Planting and Maintenance Tips for Chinese Yam Root Tubers
Summary: Introduction to Chinese Yam and tips on how to care for its root tubers. Let's explore this together.
If you want to create a green wall indoors, you definitely should not miss Chinese Yam. Also known as "jin bu huan," its round leaves resemble coins, symbolizing wealth and fortune, while its root tubers look like turtles, symbolizing longevity and blessings.
Introduction to Chinese Yam
Chinese Yam is a perennial plant of the Tinospora family, widely distributed in Yunnan, Guizhou, Hubei, Sichuan, and the two Guang areas. The root tubers of Chinese Yam are traditional Chinese herbs, with the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, calming nerves, and alleviating pain.
Chinese Yam grows robustly with relaxed management and can live for hundreds of years if well-maintained. However, many gardening enthusiasts say that the root tubers they bought often rot before sprouting. What should they do?
Planting Methods and Maintenance Tips for Chinese Yam Root Tubers
Chinese Yam prefers a warm and humid environment, enjoys light but not intense sunlight, is shade and drought-tolerant, and does not tolerate waterlogging. When maintaining it, follow its habits and pay attention to the following points, and Chinese Yam can climb and cover a wall within a month.
1. - Larger root tubers sprout more and grow faster -
When purchasing Chinese Yam root tubers, it is recommended to choose larger ones. Larger tubers store more nutrients, sprout faster, and produce more new sprouts at the same time. If you want to create a green wall, start with larger tubers.
2. - Potting soil should be loose and breathable -
When growing Chinese Yam indoors, use loose and breathable soil because it is drought-tolerant but害怕积水. If the potting soil is not breathable, it can easily lead to root and bulb rot. It is recommended to mix 2 parts of general nutrient-rich soil with 1 part of succulent soil for planting, which is breathable and less likely to cause root or bulb rot.
3. - Properly plant the root tubers to avoid rotting -
When planting Chinese Yam root tubers, mix organic fertilizer granules and potting soil evenly, then fill the pot with the mixture, leaving it 9/10 full. Make a shallow hole in the center of the potting soil and place the Chinese Yam root tuber directly into it. Be careful not to cover the tuber with soil, as this can easily cause rot. Just place it on the surface of the soil and gently press it to fit with the potting soil.
After planting, water thoroughly around the pot edge, then place it in a well-ventilated area with diffused light to wait for sprouting.
Chinese Yam prefers a warm environment. If the temperature is low, it will sprout slowly and the tubers are prone to rot over time. It is best to plant in April or May. If the environmental temperature is low, you can cover the plant with a plastic bag or transparent plastic bottle to keep warm, remember to ventilate daily.
4. - Moderate watering to avoid waterlogging -
The root tubers of Chinese Yam can store a lot of moisture, so it is drought-tolerant but not waterlogging-tolerant. Therefore, watering must be controlled and not excessive. Before sprouting, if the potting soil is dry, you can spray some water on the surface to keep it moist. After sprouting, water when the surface of the potting soil turns white or when the pot feels light when lifted.
5. - Set up a climbing frame promptly -
After sprouting, the vines of Chinese Yam grow at a visible speed, adding a significant length each day. Therefore, it is important to set up a climbable frame after sprouting. As for the shape, you can guide the new sprouts according to the desired shape, allowing them to grow and wrap around as needed.
6. - Apply thin and frequent fertilization -
Chinese Yam grows rapidly and can cover a wall in a month during summer. It is recommended to apply thin and frequent fertilization, adding a general water-soluble fertilizer to each watering, or apply a ternary compound fertilizer at a 1000-fold concentration every 7 days.
If you want a smaller, slower-growing plant, you can simply sprinkle some slow-release fertilizer.
7. - Pinching the top to promote leaf growth -
Many enthusiasts say that their Chinese Yam vines keep growing long without leaves. Why is that?
In fact, to make Chinese Yam grow round leaves, it's simple. Pinch the top of the new climbing vines, and it will spread out leaves from below. If you don't pinch the top, it will grow long before it grows leaves. Isn't this similar to Asparagus plumosus? Because its native environment is in the forest understory, crevices, etc., where sunlight is poor, it has to climb拼命 upwards to survive and get sunlight...
8. - Control sunlight -
Chinese Yam is shade-tolerant but also enjoys sunlight. In spring and autumn when the light is soft, it can be kept in full sunlight, and the leaves will grow thick and large. However, in strong sunlight, it needs to be shaded, for example, in summer, it should be placed in a bright area with diffused light to avoid direct sunlight.
9. - Overwintering method -
Chinese Yam has average cold tolerance. In winter, the above-ground part will wither, and the underground rhizome will enter a dormant period. If the indoor temperature can be maintained around 10 degrees Celsius in winter, Chinese Yam can continue to grow. If the temperature is below 5 degrees, it is recommended to gradually reduce watering after winter, allowing it to enter dormancy, then cut off the withered branches and leaves, bury the root tubers in dry soil and sand, and store them in a warm place, similar to how we store sweet potatoes in winter. Plant them again in spring.
The above comprehensive explanation of the introduction and planting methods and maintenance tips for Chinese Yam root tubers aims to provide a reference to solve your green plant problems.