Dried safflower on the Chinese medicinal herb market costs about 50 yuan per jin; how much can you earn growing one mu, and what are the high-yield techniques

Safflower, also called safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), or Sichuan safflower. It has the function of invigorating blood and dissolving stasis, belongs to the commonly used bulk varieties on the Chinese medicinal herb market, and is one of the important good medicines in gynecology. Safflower products such as safflower oil and safflower seed oil have a very wide range of uses and are almost a must-have in every household. So how much does dried safflower cost per jin on the market? How much can you earn growing one mu? Now here is a super practical high-yield safflower cultivation guide for everyone:

I. How much does safflower cost per jin?

However, China's safflower planting area is very small. As demand for safflower has increased year by year in recent years, the price of safflower has always floated at a high level. The current average domestic market price of dried safflower is about 100 yuan/kg, which means it can reach 50 yuan per jin.

II. The whole village "abandons" cotton and grows safflower together

In **Shuangqu Village, Huocheng County, a villager named Aizimaiti told Zhaocai that safflower not only has good market prospects, but is also very easy to grow. The planting survival rate is almost 100 percent, seedlings emerge quickly, there are no pests or diseases, management is simple, picking is convenient, and the growing time is also short.

Aizimaiti said excitedly that his family has 15 mu of land planted with safflower. Calculating by a yield of 30 kg of dried flowers per mu and 90-100 yuan per kg of dried flowers, the output value can reach about 30,000 yuan. Growing safflower brings in much more income than growing other crops, and next year he will expand the planting area.

Because safflower's market prospects are relatively good, more than 70 households in Shuangqu Village have planted safflower, with a planting area of more than 800 mu, and they achieved a bumper harvest in their very first planting.

So what conditions are needed to grow medicinal safflower? How can safflower be grown to obtain a bumper harvest? Today the editor will share with everyone the cultivation techniques for safflower.

III. Secret guide to growing medicinal safflower

1. Land selection and soil preparation

General soils in both the south and the north can be used for planting.

After selecting the land, apply 3000-4000 kg of barnyard manure per mu, together with an appropriate amount of decomposed cake fertilizer and phosphorus-potassium fertilizer, plow finely and harrow level, then make beds after leveling. In the north, make flat beds 1 m wide; in the south, make small raised beds 20-25 cm high to facilitate drainage.

2. Seed sowing

In the south and the Huang-Huai River basin, sow in autumn in October, preferably around "Autumn Equinox," and not too late. Autumn-sown plants root deeply, have strong disaster resistance, and give high yields. **In places such as Duoduo, spring sowing is generally in mid-to-late March.

Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water at about 50°C for 10 minutes, then put them in cold water to cool thoroughly, remove and dry them, and sow. Either drilling or hole sowing can be used.

For drilling, open furrows about 5 cm deep at a row spacing of about 45 cm, spread the seeds evenly in the furrows, cover with 3-4 cm of soil, and press firm.

For hole sowing, the row spacing is the same as for drilling. At a plant spacing of 20-25 cm, open holes 5 cm deep, put 4-5 seeds in each hole, cover with soil, and press firm.

A large-and-small ridge drilling method can also be used: large ridges 90 cm wide, small ridges 40 cm wide, with a final plant spacing of 20 cm. This density makes cultivation, topdressing, and flower picking easier.

Divide into large and small ridges so that the small ridges can be watered and the large ridges used for management and flower picking. The seeding rate per mu is 2.5-3 kg.

3. Field management

Thinning and final singling of seedlings

For autumn-sown safflower, thin the seedlings before the end of the year when the young plants have 3 true leaves. For hole sowing, keep 3-4 plants per hole; for drilling, keep 1 plant every 10-12 cm. At this time, if there are gaps, transplant seedlings with soil to fill them in. The following spring, when the young plants are 10-12 cm tall, do final singling. For hole sowing, keep 2 plants per hole; for drilling, single to a plant spacing of 20-25 cm, removing the weak and keeping the strong.

Cultivation and weeding

Cultivation can loosen the soil, and weeding can reduce nutrient consumption. These are management measures for increasing safflower yield.

In the south, generally carry out cultivation 3 times: the first 2 times together with thinning and final singling, and the third time before the plants close the rows. The first 2 times should be shallow hoeing, and the third time should be deep hoeing, combined with earthing up. The soil around the safflower plant roots should be earthed up to about 10 cm high to prevent lodging. In the north, in addition to this, after watering in dry conditions, loosen the soil in good time to prevent crusting and avoid affecting plant growth.

Topdressing

In addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer, safflower should also be reasonably topdressed according to soil fertility and growth and development conditions.

After final singling, apply 20-25 kg of urea per mu to promote seedling growth and vigor. At the stem-elongation and branching stage or before row closure, apply 1500-2000 kg of decomposed barnyard manure, scatter it beside the roots, then cover the fertilizer with soil; water when the land is dry. This can both supplement fertility and prevent lodging. Before budding, spray the leaves with 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution as foliar fertilization to promote flowering.

Watering

Safflower is relatively drought-tolerant. After sowing and seedling emergence, generally no watering is needed before the end of the year. In the second year, water in spring together with fertilization. During the flowering period, keep the soil moist so the flowers open fully. After branching, if there is rainy weather, pay attention to draining accumulated water from the field.

Topping

On plots with fertile soil and relatively sparse planting density, when the seedlings are 18-20 cm tall, remove the top to make them branch more and form more buds, increasing yield. If the land is poor and the safflower is planted too densely, topping is not suitable.

Selection and breeding of good seed

Generally, field single-plant selection is adopted. While picking flowers, mark healthy plants with strong disease resistance, many branches, large flower heads, long corollas, uniform height, early flowering, bright color, and thornless single plants. After the seeds mature, take the seeds from the center of the inflorescence, collect, thresh, and store them separately, and keep them for seed.

Harvest and processing

Harvest time: in the south, May-June; in the north, June-July. It varies according to the safflower planting season and climate conditions in each place. Generally, autumn-sown safflower is harvested at "Grain in Ear" and "Summer Solstice," while spring-sown safflower is a little later.

When the flowers are all open and the top of the corolla turns from yellow to red, and the color is bright red or dark red, they can be picked (thornless safflower is picked when most of the corolla is red-yellow). Pick at the right time, not too early or too late. When picking, choose a sunny day and prevent rain from soaking them. Thorny safflower is picked in the morning when there is dew; thornless safflower is picked after the dew has dried. When harvesting, be careful to pick the corollas clean to increase yield.

Spread the picked fresh flowers on a mat and dry them in a ventilated, light-transmitting place. Never expose them to strong sun; after strong sun exposure the color fades and the aroma volatilizes, affecting quality. When drying in the shade, do not turn them, so as to avoid blackening and lowering quality.

Although safflower itself has good cold resistance, drought resistance, disease resistance, and other characteristics, excessively harsh planting conditions will still have a certain negative impact on its yield. Therefore, only by mastering scientific cultivation techniques can safflower yield be greatly increased.