What kind of environment is suitable for growing Panax notoginseng?

Panax notoginseng is a shade-loving plant. It prefers a warm winter and cool summer environment, and fears severe cold and intense heat; it likes moisture but is afraid of waterlogging, and the ideal soil moisture content is 22%-40%. It can grow when the summer temperature does not exceed 35°C and the winter temperature does not fall below minus 5°C, with the suitable growing temperature being 18-25°C. Panax notoginseng has no strict soil requirements and adapts to a wide range, but loose, well-drained sandy loam is best. Any excessively clayey, excessively sandy, or low-lying, easily waterlogged plots are not suitable for planting. Continuous cropping is avoided, and the soil pH is 4.5-8.

One-year-old Panax notoginseng has only 1 palmate compound leaf; two-year-old plants have 2-3 palmate compound leaves, each made up of 5-7 leaflets, and begin bolting and flowering; three- and four-year-old Panax notoginseng generally produce 3-5 palmate compound leaves, most of which are made up of 7 leaflets, with a few having as many as 9 leaflets. In Panax notoginseng more than five years old, the number of compound leaves can reach 6. The number of palmate compound leaves in each year of growth

is more or less affected by growth and development conditions; with sufficient nutrition and suitable development conditions, the number of palmate compound leaves is greater.

For Panax notoginseng of each year of growth, in the production areas the seedlings emerge in February-March, and the emergence period is 10-15 days. After the seedlings emerge, Panax notoginseng enters the leaf-unfolding stage. In the early stage of leaf unfolding, the stems and leaves grow relatively quickly, and usually within 15-20 days the plant height can reach 2/3 of the normal plant height; afterward the stems and leaves grow slowly. As the buds sprout and the seedlings emerge all at once, once the stems and leaves grown from the formed buds are damaged, there will be no seedlings above ground.

Panax notoginseng is sensitive to light and prefers slanting, scattered, and diffused light, and avoids strong light. Generally, a light transmittance of 30% is suitable. If the light is too weak, the plants grow leggy, the leaves are soft, the main root grows slowly, and they are prone to disease; if the light is too strong, the plants are short and the leaves are easily scorched.

Panax notoginseng seeds have after-ripening characteristics, and only when stored under moist conditions can they complete physiological after-ripening and germinate. The suitable germination temperature for the seeds is about 20°C. Under natural conditions, the life span of the seeds is about 15 days, and once the seeds dry out they lose their vitality; therefore, it is best to sow them immediately after harvesting, or subject them to stratification treatment.