Platycodon
(-) Overview: Also known as baggage flower and belldang flower, it is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Campanulaceae family. Its roots are used as medicine, and have the functions of clearing the lungs, dispersing cold, eliminating phlegm, and eliminating phlegm. It has a purulent effect and grows wild on hillsides and in the middle layers of grass in mild climates. It is cold-resistant and likes sunlight. The soil for planting Platycodon grandiflorum is mostly sandy loam, clay loam and humus loam. Avoid water accumulation in the soil. Excessive soil moisture will cause roots to rot easily. Platycodon is afraid of wind damage. When planting in windy areas, care should be taken to prevent wind damage and avoid lodging. It is produced in all provinces in the north and south of my country.
(2) Cultivation technology
1. Sexual reproduction of Platycodon grandiflorum is mainly carried out by seeds, and the quality of seeds has a great influence on the yield. Therefore, high-yielding plants should be selected to save seeds. In late August, the inflorescences on the side branches of the saved plants should be removed, so that nutrients can be concentrated to supply the development of the upper and middle fruits, promote full seed filling, and improve seed quality. Cut off the whole plant when the capsule turns yellow between September and October, place it in a ventilated and dry place to ripen for 2-3 days, and then dry and thresh it for later use. Usually direct seeding is used, but seedlings can also be transplanted. The yield of direct seeding is higher than that of transplanting, with fewer forked roots and good quality. It can be sown in autumn, winter or spring, with autumn sowing being the best. For spring sowing, it is advisable to soak seeds in warm water to help them emerge earlier. Place the seeds in warm water at about 50°C, stir them until the water cools, and then soak them for 8 hours. Wrap the seeds in a damp cloth and place them at 25-30°C. Cover the wet sack and rinse it with warm water every morning and evening for about 4-5 days. When the seeds germinate, they can be sown. Sowing method: The field production site should choose sandy loam that is sunny, deep, loose, fertile, and well-drained. Apply 2,500 kilograms of manure per acre or add 30 kilograms of phosphorus. Spread the land, plow deeply, harrow, and level it. The border is 1.3-1.7 meters wide. Then make a trench about 5 cm deep 20-25 cm along the road, and sow the seeds evenly in the trench. Because the seeds are small, you can mix the seeds with 1:10 fine sand before sowing, and cover with soil or fire ash after sowing. , water and moisturize after sowing in dry areas. The amount of seed used per acre is 500-750 grams. During the emergence period, attention should be paid to loosening the soil and weeding. When the seedlings are about 2 cm high, thin the seedlings. When the seedlings are 4-5 cm high, set the seedlings. Leave one strong seedling at a spacing of 10-12 cm. Places with sparse or broken seedlings should be planted on cloudy days. Bring seedlings. Then apply diluted human and animal manure water, 1200 kilograms per acre, cover it after application, and topdress again in June to July and build up the soil to prevent lodging. In the second year of spring, apply human and animal manure water once after the seedlings return and before flowering. 1,500 liters per mu or 5-10 kilograms of urea will be applied and covered after application. In addition, the soil should be loosened and weeded frequently, and water should be watered in the morning. It is usually harvested in late autumn or early spring before germination in the second or third year after sowing.
2. Prevent platycodon from losing its roots. Platycodon products are better if they have long, straight, solid, and few branched roots. Cultivated platycodon often has many combined roots, some bifurcated and some trifurcated. Some main roots are less than 3 cm thick and short, with 3 or 4 lateral roots and branch roots. Greatly affect the quality and reduce the price of goods. It is generally believed that transplanted platycodon is easy to form branched roots, but according to the observation of Mr. Li Daoji, whether it is live-seeded or transplanted platycodon, if there are many seedlings in a plant with branched roots, the more lush the seedlings, the more the growth of the main root will be affected. On the contrary, a plant and a seedling have no branching roots or branching roots. It seems that solving the platycodon root problem is very simple. As long as the cultivated platycodon is one plant and one seedling, there will be no (or few) branching roots and branching roots. Therefore, excess seedlings should be removed at any time, especially in the second year of spring when multiple seedlings are most likely to appear. At this time, special attention should be paid to removing excess seedlings and maintaining one seedling per plant. At the same time, apply more phosphorus fertilizer and less helium and potassium fertilizer to prevent the above-ground parts from growing excessively. Top when necessary to reduce nutrient consumption and promote normal growth of roots.
3. Picking flowers and removing green platycodon has a longer flowering period and more blooms. The growth and development of flowers and fruits will consume a lot of nutrients. Picking flowers and removing greens can reduce nutrient consumption and concentrate nutrients for the growth of underground roots, which is an effective measure to increase production. For platycodon without seeds, the flowers should be pinched as early as possible. Generally, the flower buds should be pinched off in time during the budding stage. The earlier the better, and the effect will be poor if the fruit is harvested after the fruit is set.
4. Vegetable Harvesting and Processing Harvest in the second or third year after sowing. At present, it can be harvested within one year in Hebei, Shandong and other provinces. Harvest before sprouting in spring or at the end of autumn. Remove the stems, leaves and soil, and scrape off the outer skin with a bowl or bamboo chip. The skin should be scraped while it is fresh. It is best to peel it back after it is scraped. It will take a long time and the root bark will be difficult to peel. Scrape it cleanly and dry it quickly. Then wash it and dry it in the sun. Remove the reed heads, moisten it and cut it into slices and dry it in the sun for later use. At present, Korean merchants purchase fresh platycodon in China for 4 yuan per kilogram, which is mainly used to make a certain product in a huge amount.