Key Technical Points for Pre-Planting Preparation of Sexual Propagation of Gastrodia elata in Chongqing

Sexual propagation of Gastrodia elata uses hybrid seedling seeds of Gastrodia elata, propagated under the combined action of germination fungi and Armillaria mellea. The growth period of sexually propagated Gastrodia elata is one and a half years, that is, planted in June to July of the current year and harvested at the end of the second year. Its characteristics are small investment, high success rate, and stable yield. It is currently a relatively advanced high-yield cultivation technique for Gastrodia elata in China.

1. Selection of planting site. The growth of Gastrodia elata hardly requires sunlight, so it can be planted in basements, air-raid shelters, mountain streams and other places with certain ventilation conditions, as well as along courtyard edges, field edges, roadside edges, slope edges, forest edges, bamboo grove edges and all other idle land. In semi-mountainous areas and plains with relatively high temperatures, indoor planting is advocated. For sexual propagation of Gastrodia elata, river sand, weathered dolomite sand, etc. should be used as much as possible. In places where there is really no river sand, sandy loam soil with a sand content of more than 50% should also be selected.

2. Material preparation. 1. Prepare sand. The quantity should be determined according to the planting scale. Generally, three loads of sand can plant two pits. Sand with a coarse size like mung beans is suitable. If planting indoors on a cement floor, cobblestones the size of walnuts should also be prepared, with the quantity sufficient to cover the planting site to a thickness of 10 cm. 2. Prepare wood, sawdust, branches, and leaves. Oak tree species are better for wood. In addition, broadleaf tree species such as birch, sugar pear wood, and Elaeagnus umbellata are all acceptable. Sawdust, branches, and leaves should also use the above species, and coniferous tree species must not be used. Wood and branches should be fresh, and can be cut within half a month before planting or cut and planted at any time. Sawdust should be fresh sawdust with a bright yellow color and no contamination by miscellaneous fungi. Leaves should be fallen leaves from the previous year, preferably semi-rotted. For wood, 10 sections per pit, thickness 6-8 cm, length 50 cm; for sawdust, 1-1.5 kg per pit; for branches and leaves, 1 kg each per pit. To eliminate miscellaneous fungi, also prepare one bottle of carbendazim or Lysol, and a small amount of ammonium nitrate fertilizer.

3. Treatment of wood, branches, and leaves. Before planting, first put the leaves into woven bags and soak them in water for 12-24 hours. Cut the wood uniformly into 50 cm lengths. Use a sharp axe to make cuts, one cut every 10 cm, with the depth preferably just reaching the xylem. Make one row of cuts on each side of the wood; thicker pieces can have 3-4 rows. Cut the branches into 10 cm small sections, and cut both ends into slanted surfaces. Then soak the wood and branches in a 0.2%-0.25% ammonium nitrate solution. After 8-10 minutes, remove and set aside for use. Mix the sand and sawdust used for planting in a 3:1 ratio, maintain 60% water content, and set aside for use.