Propagation Methods and Key Cultivation Management Techniques for Asarum

Propagate by seed and by division.

1. Site selection and land preparation: Choose sandy loam soil with deep soil layers, rich humus, and good drainage. It is best to choose open woodland on slopes within 30°. Apply 2500-5000 kg of farmyard manure per 667 sq m as base fertilizer. In the autumn of the previous year, plow deeply 25-30 cm, then plow again in spring, level and refine the soil, and make high beds 1.2 wide.

2. Seed propagation

(1) Seed collection: The fruit is mature when it turns from purple-red to pinkish-white and the flesh is soft. Collect as they ripen, and after collecting, place them in clean water and rub off the fruit skin, remove the seeds, and sow them after they are slightly dry. Sow immediately after seed collection, and the germination rate is 80%. After after-ripening treatment, the germination rate is 95%.

(2) Seed storage: The seeds have a hypocotyl dormancy habit and need to undergo morphological development of the embryo and low temperature to break hypocotyl dormancy before they can germinate and emerge. If the seeds cannot be sown in time after collection, mix the fresh seeds with 3-5 times their volume of clean wet river sand and bury them for storage. Check once every 10 days and stir the seeds up and down. Generally, after 40-50 days of sand storage, and no later than the end of July, take out the seeds and sow them. If the seeds are stored in a dry environment after collection, their viability gradually decreases after 5 days, and after 60 days of dry storage, the germination rate is basically lost.

(3) Sowing and transplanting: Broadcasting, drilling, and dibbling are all acceptable. For broadcasting, mix the seeds evenly with 10 times their volume of fine sand and scatter them on the bed surface. For drilling, sow on the bed surface with a row spacing of 10 cm and a sowing width of 4 cm. For dibbling, the row spacing is 13 cm and the hole spacing is 7 cm, with 7-10 seeds per hole. After sowing, cover with fine soil, then cover with grass on top to keep the soil moist.

After sowing, Asarum can be transplanted after 2-3 years of cultivation. It can be transplanted in early spring before the buds sprout or after they emerge, with a row spacing of 20 cm and a plant spacing of 7-10 cm. Asarum can also be directly sown and grown in place for 3-4 years before harvesting the product. Direct seeding has many advantages: it can increase yield and reduce the occurrence of sclerotial disease. At the same time, no transplanting is needed, which occupies less land and saves manpower and material resources, lowering costs and increasing returns.

3. Division propagation: In June, after the fruit ripens, dig out the root of the mother plant and divide it. Each division must have 1-2 buds and fibrous roots. Plant with a row spacing of 15-20 cm and a plant spacing of 10 cm, cover with soil, press firm, and water.

Cultivation management:

1. Intertillage and weeding: Asarum seedlings are small and grow slowly, and are prone to early weed infestation. Always keep the bed surface free of weeds. Loosen the soil shallowly, and loosen the soil after rain or watering to prevent soil compaction.

2. Topdressing: Asarum is a fertilizer-loving plant. When planted in poor soil, it grows extremely slowly if not fertilized. In May and July each year, when watering, dissolve ammonium sulfate or superphosphate in the water and apply as topdressing. Also, after autumn each year, apply compost or barnyard manure as the main fertilizer on the bed surface.

3. Shading: Field planting requires building a shade frame. The frame height is about 1 cm. In early spring, shading is not needed, and full light can be maintained. Start shading in early June, covering with sorghum stalks or grass curtains. Generally, a shade level of 50%-60% is required, and the length and width of the curtain should extend 30 cm beyond the bed surface.

4. Earthing up: Every year in late October, after the aboveground parts wither, mix already fermented fertilizer with about 5 times its volume of humus soil and spread it over the bed. This serves as fertilization and also replenishes soil washed away by rain, preventing Asarum roots from being exposed and protecting the buds for safe overwintering.