Cultivation methods and precautions of Houttuynia cordata

How to cultivate Houttuynia cordata

Colonization

Choose fertile and loose sandy loam or soil rich in organic matter that is easily drained and irrigated, sheltered from the wind and facing the sun for cultivation. After deep plowing and loosening the soil, make ridges with a width of 1.5-1.6 meters, a height of 30 centimeters, and a ditch bottom width of 20 centimeters. Apply 3000-4000 kg of farmyard manure per mu as base fertilizer, dig shallow trenches or holes for planting at a spacing of 14×20 cm between rows and plants, and water after planting to keep the soil moist.

manage

If drought occurs during the seedling stage, water should be applied in the morning and evening. From the time the seedlings survive until the rows are closed, inter-row cultivation, weeding and topdressing should be carried out 2-3 times, with nitrogen fertilizers such as human manure or chemical fertilizers being the main fertilizers.

Each time weeding is combined with top dressing, apply 1000-1500 kg of human manure or 15-25 kg of urea per mu, first in dilute form and then in concentrated form.

After harvest every year, nitrogen fertilizer is mainly applied to promote plant germination; the second time, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are mainly applied, and the soil is cultivated to facilitate wintering and lay a good foundation for germination next year.

Harvest and Processing

Harvest the younger and tenderer Houttuynia cordata for food from March to May. If it is mainly used for medicinal purposes, it can only be harvested once in the year of planting, which can be harvested in September or October. It can be harvested twice in the second year, the first in June and the second in September-October.

If it is used to make beverages, you can cut the whole grass on the ground with a sickle according to the production process requirements, wash and dry it, and then store it for later use.

How to propagate Houttuynia cordata

The germination rate of Houttuynia cordata seeds is not high. The suitable temperature for germination is 17-25℃, and the germination rate is about 20%, so division, cuttings and rhizomes are often used for propagation. Moreover, few people grow Houttuynia cordata at home, and most of them are propagated in large quantities.

Propagation by division

From late March to April, dig out the mother plant and transplant it to a sandy seedbed for seedling cultivation or directly transplant it.

Propagation by cuttings

In spring and summer, you can cut disease-free and insect-free sturdy branches as cuttings, cut them into pieces 12-15 cm long with at least three nodes, and insert them in the sandy loam seedbed with a row spacing of 16×10 cm or 14×10 cm. Water and shade the plants after planting, and transplant them after they take root.

Rhizome propagation

It can be done in February or March. Dig out the white and thick rhizomes, cut them into small sections with more than two axillary buds, and dig shallow trenches on the seedbed or in the field to raise seedlings or plant them.