How to plant Bletilla striata seeds
Sharing the introduction on how to plant Bletilla striata seeds and the planting methods and requirements for Bletilla striata seedlings in the field of green plants and flowers. Corrections are welcome if there are any mistakes!
Bletilla striata is a plant of the Orchidaceae family, also known as Lianji grass, Gan gen, Baiji, Zhu lan, and 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 is mainly used to treat symptoms such as hemoptysis from pulmonary tuberculosis, hemoptysis from bronchiectasis, hematemesis from gastric ulcer, hematuria, and hematochezia; externally used to treat 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 in color, having 2-3 lobes in a rhombic shape, with fibrous roots, often several growing together. The raceme is terminal, usually with 3-8 flowers; the flowers are pale purple-red, with irregular petals. The capsule is cylindrical, with 6 longitudinal ridges, slightly pointed at both ends. The seeds are tiny 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 yellow-white flowers and linear-lanceolate leaves, known as narrow-leaf Bletilla striata. Among the purple-red flowers, there are large and small varieties, with the large variety having higher corm yield.
Growth characteristics: Bletilla striata prefers a warm, cool, and humid environment, does not tolerate cold, and requires fertile, loose, and well-drained sandy loam or humus-rich soil, cultivated on shady slopes or relatively moist plots.
The morphological characteristics of Bletilla striata are as described above. It is a perennial herb, 30-60 cm tall, with a fleshy corm, white in color, having 2-3 lobes in a rhombic shape, with fibrous roots, often several growing together. The raceme is terminal, usually with 3-8 flowers; the flowers are pale purple-red, with irregular petals. The capsule is cylindrical, with 6 longitudinal ridges, slightly pointed at both ends. The seeds are tiny 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 yellow-white flowers and linear-lanceolate leaves, known as narrow-leaf Bletilla striata. Among the purple-red flowers, there are large and small varieties, with the large variety having higher corm yield.
Growth characteristics: Bletilla striata prefers a warm, cool, and humid environment, does not tolerate cold, and requires fertile, loose, and well-drained sandy loam or humus-rich soil, cultivated on shady slopes or relatively moist plots.
Cultivation techniques:
1. Land selection and preparation
Select loose and fertile sandy loam and humus-rich soil, warm and slightly moist environment, not cold-tolerant. For planting on well-drained mountainous land, choose shady slopes. Turn the soil over 20 cm deep, apply barnyard manure and compost, apply 1000 kg of farmyard manure per mu, or 50 kg of ternary compound fertilizer if no farmyard manure is available. Turn the soil again to mix the soil and fertilizer evenly. Cultivate shallowly before planting, refine the soil, level it, and make high ridges 130-150 cm wide.
2. Propagation methods
Bletilla striata is difficult to propagate by seed, while propagation by dividing corms is easier. From September to early November, dig up Bletilla striata, select medium-sized, disease-free corms with many buds, 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, buds facing up, 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 Hoeing and weeding: Bletilla striata has strict requirements for hoeing and weeding in field management, spray herbicides to seal after planting, and after the seedlings have emerged. In May and June, Bletilla striata grows vigorously, and weeds also grow quickly, so weeding is necessary. Combine hoeing with loosening the ridge surface, hoe shallowly to avoid damaging the roots.
② Timely fertilization: Bletilla striata is a plant that likes fertilizer, spray monopotassium phosphate or dilute livestock manure once a month, stop growing and enter dormancy in July and August, but prevent weed growth.
③ Irrigation and drainage: Bletilla striata prefers shade and keeps moist, water during dry spells, water twice a day in July to September. Bletilla striata is afraid of waterlogging, so drain promptly after heavy rain to avoid root damage.
How to plant Bletilla striata seeds
Disease and pest control:
1. Root rot: Common in the rainy season from spring to summer in the south. Control methods: Pay attention to drainage and waterproofing, dig deep drainage ditches.
2. Ground beetles and wireworms: Can be manually captured and lured or mixed with poisoned soil, apply Dipterex to the bed. Use a 50% zinc sulfate emulsion at a concentration of 700 times to water the bed.
Harvesting and processing: After 2-3 years of planting, when the aboveground stems wither in September and October, dig up the corms, remove the soil, and process them. Pick the individual 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 in the sun 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. Large, plump, white, semi-transparent, and solid in quality are considered the best. Bletilla striata corms contain starch, glucose, volatile oil, and the roots contain Bletilla mannose.
The above is a comprehensive explanation of how to plant Bletilla striata seeds and the planting methods and requirements for Bletilla striata seedlings, hoping to solve your problems with green plants.