Burdock Growing Technology

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Many, having read the title of the article, will be very surprised: "Why grow burdock in garden plots when it grows well in the nearest ditch?" But in Japan, this process is being taken seriously. Hundreds of hectares have been allocated for burdock planting. Let's figure out the reasons for such a love for this plant

Burdock has medicinal properties and is used for food. Now answer the question for yourself: "Would you like to use a drug with harmful substances (heavy metals, excess nitrates)?" Most will answer in the negative and they will be right.

Burdock grows wild in landfills, along roadsides, near sewage treatment plants, farms and other places where "weeds" undesirable for the body can accumulate. If you want to get an environmentally friendly product, then you should think about growing it on your site.

Planting material

Burdock reproduces mainly by seeds.

There are two options for initially obtaining seeds:

• collect from wild species;

• buy in a store.

You may be surprised, but Russian breeders have developed the Samurai variety. It is listed in the State Register and is successfully used by many pharmaceutical companies as a medicinal raw material for cooking in restaurants.

Sowing

Burdock prefers loose soil rich in organic matter. Sunny or semi-shady place with deep groundwater.

In the fall, the ridges are prepared for sowing. For 1 square meter, 3 buckets of rotted compost or 2 buckets of decomposed manure are introduced. Dig the earth on the bayonet of the shovel. Furrows are cut with a depth of 1 cm. They are sown with a distance of 3-5 cm between the grains in a row, 40 cm are left aisle. Sprinkle with soil, compact well from above with your hand. In winter, they protect from mice by trampling snow in the garden.

For spring sowing, seed stratification is required. The grains are mixed with sand, slightly moistened. Store in the basement or on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 3 months. The hatched seeds are transferred to a permanent place in late April - early May after the snow melts. Distribute evenly along the furrows, as in autumn sowing.

After 2 weeks, the first shoots appear. Excess plants are removed by setting a distance of 20-25 cm in a row.

Care

Weed weeding is actual at the beginning of the season, later the powerful burdock leaves drown out the “competitors” themselves. Loosening row spacings or mulching them with humus helps to retain moisture.

In the absence of rain, rare but abundant watering is recommended in the first half of summer. They are then cut to a minimum to grow longer roots. With a lack of moisture, the plant strives to extract it from the underlying horizons, increasing the root mass.

Top dressing 1 time in 2 weeks alternate complex fertilizers ("Zdraven universal" or "Kemira lux") with organic (nettle infusion, ash).

In the first year, a powerful rosette of leaves with delicate straight roots is formed. They are dug out in early autumn, after cutting off the aerial part. Procure the amount required for processing. The rest of the crop is left to be stored until spring right in the beds. At the beginning of May, the underground part is completely removed, without waiting for the regrowth of the leaves, in order to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients in the roots.

Harvesting your own seeds

Seeds are formed in the second year of burdock life. For these purposes, it is enough to leave one or two plants. They are harvested in the phase of full ripeness, when the heads turn brown.

The grains are separated from the husk. Dry in the shade to a hard state, put it in storage or immediately sow on the beds.

Growing a burdock in your summer cottage is no more difficult than any other root crop. Here you can be sure of the purity of the finished product. Enjoy consuming this wonderful and valuable plant.