Detailed Guide to Gastrodia elata Cultivation Techniques: Growing Methods and Management Key Points
Gastrodia elata is a medicinal herb, and the main medicinal part is its rhizome. Gastrodia elata holds a relatively high status among Chinese medicinal herbs and has strong medicinal effects, and can be used to treat problems such as high blood pressure and limb numbness. However, growing Gastrodia elata is rather troublesome, because the annual yield is not very high. So how exactly is Gastrodia elata grown? Below, the editor brings you the cultivation techniques for Gastrodia elata. Let's take a look!
1. Material preparation
Gastrodia elata is a fungal medicinal herb, so when planting it we must first prepare wood. The wood specifications should be controlled at a diameter of 5-15 cm and a length of about 55 cm, and the number of wood pieces should be controlled according to the planting quantity. Then cut 4-5 slanted notches on each piece of wood. Next, prepare a certain amount of fine twigs, fallen leaves and pine needles. Before planting, soak the fallen leaves and pine needles in water to make them soft. Then choose soil that has never been used to grow crops; if it has been used for planting, it should be deep-ploughed about 35 cm. Then prepare Armillaria mellea, divide it into individual units ready for planting, and finally select good Gastrodia elata seeds.
2. Land selection and bed making
The planting plot for Gastrodia elata should be chosen at an altitude of about 500-2500 m. If the terrain is low, then it is best to use greenhouse cultivation and do good shading work. Then plan the planting area inside the greenhouse, prepare the beds well, and control the specifications of each bed at about 85*25 cm in width and height, ensuring that Gastrodia elata has sufficient growing space. If cultivating on an open hillside, then a pit about 12 cm deep and 85 cm wide needs to be dug in the ground to facilitate later operation and management. Then leave a certain spacing between the beds, dig drainage ditches well, and make good pedestrian walkways.
3. Timely sowing
First, spread about 6 cm of fallen leaves and pine needles at the bottom of the bed surface, then arrange the wood pieces in place with a spacing of about 3 cm, with the slanted notches facing up. Then put sandy soil inside, level with the wood. Water thoroughly, then sprinkle a layer of leaves on the sandy soil to cover the wood, and then sow. Be careful to control the sowing density well, then place a piece of wood at a distance of about 45 cm, spread a layer of pine needles on top, level with the wood surface, and keep it well aerated. Then cover with fine twigs to cover the bed pit. After sowing, water once, then properly sprinkle some sandy soil to improve the soil's ability to retain heat and moisture.
4. Management key points
For Gastrodia elata cultivated in the open field, natural temperature is the main factor, and the optimal temperature should be about 15°C below the soil surface. Gastrodia elata has relatively poor low-temperature tolerance, so in winter we should pay attention to covering a layer of rice straw and then mulching with plastic film, then covering with branches and grass to improve heat preservation. When the spring temperature gradually rises to about 10°C, uncover the plastic film to promote water absorption. If there is a long period of drought, then watering work must be done promptly. And if there is heavy rain, then the film must be covered promptly to prevent water accumulation, and drainage should be carried out through the drainage ditches.
The above is a brief introduction to Gastrodia elata cultivation techniques. Growing Gastrodia elata is rather troublesome to operate. There are certain requirements for cultivation techniques, so everyone should not plant blindly! That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you for your reading and support.