Detailed Explanation of Key Points and Management Methods for Polygonatum Planting Technology

Polygonatum planting technology and methods

 

In the early days, polygonatum was basically all wild polygonatum, but as wild output could not meet market demand, the number of people cultivating polygonatum artificially gradually began to increase. Polygonatum planting technology is relatively still in its initial stage. At present, planting technology is basically divided into extensive planting and intensive planting. The former relies on the natural environment, while the latter relies on scientific technology. A planting method combining the two has now begun to appear. Relatively speaking, the technical process for starting polygonatum planting has gradually matured.

 

Site selection and land preparation. Choose loam soil that is deep, fertile, loose, and moist. Apply 2500kg of decomposed compost or barnyard manure per 667 sq m, plow deeply 25-30cm, then break up the soil finely and level it, and make beds 1.2m wide. Rhizome propagation. In late autumn or late March of early spring, dig out the underground rhizomes, cut them into small sections with 2-3 nodes, and air-dry them for half a day or 1 day to let the wounds heal. Open furrows at a row spacing of 20-25cm, with a furrow depth of 6cm, place the seed rhizomes in the furrows at a plant spacing of 10-15cm, cover with 3-5cm of soil, then water so that the soil remains moist, and seedlings will emerge in about 15 days. When planting in late autumn, water once with winter water before the ground freezes, and keep the soil moist before seedling emergence in the following spring. Use about 150kg of seed rhizomes per 667 sq m.

 

Seed propagation. Harvest seeds in August and immediately carry out sand storage treatment. Mix 1 part seeds with 3 parts moist sand evenly, and store them in a pit 30-40cm deep dug in a shady place. Before sowing in the following spring, take out the seeds, open furrows at a row spacing of 10-13cm, with a furrow depth of 1-2cm, evenly scatter the seeds into the furrows, cover with soil, press lightly, and water to keep the soil moist. When the temperature is around 15°C, seedlings emerge in about 15-20 days. When the seedlings are 5-10cm tall, thin out weak seedlings and overly dense seedlings, and transplant after 1 year. For spring planting or autumn planting, dig holes at a row spacing and plant spacing of 20cm x 150n, plant 1 seedling per hole, cover with soil, and water. Use 1-1.5kg of seeds per 667 sq m.

 

Key technical points for polygonatum cultivation and management

 

Base fertilizer and nematode control: Flat land or semi-high mountain cultivation can be selected, with cultivation on deep, loose, fertile, and moist soil. In September-October or around late March of early spring, use 100-150 kg of Chao Neng Liang base fertilizer plus 20-40 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer, plus 3 kg/mu of 5% chlorpyrifos granules, and one bag of thiazophos granules per mu, and rotary till and mix evenly as base fertilizer.

 

Planting: Select 1-2 year old robust rhizomes with buds, choose a sunny day and sun the seed rhizomes for 2-3 days. It is best not to sun the seed rhizomes when the temperature is below 15 degrees. Soak the seed rhizomes with Sudu plus Tianbao for 10-20 minutes, then dry them and promote sprouting. The suitable sprouting temperature is 20-23 degrees. When the buds grow to 1-1.5 cm, they can be sown. Select the young tender front part and cut it into several sections, with each section having 3-4 nodes. Before sowing, spray the seed rhizomes with Sudu at 1200 times plus Tianbao, which is beneficial for disease prevention at the seedling stage and for well-developed roots. Let the wounds dry slightly, then plant at a row spacing of 25-30 cm, plant spacing of 10-15 cm, and depth of 5 cm. Plant 1 section of rhizome per hole, open holes for planting, apply Fugen or decomposed farmyard manure after planting, and finally cover with a layer of fine soil. After covering with soil, press lightly and water, then water once every 3-5 days thereafter to keep the soil moist. When planting in late autumn, cover with some barnyard manure and grass after the ground freezes to keep warm.

 

Field management: After seedling emergence, loosen the soil and weed frequently. Loosen the soil shallowly to avoid damaging the roots. Combined with intertillage and weeding, spray once in spring with Haweizhuang plus Shunfaning plus Lüheng No. 2, so that the plants are robust and uniform, and while treating diseases, also kill underground pests and their egg masses; in summer, at intervals of 1-2 months, apply 1-2 topdressings each of Haweiguo plus Shunfaning plus Lüheng No. 9, so that the underground tubers fully expand, and at the same time prevent and control diseases such as leaf spot, black spot, root rot, and stem rot, as well as the occurrence of pests such as white grubs and cutworms. After the plants wither, broadcast farmyard manure.

 

Key points of plant protection: preserve soil moisture and prevent water evaporation, prevent soil compaction, protect against sun and drought, keep warm and prevent freezing, kill and block the chain of pest and disease reproduction, and improve the seedling emergence rate. After seedling emergence, loosen the soil and weed frequently. Loosen the soil shallowly to avoid damaging the roots. Combine intertillage and weeding with topdressing, and apply high-potassium macro-element water-soluble fertilizer at the appropriate time to promote the transport of leaf photosynthetic products (nutrients) to the root system, improve the nutrient conversion rate and soil-loosening capacity, make the rhizomes expand rapidly, and improve yield and quality. At the same time, strengthen integrated prevention and control of pests and diseases. In late autumn, do a good job of overwintering cold protection and heat preservation to ensure safe overwintering and ensure a bumper harvest in the coming year.