, sun-facing, non-waterlogged, drought-tolerant, relatively fertile sandy loam land close to a water source for seedling cultivation (do not choose vegetable plots). A bed width of 1.2 m is sufficient (too wide is not conducive to later field operations), and the length depends on the plot, with a bed height of about 10 cm. When plowing and making the beds, apply an appropriate amount of decomposed farmyard manure. The best sowing period is from April 20 to May 5, using drilling. On the bed surface, open furrows 3 cm deep along the bed with a row spacing of 18 cm for sowing, press the bottom of the furrows firmly, and cover with 3 cm of soil. If the soil moisture is poor, water thoroughly with a watering can, then cover with soil and plastic film.
The sowing rate is 7 g per square meter (referring to dry seeds before mixing with sand). Seeds sown without germination promotion can also sprout, but plastic film must be used as cover. Otherwise, it is very difficult for them to sprout, or very few will sprout.
3 Seedling Management: After sowing the germinated seeds and covering with film, seedlings emerge successively over 18-28 d. When 50% have emerged, the plastic film must be removed promptly (otherwise, in mild cases the seedlings become leggy, and in severe cases the seedlings are scorched to death). At the same time, build a frame and cover it with crop straw and other materials for shade. Schisandra seedlings are afraid of sun exposure; remove the shade material only after the seedlings grow to five or six true leaves.
The seedling root system is small and short, and spring rainfall is scarce, so the seedlings are not drought-resistant. Water promptly when the bed surface is found to be dry. When the seedlings grow to three or four true leaves, begin thinning, removing diseased and weak seedlings and keeping strong ones, with a plant spacing of 5-7 cm. While thinning, pull out weeds and loosen the soil.
To promote fast and strong seedling growth, apply chemical fertilizer twice during the seedling stage. The first time is after thinning is completed, applying 10 kg of urea per 666.7 sq m. The second time is when the plant height is about 10 cm, applying 15 kg of high-efficiency compound fertilizer with 15% each of N, P2O5, and K2O per 666.7 sq m.
In plots with severe underground pests, use poisoned bait to trap and kill underground pests. Prevent pests from gnawing on seeds and root stems. In particular, mole crickets tunnel around forming crisscrossing passages, often causing seedlings to separate from the soil and wither and die.