Houttuynia cordata grown with the mulching method delivers good returns

Houttuynia cordata is a medicinal and edible Chinese herbal medicine. In recent years, demand for Houttuynia cordata has been growing rapidly and prices have kept rising, so more and more herb growers are paying attention to its cultivation. The high-efficiency mulching cultivation method is described below.

Growing Houttuynia cordata with the mulching method makes use of its characteristics of thick, sturdy roots, many fibrous roots and lush stems and leaves, so that Houttuynia cordata grows underground for two-thirds of the time, developing roots, and grows above ground for one-third of the time, where strong sunlight makes it produce stems and leaves; short-season vegetables are also planted on the soil surface covering the Houttuynia cordata. Planting short-season vegetables not only does not affect the growth of Houttuynia cordata, but actually promotes it even more, because when sufficient fertilizer and water are given to the vegetables above, the Houttuynia cordata below absorbs them just the same, so the roots of Houttuynia cordata grow thicker and more numerous.

For planting Houttuynia cordata, choose fertile, loose sandy loam or soil rich in organic matter that drains and irrigates easily and is sheltered from wind and facing the sun. Around the Start of Summer, after deep plowing and loosening the soil, make raised beds 1.5 m to 1.6 m wide, 30 cm high, with a furrow bottom 20 cm wide, and apply 3000 kg to 4000 kg of farmyard manure and mixed fertilizer per mu as base fertilizer. Open shallow furrows at a plant-to-row spacing of 14 x 20 cm, place the Houttuynia cordata seed roots in the furrows, then cover with soil, leveling it off as the best result. Then plant short-season vegetables on the covered soil; usually they take half a month or one month, because short-season vegetables need sufficient fertilizer and water. After about one month, when Houttuynia cordata gradually grows about 3 cm above the soil surface, vegetables should no longer be planted. This is the height of summer, the time when Houttuynia cordata grows stems, leaves and roots, and its growth period is about four months or so.

Between the Cold Dew and Frost's Descent seasons, cut off the stems of Houttuynia cordata at ground level; after drying in the sun they can be used both medicinally and as food. Then cover the cut Houttuynia cordata with about 3 cm to 5 cm of soil, and plant short-season vegetables on the covered soil surface. Around February of the following year, Houttuynia cordata sends out new shoots that grow above the ground again. At this time, use an iron shovel or hoe to cut off the newly grown shoots of Houttuynia cordata, about 10 cm long, from above the old roots, to sell at a high price. After cutting, still cover and restore the soil, and again plant short-season vegetables on the restored soil surface.

Growing Houttuynia cordata with the mulching method requires planting only once a year, which both raises the land use rate and improves the quality and yield of Houttuynia cordata, and ultimately raises economic returns; a rough calculation shows economic returns increase by about one times, making it a method worth promoting.

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