How to plant Bletilla striata
A comprehensive explanation of how to plant Bletilla striata and the experience of green plant maintenance related to Bletilla striata planting techniques and management. Next, our site editor will introduce to everyone.
Bletilla striata is a plant of the Orchidaceae family, also known as Lianji grass, Gan root, Baiji, Zhu lan, Zilan. It is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine with the functions of nourishing the lungs, stopping bleeding, reducing swelling, and promoting muscle regeneration. It mainly treats symptoms such as hemoptysis from pulmonary tuberculosis, hemoptysis from bronchiectasis, hematemesis from gastric ulcer, hematuria, and hematochezia; externally used for traumatic bleeding, burns and scalds, and cracked hands and feet.
Morphological characteristics: Bletilla striata is a perennial herb, 30-60 cm tall, with a fleshy corm, white, with 2-3 prongs in a rhombic shape, with fibrous roots, usually several growing together. The raceme is terminal, usually with 3-8 flowers; the flowers are pale purplish red, the petals are irregular. The capsule is cylindrical, with 6 longitudinal ridges on it, slightly pointed at both ends. The seeds are small and numerous. The flowering period is April to May, and the fruiting period is July to August. There are two types of Bletilla striata, one with yellowish white flowers and linear-lanceolate leaves is called narrow-leaf Bletilla striata. In the purple flowers, there are large and small varieties, among which the large variety has a higher yield of corms.
Growth characteristics: Bletilla striata prefers a warm, cool, and relatively humid environment, does not tolerate cold, and requires fertile, loose, and well-drained sandy loam or humus soil, cultivated on shady slopes or relatively humid land.
Cultivation techniques:
1. Land selection and preparation
Select loose and fertile sandy loam and humus soil, warm and slightly humid environment, not cold. For planting on well-drained mountainous land, choose shady and barren land for planting. Turn the soil over 20 cm deep, apply manure and compost, apply 1000 kg of farm manure per mu, and if there is no farm manure, apply 50 kg of ternary compound fertilizer. Turn the soil again to mix the soil and fertilizer evenly. Before planting, cultivate the land shallowly, refine the soil, level it, and make high ridges 130-150 cm wide.
2. Propagation methods
Bletilla striata is difficult to propagate by seed, and it is easier to propagate by dividing corms. From September to early November, dig out Bletilla striata, select medium-sized corms with many buds and no diseases, each with 1-2 buds, dip in wood ash, and plant. Make furrows 20-25 cm apart, 5-6 cm deep, place one corm at a distance of 10-12 cm, with the buds upwards, fill in, press down, water, cover with straw, and keep moist, seedlings emerge in March to April. Use 100 kg of seedlings per mu.
3. Field management
① Tillage and weeding: Bletilla striata has strict requirements for tillage and weeding in field management, apply glyphosate for closure after planting, and when the seedlings are out. From May to June, Bletilla striata grows vigorously, and weeds also grow quickly, so weeding is necessary. Combine weeding with loosening the ridge surface, and be careful not to damage the roots when weeding.
② Timely topdressing: Bletilla striata is a plant that likes fertilizer, apply monopotassium phosphate or dilute animal manure once a month, stop growing and enter dormancy from July to August, but prevent the growth of weeds.
③ Irrigation and drainage: Bletilla striata prefers shade and keeps moist, water in dry weather, water twice a day in July to September. Bletilla striata is afraid of waterlogging, so timely drainage should be carried out after heavy rain to avoid root damage.
How to plant Bletilla striata
Disease and pest control:
1. Root rot: Often occurs in the rainy season from spring to summer in the south. Control methods: Pay attention to drainage and waterproofing, dig deep drainage ditches.
2. Cutworms and wireworms: Can be manually captured and lured or mixed with poisoned soil, apply Dipterex to the bed. Apply 50% zinc sulfate emulsion 700 times liquid to the bed.
Harvesting and processing: After 2-3 years of planting Bletilla striata, when the aboveground stems wither in September to October, dig the corms, remove the soil, and process them. Pick the single corms, select the new stem corms for seed use, cut off the stems, soak in clean water for 1 hour, wash off the soil, boil in boiling water for 5-10 minutes, take out and dry until completely dry. Remove the rough skin and fibrous roots, sieve out impurities. Generally, 800-1000 kg of fresh products can be harvested per mu, which can be processed into 200-300 kg. The best ones are large, plump, white, semi-transparent, and solid in texture. Bletilla striata corms contain starch, glucose, volatile oil, and the roots contain Bletilla mannose.
The above is the complete content of how to plant Bletilla striata and related planting techniques and management introduced by the Green Plant Enthusiast website. Green plant enthusiasts may refer to this for reference.