Detailed Explanation of Key Cultivation Techniques for Schisandra chinensis in Flat Land

Schisandra chinensis is a multifunctional, multi-purpose, highly efficient wild economic plant. Its fruit is a precious traditional Chinese medicinal herb renowned both domestically and internationally, beneficial to the human body by tonifying qi, nourishing the kidney, astringing the lungs, restraining essence, promoting fluid production, quenching thirst, improving intelligence, and calming the mind. As medicine, it mainly treats conditions such as lung deficiency with wheezing and coughing, spontaneous sweating, night sweats, chronic diarrhea, dysentery, seminal emission, neurasthenia, forgetfulness, palpitations, insomnia, weakness of the limbs, acute and chronic hepatitis, and diminished vision. It can also be made into a series of health foods such as Schisandra wine, Schisandra beverages, Schisandra tea, and Schisandra honey; its stems, vines, roots, and flower buds have a strong fragrance and can be used to make flavorings; its young buds and tender leaves are a delicious wild vegetable. The Schisandra chinensis of our province is well known as authentic medicinal material and sells well in domestic and international markets. In recent years, the area of cultivation converted from wild to artificial has been continuously expanding. Farmer friends such as Zhu Yulin from Xunke Farm wanted to learn the cultivation techniques of Schisandra, so we specially compiled this article, hoping it will be helpful to farmer friends who want to grow Schisandra.

Seedling Raising

It is best to use seeds that have been domesticated and selected for seedling raising and transplanting. Its advantages are that the seeds are plump and uniform, with a high germination rate, uniform and strong seedlings, early fruiting, and high yield.

Seed treatment: Schisandra seeds have an after-ripening dormancy period, and the seed coat is hard with an oily layer beneath the seed coat. Direct sowing of dry seeds does not easily produce seedlings, so sand storage, freezing, chemical, and alternating temperature treatments are required. In October, when the fruit is fully ripe and purplish-red, select fresh fruit from the trellis with large clusters and tight, uniform berries, soak in clean water and rub off the flesh, skim off the shriveled seeds, remove and air-dry. Soak the seeds in a 250 mg/L concentration of gibberellin or a 1%% concentration of copper sulfate solution for 24 hours. Then mix with 2 to 3 times the amount of wet sand and place in a cool location, turning once every half month. When it freezes outdoors, choose a sheltered, sunny spot and dig an 80 cm deep pit, put the seeds mixed with wet sand into a hemp sack, and bury it in the pit for freezing. After the thaw the following year, dig out the seeds and place them at 20 to 25 degreesC to promote germination. When 70% of the seeds have cracked and the radicle shows a small white point, this is the optimal sowing time.

Sowing: Sowing can be done after Qingming. Choose a location with loose, fertile soil, flat terrain, and irrigation conditions. Apply an appropriate amount of farmyard manure in combination with deep plowing. Make flat beds 1.2 m wide oriented north-south, with a row spacing of 15 to 20 cm, press lightly, and cover the bed surface with rice straw or crop stalks to retain moisture.

Seedling stage management: First, shading. Schisandra seedlings are afraid of sun exposure. Therefore, when the seedling emergence rate reaches 70%, remove the covering and immediately set up a shade shed, with a light transmission rate of 50% being suitable. When the seedlings grow 5 to 6 true leaves, remove the shade shed. Second, watering, loosening soil, and topdressing. In drought, water frequently. After watering, loosen the soil and weed promptly. During the seedling stage, topdress 2 times. The first time is when the shade shed is removed, applying 8 to 10 kg of urea per mu to promote seedling growth; the second time is when the plant height is 10 cm, applying 12 to 15 kg of compound fertilizer per mu. When the seedlings have 3 to 4 leaves, thin them to a spacing of 5 to 6 cm.

Transplanting

Site selection: Schisandra has no strict requirements for land. Except for land that is excessively waterlogged, barren, or heavy clay, which is unsuitable, all other types of land including sloping land, flat land, wasteland, ditch land, and under forest can be planted. In comparison, flat field land is more convenient for fertilizing, watering, and management, and yields higher. Wherever fruit trees can be planted, especially where grapes are planted, is suitable for planting Schisandra, and fruit trees and grape trellises can also be used as supports for Schisandra.

Seedling selection: Seedlings propagated from seeds can be transplanted in late autumn of the same year or early spring of the following year. One-year-old seedlings have shorter root systems, are easy to transplant, suffer less transplant shock, and have a high survival rate.