Intercropping honeysuckle yields well, with high returns from multiple harvests on one plot
Honeysuckle is a commonly used bulk Chinese medicinal herb, with wide uses and high value. It is currently in short supply on the market, and there is even a phenomenon of a price with no goods available. According to the growth characteristics of honeysuckle, adopting a high-efficiency intercropping model of widening rows and reducing plant spacing, rational close planting, intercropping medicinal herbs, and using "medicinal herbs" to support "flowers" can achieve the effect of "planting flowers in the current year, seeing results in the current year."
Scientific close planting increases yield and income
1. Field cultivation. In autumn, winter or early spring, on the selected plot, apply 5000 kg of organic fertilizer, 100 kg of superphosphate, 30 kg of potassium sulfate, and 50 kg of ammonium bicarbonate per mu, plow fine and harrow evenly, make high beds 2 m wide, make shallow ditches 30 cm wide and 10 cm deep between beds, and in the ditches dig a square hole 30 cm deep every 100 cm, place 1 honeysuckle seedling on each side around the inside of the hole, 4 seedlings per hole, fill in and firm the soil, and water. Plant 330 holes of honeysuckle per mu, 1320 seedlings in total. Keep the soil moist for 15 days after planting, and they will sprout and survive.
2. Cultivation on barren hills and terraced fields. Choose a sunny hillside and cultivate in circles from bottom to top, directly dig square holes 45 cm deep and 30 cm wide, apply 5 kg of organic fertilizer per hole, and the cultivation method is the same as above. Row spacing can be flexibly controlled. If the mountain soil quality is relatively good, the intercropping medicinal herb model can be adopted. If it contains a lot of stones and sand and cannot be used to grow medicinal herbs, honeysuckle can be cultivated in dug holes at a row spacing of 1.6 m and a plant spacing of 1.3 m. Terraced fields and hills can also use this intercropping model.
Reasonably select intercropped medicinal herb varieties
Honeysuckle can be cultivated in most areas across the country, but the medicinal herbs intercropped within the rows are different. It is necessary to select Chinese medicinal herb varieties with short plant type, short growth cycle, quick results, and suitability for intercropping. According to the relevant provisions of the Good Agricultural Practice for Chinese Crude Drugs (GAP), and based on the principle of genuine regional medicinal herbs, a brief introduction is as follows.
1. In the early growth stage of honeysuckle, the Chinese medicinal herb varieties that can be intercropped include Rehmannia glutinosa, Isatis indigotica, Platycodon grandiflorus, Astragalus membranaceus, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Fritillaria, etc.; after honeysuckle enters the high-yield period, a certain degree of shade is formed, and shade-loving medicinal herb varieties that can be intercropped include Pinellia ternata, Bupleurum chinense, Atractylodes lancea, Asarum sieboldii, etc.
2. In the middle growth stage of honeysuckle, the medicinal herb varieties that can be intercropped include Platycodon grandiflorus, Isatis indigotica, Atractylodes macrocephala, Corydalis yanhusuo, Angelica dahurica, etc.; after honeysuckle enters the high-yield period, shade-loving medicinal herb varieties that can be intercropped include Pinellia ternata, Ophiopogon japonicus, Atractylodes macrocephala, Coptis chinensis, etc.
3. In the late growth stage of honeysuckle, the medicinal herb varieties that can be intercropped include Schisandra chinensis, Astragalus membranaceus, Isatis indigotica, Platycodon grandiflorus, Scutellaria baicalensis, etc.; after honeysuckle enters the high-yield period, shade-loving medicinal herb varieties that can be intercropped include Atractylodes lancea, Asarum, Bupleurum, etc.
Harvest in time to improve medicinal herb quality
The determination of the harvest period must be based on the growth habits of each variety and the climate conditions of the cultivation site. Do not harvest early just because @#@125@#@ is scarce and prices have risen, so as to avoid reducing the content of active ingredients, and do not arbitrarily delay the harvest period, causing increased lignification or rot and deterioration of the medicinal herbs. For example, honeysuckle is most suitable for harvest when the upper part of the flower bud swells, is still unopened, and appears blue-white; Isatis indigotica is harvested for its leaves in June-August of the current year, and its roots are dug in November-December; Glycyrrhiza uralensis is harvested in the autumn of the second year after transplanting or before sprouting in the early spring of the following year, when the content of its active ingredients is highest.