What are the costs, profits and market prospects of growing one mu of mint?
Mint is one of the commonly used traditional Chinese medicines. In China, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces have the largest output. It can be used both medicinally and as an aromatic crop with special economic value, and many farmers are eager to grow it. So, what are the costs and profits of growing one mu of mint? What are the market prospects?
What are the costs and profits of growing one mu of mint?
Mint can be harvested three times a year. The yield per mu is 200 kg. For the mint plants, at full bloom, cut down the whole mint plant at the base with a sickle, dry it in the sun and it is ready for sale. It can be harvested twice a year, with a yield of 500 kg per mu. Mint can be harvested 2 times a year. The yield per mu is 20 kg.
Output value per mu:
Leaves: 200Kg×10=2000 yuan; plants: 500Kg×3=1500 yuan; seed roots: 1000Kg×3=3000 yuan; total: 6500 yuan.
Cost accounting: seed stems: 60Kg×4=240 yuan; fertilizer: 50Kg×2=100 yuan; machine plowing: 20 yuan;
Labor: 60 yuan; pesticides: 10 yuan. Total: 430 yuan.
Net profit: 6500—430=6070 yuan.
What are the market prospects for growing mint?
Mint is one of the commonly used traditional Chinese medicines. It is a pungent, cool diaphoretic and antipyretic medicine, used to treat influenza, headache, red eyes, fever, sore throat, swollen and painful gums and other conditions. For external use, it can treat neuralgia, skin itching, rashes and eczema, etc. It is commonly used as a substitute for tea, clearing the heart and improving eyesight. Mint is easy to grow, requires little investment and brings quick results. Mint is rich in mint oil and is a good raw material for processing green, pollution-free products. It can be used in medicine, food, natural spices, beverages, daily chemicals, cosmetics and cigarettes, and is widely used to make fragrances and flavorings. Demand in domestic and international markets is very large; Japan alone needs more than ten thousand tons each year. At present, mint cultivation is far from meeting market demand, so the economic benefits and market prospects of growing mint are promising. In recent years, mint market prices have been stable and rising year by year. Mint has no strict requirements for soil; loam or sandy loam with deep soil layers and rich organic matter is suitable.
Planting time for mint
The planting time for mint mainly depends on the climate conditions of each place. Guangdong, Hainan and other provinces can cultivate it all year round, while in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang area it is around “Qingming”. When temperatures rise, there is often rain and high humidity, so it is easy to survive after planting. In the southwest region, planting is best after the rainy season begins. In north China and northeast China, open-field cultivation and protected cultivation can be used together. One planting can allow continuous harvesting for 2-3 years.
Mint planting methods
1. Site selection and land preparation: Mint has no strict requirements for soil and can be cultivated in any soil except overly acidic or overly alkaline soil. Choose scattered land with irrigation and drainage conditions and sufficient sunlight, such as beside ponds, houses and canals, preferably with fertile soil and flat terrain. Sandy soil, land with insufficient sunlight, and land prone to drought and water accumulation are not suitable for planting. Land where mint has been grown must rest for about 3 years before it can be planted again. This is because residual roots underground affect yield. Prepare the land and plow deeply, apply decomposed compost, farmyard manure, superphosphate, bone meal and other materials as base fertilizer, 37500-45000 kg per hectare, harrow finely, shallow hoe once, turn the fertilizer into the soil, break up the soil, rake smooth and make beds 200 cm wide.
2. Propagation by seedlings: (1) Rhizome propagation. Cultivate seed roots in late April or late August. In the field, select robust plants free of pests and diseases as mother plants and plant them at a spacing of 20×10 cm. After harvesting the aboveground stems and leaves in early winter, leave the rhizomes in place as seed plants; (2) Division propagation. When mint seedlings are about 15 cm tall, thin and fill in the seedlings. Use the thinned seedlings for division and transplanting; (3) Cutting propagation. In May-June, cut the aboveground stems and branches into 10 cm long cuttings, insert them in a prepared seedbed at a row spacing of 7×3 cm for cutting propagation, and after rooting and sprouting, transplant them to the field for cultivation.
3. Transplanting method: Transplant mint in early spring of the second year before it has sprouted; early planting leads to early sprouting, a longer growth period and higher yield. When planting, dig up the rhizomes, select thick, short-internode, disease-free rhizomes as seed roots, cut them into 7-10 cm long sections, then on the prepared bed surface open furrows 10 cm deep at a row spacing of 25 cm. Place the seed roots diagonally in the furrows at a plant spacing of 10 cm, cover with fine soil, firm by treading and water.
4. Field management: (1) Check seedlings and replant. After the field has basically full stands, check the seedlings in time and replant missing or sparse spots and patches; (2) Cultivation and weeding. After full stands, cultivate and weed between rows and weed by hand between plants to preserve soil moisture, increase (soil) temperature, eliminate weeds and promote seedling growth. Cultivate and weed 2-3 times before row closure. Before harvest, pull out all weeds in the field to prevent the odor of other weeds from affecting the quality of mint oil; (3) Pinching and topping. In May, when the plants are growing vigorously, promptly remove the terminal buds to promote the growth of side branches, stems and leaves, which helps increase yield; (4) Timely topdressing. When seedlings are 10-15 cm tall, open furrows and topdress, applying 10 kg urea per mu; after row closure, spray twice per mu with 5 ml Shishibao + 150 g potassium dihydrogen phosphate + 150 g urea; (5) Scientific watering. Mint needs more water in the early and middle stages, especially in the early growth stage when the root system has not yet formed. Generally water about once every 15 days, and water 4-5 times from emergence to harvest. After row closure, water lightly and appropriately to avoid excessive stem and leaf growth and lodging, which can cause lower leaves to fall off and reduce yield. Stop watering 20-25 days before harvest.