Planting technology of Bletilla striata

Bletilla striata is a famous Chinese medicinal material . Its flowers are beautiful and white, making it a good ornamental flower . Therefore, it has both ornamental and medicinal value, and its planting prospects are broad. So what is the cultivation technology of Bletilla striata ? Let’s learn more about it below.

1. Site selection and land preparation

For site selection and land preparation, choose sandy loam with deep soil, fertile and loose structure, good drainage, rich in humus, and a shaded and moist plot for planting. After harvesting the previous crop, plow the soil more than 20 cm deep and apply 1500-2000 kg of rotted manure or compost per mu and turn it into the soil as base fertilizer. Before planting, shallowly plow the land once more, then harrow and level it to create raised beds 1.3 meters wide for planting.

2. Planting method

It is generally difficult to sow Bletilla striata by seeds, and it is more suitable to propagate by dividing tubers. Dig out the Bletilla striata in September to early November, select medium-sized tubers with many buds and no diseases, each with 1-2 buds, and plant them after dipping them in wood ash. Dig furrows 20-25 cm apart and 5-6 cm deep, place one tuber at a distance of 10-12 cm between plants, with the buds facing upwards, fill the trenches, compact them, water them, cover them with grass, and keep them moist at all times. Seedlings will emerge after 3-4 months.

3. Intertillage and weeding

The management and weed control requirements for Bletilla striata in the field are very strict. After planting, spray with sethoxydim to seal the weeds, and when all the Bletilla striata seedlings emerge. In May and June, Bletilla striata grows vigorously and weeds also grow very fast, so weeding is carried out. Combine weeding with raking and loosening the bed surface. When weeding, hoe shallowly to avoid damaging the roots.

4. Apply fertilizer at the right time

Bletilla striata likes fertilizer. During the growth period, apply diluted human and animal manure once every half a month, 1500-2000 kg per mu. In August and September, apply slightly concentrated liquid fertilizer. You can also apply superphosphate and compost mixed and fermented, then spread it on the bed surface, combine it with the third round of tillage and weeding, and cover it with soil and press it into the bed.

5. Watering tips

Bletilla striata is a shade-loving plant. The soil should be kept moist at all times and watered promptly during droughts, especially from July to September. It should be watered once in the morning and once in the evening. But at the same time, it is also afraid of waterlogging, so attention should be paid to drainage during the rainy season to avoid root rot.

6. Pest and disease control

For black spot disease on Bletilla striata, spray 1000 times diluted 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder. For root-knot nematode disease, irrigate with 3% furadan granules. Cutworms can be killed manually, trapped or mixed with poisoned soil for prevention and control.

7. Harvesting and processing

Three years after planting Bletilla striata, when the above-ground stems wither in October, pick the tubers individually, select the tubers with new stalks for seeds, cut off the stems, soak them in clean water for 1 hour, wash off the soil, put them in boiling water for 8 minutes, take them out and dry them.

In general, the prospects for the cultivation of Bletilla striata are still very good, and it is currently widely distributed throughout the Yangtze River Basin in my country. If you want to achieve high yields from Bletilla striata cultivation, you must master the planting and management techniques.