What are the other names for the medicinal herb licorice, and how many years after planting can it be harvested?

Licorice is a relatively common traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Its roots and rhizomes are the main parts used, and they have a distinctive sweet taste and the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, relieving cough, and dispelling phlegm. Licorice likes to grow in dry places with plenty of sunlight. In China, it is widely distributed in the wild in areas such as Xinjiang, Ningxia, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia. So what are the other names for the medicinal herb licorice? And generally how many years after planting can it be harvested?

1. What are the other names for the medicinal herb licorice?

The other names for licorice include sweet grass root, red licorice, powdered licorice, and Ural licorice. It likes to grow in desert steppes, desert margins, and loess hilly areas. It has strong adaptability to the environment and is resistant to stress. Licorice has the characteristics of liking light and tolerating drought, heat, salt and alkali, and cold. Growers should choose suitable planting varieties according to local specific conditions and do a good job in field management.

2. Generally how many years after planting licorice can it be harvested?

Different planting methods lead to different harvest times for licorice. Licorice planted by direct seeding generally has its best harvest period at three to four years. For seedling transplanting or rhizome propagation, it can be harvested in two to three years. Of course, if your field management is not up to standard and the soil conditions are poor, the harvest time will be longer.

If planting from seed, you should choose suitable varieties and carry out pre-treatment of the seeds in advance. Generally, sowing can be done in all seasons except winter. Of course, May in summer is the most suitable time for sowing. At this time the temperature is very high, seedlings emerge quickly, and the growth period before winter is also relatively long.

When planting licorice, attention should be paid to fertilization, watering, thinning seedlings, and intertillage and weeding, so that a high yield can be obtained.

Fertilization: When sowing licorice, in addition to applying enough base fertilizer, additional topdressing is also needed. Generally, in the second and third years, before the licorice seedlings sprout in spring, phosphate fertilizer is applied as topdressing. Open a furrow 10 cm deep beside the ditch, and cover with soil after fertilizing.

Watering: In the first year after sowing licorice, it needs to be watered three to four times. The amount of water each time should be controlled well. The first irrigation should be carried out one month after seedling emergence, and after that, water once a month. By mid-October, overwintering water should be applied, and in each subsequent year the frequency can gradually be reduced. Remember, do not let there be too much standing water, so as to avoid root rot.

Thinning seedlings: When the licorice seedlings grow to a height of 15 cm, thinning should be carried out, mainly to give licorice enough growing space.

Intertillage and weeding: In the first year after sowing licorice, intertillage should be carried out three to four times, and afterward the frequency can gradually be reduced, eliminating weeds in the field so as to prevent them from competing with licorice for nutrients and making its growth weak.

The above is an introduction to the other names of licorice and the question of how many years after planting it can generally be harvested. I hope it is of some help to you.