Growing environment, sowing time and planting methods for the climbing plant He Shou Wu (Fallopia multiflora)

He Shou Wu, also known as Polygonum multiflorum, purple vine, and Ye Jiao Teng, among other names. It can tonify essence and blood, darken beard and hair, strengthen sinews and bones, and tonify the liver and kidneys. It is a common precious and fine Chinese medicinal herb. So, where does the climbing plant He Shou Wu grow? When is it sown? How is it planted?

I. Where does the climbing plant He Shou Wu grow?

He Shou Wu grows in mountain valley thickets, on slopes under forest, and in stone crevices by ditches, at an altitude of 200-3000 m. It is produced in southern Shaanxi, southern Gansu, East China, Central China, South China, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou. It is also distributed in Japan.

II. When is He Shou Wu sown?

He Shou Wu is mainly direct-sown, but can also be raised as seedlings and transplanted. Sow from early March to early April, in rows 30-35 cm apart; after applying human and livestock manure water, sow the seeds evenly into the furrows and cover with 3 cm of soil. When the seedlings are 5 cm tall, thin them to a plant spacing of about 30 cm.

III. How is He Shou Wu planted?

1. Keep the field moist. During the growing period, attention should be paid to weeding, and in May apply human and livestock manure water once as a top dressing. When the seedlings are about 30 cm tall, insert bamboo poles or branches for the stems and vines to twine around as they grow. When the plants die back in December, along with clearing away the dead vines, apply well-rotted compost or farmyard manure once, and earth up around the roots.

2. Thinning and final spacing: when seedlings grown from seed are about 10 cm tall, thin out those that are too dense or weak. When the seedlings are 15 cm tall, thin out the weak and keep the strong, setting the final spacing at 25-30 cm between plants.

3. Fertilizer and water management: He Shou Wu likes fertilizer. In addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer, apply a light dressing of dilute human and livestock manure water once during the seedling stage to promote seedling growth. In May of the following year, apply human manure water once as a top dressing, then water with clear water. In September-October, apply 15000-22500 kg of mixed fertilizer or barnyard manure per hectare.

4. Trellising: when the seedlings are about 30 cm tall, set up supports so that the stems and vines twine upward as they grow, and promptly thin the leaves and prune the branches to promote vigorous plant growth.

5. Harvesting and storage: after sprouting in spring, when the plants are 20-30 cm tall, harvest the tender stems and leaves once or in several rounds. The tuberous roots can be harvested after 3-4 years, with harvesting carried out in autumn; after harvest they can be eaten fresh or sliced and sun-dried. For the stems and vines of He Shou Wu, cut the stems and vines in autumn of the second year after planting when the leaves fall, remove the fine branches and remaining leaves, cut into stem sections about 70 cm long, tie them into bundles, and sun-dry them for medicinal use.