Licorice's growing environment and local conditions

Licorice Growth Environment and Conditions

Licorice has strong adaptability and often grows in arid and semi-arid sandy soils, desert edges and loess hilly areas. It is distributed in Asia, Europe, Australia, America and other places. There are wild varieties in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu and Shuozhou, Shanxi in China, and artificially cultivated in parts of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Ningxia.

Licorice Growing Conditions

Licorice likes an ecological environment with sufficient sunlight, humidity, hot summers, severe cold winters, and large temperature differences between day and night. It is light-loving, drought-resistant, heat-resistant, saline-alkali-resistant, and cold-resistant. It is suitable for growing in sandy soil with deep soil layer, loose soil, and good drainage.

Licorice Growth Temperature

Licorice has a strong survival ability in the cold temperate climate, with an average annual temperature of 2-2.8 degrees and a frost period of 200 days. Some clumps of licorice can continue to grow even after being buried by sand dunes.

Licorice Growth Process

After licorice is sown, it can grow to 25-80 cm in the same year, and can be up to 120 cm long. If it is sown in spring, rhizomes will begin to sprout after July. The above-ground part of licorice will wither in winter, and the roots and rhizomes will grow new buds in March of the following year. The buds grow upward quickly and grow branches and leaves.

Licorice has lush branches and leaves growing from May to June, blooms and bears fruit from June to July, the fruits mature and fall to the ground in September, and enters the withering stage in mid-to-late September. Licorice grows most vigorously from May to July, and the taproot thickens slowly. The growth rate of the above-ground part slows down from August to September, while the taproot thickens faster. It can be harvested 3-4 years after sowing.

Licorice Planting Time and Method

Licorice can be planted in spring, summer and autumn, but spring is the best time to plant it. It can be sown mechanically or manually. If it is sown in rows, the sowing depth should be 2 to 3 cm. The soil should be compacted after sowing. The density of direct sowing needs to be determined according to the scheduled harvest period of licorice. If it is harvested in 2 years, the density can be slightly larger. If it is harvested in 3 to 4 years, the sowing density should not be too large.