What does motherwort look like? Growth habits of motherwort

Motherwort is a very good Chinese herbal medicine, which is very beneficial to people's health, especially for female friends. But many friends probably have never seen or understood motherwort. Let's learn about it today!

Contents of this article

1. What does Motherwort look like?

2. Planting of Motherwort

3. The growth environment of motherwort

4. Growth habits of motherwort

What does motherwort look like?

Motherwort is the whole herb of the Labiatae plant Motherwort. It is an annual or biennial herb that blooms in summer. It grows in mountainous wastelands, ridges, grasslands, etc. It is distributed in most parts of the country. It grows luxuriantly in summer and is picked before the flowers are fully opened. The stem of Motherwort is square columnar, with four sides concave into longitudinal grooves, 30 to 60 cm long, 5 mm in diameter, gray-green or yellow-green on the surface, densely covered with rough hairs, light body, tough texture, with pith in the middle of the cross section, leaves alternately opposite, often falling off, wrinkled and broken, complete leaves are gray-green, the lower leaves are palmately 3-lobed, the middle part is split into multiple oblong linear lobes; the upper leaves are pinnately deeply or shallowly lobed into 3 pieces. The cyme inflorescence is axillary, the flowers are purple, mostly falling off, the calyx is corianth-shaped, persistent, with small nuts inside, slight smell, and light taste.

Motherwort Planting

1. Thinning and replanting

When the seedlings are 5-7cm tall, start thinning out the weak and overcrowded seedlings. This can be done in 2-3 times. When the seedlings are 15-17cm tall, the seedlings are finalized. For row sowing, the spacing between plants is 10cm, and the seedlings are staggered. For spot sowing, 2-3 seedlings are left in each hole. If there are missing holes or plants when finalizing the seedlings, they should be replanted immediately. Production practice has shown that the yield of motherwort is highest when the basic seedlings per mu reach 30,000-40,000.

2. Intertillage and weeding

Intertillage and weeding should be done in time to make the ground loose and free of weeds, creating good conditions for the growth of motherwort. Usually it needs to be done 3 to 4 times. The principle is to keep the ridge surface free of weeds at all times. The planting density of motherwort is large, and intertillage should be shallow to avoid damaging the seedlings, and weeding should be frequent.

3. Fertilization

Generally, it should be combined with intertillage and weeding. Nitrogen fertilizer is the main fertilizer, preferably organic fertilizer. Apply 1000-1500 kg of human and animal manure, 50 kg of cake fertilizer, and 3-5 kg of urea per mu each time. The amount of urea can be appropriately reduced or not applied during the seedling stage to avoid "burning the seedlings".

4. Irrigation and drainage

During droughts, plants should be watered in time to prevent them from dying out. At the same time, ditches should be cleared and drained in time after rain to prevent water from accumulating on the ground and causing the plants to drown or turn yellow.

Motherwort's growing environment

Motherwort likes warm and humid climate and sunshine. It is not strict about soil. It can be planted in general soil and barren hillsides. Fertile soil is preferred. It needs sufficient water conditions, but it is not suitable for waterlogging. It is afraid of waterlogging. It grows in a variety of environments, with an altitude of up to 3,400 meters. It grows mostly in sunny places such as wild wasteland, roadsides, ridges, hillside grasslands, and riverbanks.