Medicinal Herb Seed Planting Technology

As people's health awareness increases, Chinese medicinal materials have also become a popular planting project with considerable development prospects. Generally, Chinese medicinal materials are planted by seeds. The following will introduce the medicinal material seed planting technology .

1. Select seeds

Select seeds that are not harmed by various pests and diseases, have no mechanical damage, do not carry sources of pests and diseases, have beautiful appearance and bright color, and have plump and uniform grains as alternative seeds. When the quantity is small, it is picked manually. When the quantity is large, water selection or wind selection can be used instead if manual selection is labor-intensive and time-consuming.

2. Site selection and land preparation

Most Chinese medicinal materials are suitable for growing in soil with deep soil layer, high fertility and neutral pH. Root and rhizome medicinal materials are suitable for planting in sandy loam. Astragalus and licorice have deep root systems and also require deep plowing . 50% of the roots of Chinese medicinal materials are distributed in the 0-20 cm tillage layer, and 30% are distributed in the 20-50 cm soil layer. Deep plowing has a yield-increasing effect.

3. Seed treatment

Drying the seeds 1 to 2 days before sowing can also promote enzyme activity and improve seed vitality. Methods such as seed soaking, mechanical damage, and chemical treatment can break seed dormancy, increase seed coat permeability, promote rapid water absorption, and early germination. Seeds also need to be disinfected by mixing them with 25% or 50% carbendazim, with a dosage of 0.2% to 1% of the seed volume, or soaking them in the drug solution to prevent damage by diseases and insects.

4. Sowing method

There are row sowing, broadcast sowing, hole sowing, etc. Row sowing is mostly used in production. Its advantages are consistent soil covering depth, uniform seedling emergence, good permeability, and convenience for field operations. Hard-grain seeds can be sown by machine, saving labor and improving sowing quality.

5. Sowing depth

Most Chinese medicinal herbs have small seeds and weak ability to sprout into the soil, so they should be sown shallowly. General principle: The thickness of the covering soil should be 3 to 5 times the diameter of the seeds, about 1 to 2 cm. It must be compacted after sowing and water should be poured to allow the seedlings to emerge.

6. Field management

Thin out and transplant seedlings in time, retain the strong seedlings, and ensure that the seedlings are complete, uniform and strong. Starting from June, we should do a good job in inter-row cultivation and weeding management to reduce nutrient consumption and alleviate the incidence of diseases and insect pests.

7. Water and fertilizer management

For 1-2 year old and whole herb medicinal materials, more nitrogen fertilizer should be applied in the seedling stage to promote the growth of stems and leaves, and phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be applied in the middle and late stages. For perennial and root and underground stem medicinal materials, sufficient organic fertilizer should be applied when preparing the land. Three times of fertilizer are needed during the growing period. The first time is after germination in spring, the second time is during the flower bud differentiation period, and the third time is before flowering and fruiting. Winter fertilizer should also be applied again before entering dormancy in winter. Generally, Chinese medicinal materials require less water in the early and late stages of growth, but grow vigorously in the middle stage of growth and require more water. Root and rhizome medicinal materials are most afraid of waterlogging in the fields and excessive moisture in the soil. During the rainy season, you must pay attention to field drainage.

That’s it