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Many people consume edible tubers of various plants. The Chinese artichoke is especially popular among residents of Asia, China, Japan and some European countries. But the Russians are still little familiar with this unusual plant. These tubers of an unusual shape are boiled, fried, pickled. Description, characteristics, features of agricultural technology, useful properties of the plant will be presented below.
What is Chinese Artichoke
Chinese artichoke, stachis, chisel are the names of the same useful plant belonging to the Yasnotkov family. This is a herb or shrub, in which spindle-shaped tubers are used for food and for the preparation of medicines.
You need to know the description of stachis so as not to confuse the plant with anything. The Chinese artichoke is a perennial, the aerial part of which is similar to mint or nettle. The bush is not high - about 50 cm. The stem of the plant has a rectangular cross-section. Coarse hairs are located along its entire length. A feature of the Chinese artichoke is the primary development of the main stem, and then lateral shoots appear, so the bush turns out to be branched.
The dark green leafy oblong plates bear a resemblance to the leaves of the dead nettle. They have denticles, pointed tops, hairs over the entire surface.
Stachis or Chinese artichoke is a flowering plant. Spike-shaped inflorescences consist of small flowers of pink or purple color.
The stachis root system is represented by long branching stolons. Their size is 50-60 cm, they are located shallowly (5-15 cm), one might say, superficially. A large number of tubers are formed on them. They are the most valuable part of the plant.
Tuberization begins not in the zone of the stems, but rather far from them. During harvesting, you need to look for tubers in the aisles, at a distance of 50 cm.
Subject to the norms of agricultural technology, up to 400 g of useful root crops are harvested. They look like twisted shells, which have thickenings and constrictions. The color of ripe stachis is pearl white. The shells are 2-5 cm long and about 15 mm in diameter. The mass of one tuber is up to 7 g.
Useful properties and use of stachis
The ancient Chinese were the first to appreciate the benefits of stachis. It was they who began to eat fresh green leaves. The tubers were fried, boiled and stewed. The finished fruit tastes somewhat like cauliflower.
Why the Chinese artichoke is useful:
- The tubers have a high selenium content. It is a powerful antioxidant and immunomodulator.
- By the content of potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc and other trace elements, stachis is superior to many other tubers.
- The absence of sugar in the composition of the Chinese artichoke allows people with diabetes to use the product.
- The presence of stachyose makes stachis useful for patients with increased blood clotting and patients with diabetes mellitus. This substance works in the same way as insulin. The consumption of tubers can reduce sugar by up to 50%, cholesterol by 25%. That is why doctors recommend including the Chinese artichoke in the diet of patients with type I and II diabetes mellitus.
- It has been scientifically proven that the use of tubers is useful for the elderly, as it has a beneficial effect on metabolism: it normalizes the content of fats, proteins, carbohydrates and minerals.
- Scientists have proven that the tubers of the Chinese artichoke contain substances that prevent the development of oncology.
- Stachis, or the Chinese artichoke (its tubers in the photo below) is recommended for use for certain diseases of the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract. It helps to normalize blood pressure, strengthens the nervous system.
Optimal growing conditions
The Chinese artichoke is a light-loving plant, so open places are chosen for its cultivation. Although in partial shade, he feels good. Plants do not tolerate stagnant moisture and the proximity of groundwater.
You can plant stachis after any garden crops. The only limitation is cabbage and its relatives. It's all about common diseases.
Planting and caring for your Chinese artichoke
Stachis is a perennial plant, but it is grown as an annual. The plant can be left in one place for several years. After 4-5 years, the Chinese artichoke needs to be transplanted to an area with fertile soil.
Planting stachis can be done in early spring, planting overwintered tubers, or before winter.
Preparation of the planting site and material
The Chinese artichoke prefers a nutritious and fertile soil that contains peat. If planting is planned in the spring, then the site is prepared in the fall. Before digging for 1 sq. m make:
- superphosphate - 1 tbsp. l .;
- potassium sulfate - 1 tsp;
- compost - 5 l bucket.
The soil is dug onto a shovel bayonet and left until spring. In the spring, before loosening, it is advisable to add 1 tsp. ammonium nitrate per 1 sq. m.
If stachis is planted in the fall, then the site is prepared in July. Before digging, add 1 sq. m:
- potassium sulfate - 20 g;
- superphosphate - 50 g;
- organics - 10 kg.
Landing rules
For planting, spindle-shaped tubers are used, which have been stored since autumn. For 1 sq. m will require about 100 g of planting material.
They are engaged in planting depending on the climatic characteristics of the region, the main condition is the absence of return frosts.
Stachis can be planted in rows at a distance of 70 cm. Between holes - at least 30 cm.The depth of planting tubers is 5-6 cm.
Drainage is poured at the bottom of each hole, then soil. Place 1-2 Chinese artichoke tubers in each hole. The soil is well tamped and watered to remove air pockets.
Further care comes down to:
- watering;
- loosening the soil;
- removing weeds;
- hilling;
- pest and disease control.
Watering and feeding
The Chinese artichoke is undemanding to watering, but in dry weather, irrigation is indispensable. Watering is carried out in the evening at the root. But when the formation of nodules begins, you need to water the artichoke plantings regularly.
With regards to dressings, fertilizer for a vegetable crop is applied before planting. You need to understand that a large amount of nutrients can provoke the rapid development of green mass, and not nodules.
During the growing season, plantings can be pollinated with dry wood ash.
Weeding and mulching
Planting Chinese artichokes must be weed-free. At first, this can be done with a small hoe. During the formation of tubers, all work is done manually so as not to damage the root system.
As such, mulching is only necessary after planting the Chinese artichoke. When the height of the plants is within 20 cm, the plantings begin to loosen gently. The flowering of the Chinese artichoke is the signal for the first hilling. It is performed 3 times per season.
Harvesting
You should not rush to collect the Chinese artichoke (stachis), since the underripe products are poorly stored and do not have time to collect the necessary nutrients. As a rule, the event is planned for the beginning of October, before the frost begins.
From one stachis bush, you can collect from 120 to 140 tubers, in some cases even more. For digging, use a pitchfork with round tips. Root crops are selected from the turned out soil. The earth needs to be shaken off, the nodules should be slightly dried in a dark room with good ventilation and stored in a cellar.
Harvest in boxes, sprinkle with sand. Some of the fruits can be left in the soil until spring. They can be dug up after the snow has thawed.
Reproduction
The artichoke is propagated by Chinese tubers or seeds. To obtain seedlings, the seed is sown in fertile land in March, in the usual way. Grown plants are transplanted to a permanent place after the threat of recurrent frosts disappears.
Diseases and pests
The most common damage to the plant is the wireworm, the cruciferous flea. To destroy them, you can use wood ash, which is added to the soil and pollinated young shoots. To catch wireworms, you can prepare traps from old stachis tubers or potatoes.
The Chinese artichoke is resistant to diseases, but plants can suffer from root and stem rot. To avoid problems, it is recommended to plant stachis on loose, water-permeable and air-permeable soils.
Conclusion
The Chinese artichoke spreads very quickly over the area, since some of the tubers always remain in the soil. They sprout independently in the spring in a completely different place. But this is not the reason for rejecting stachis. If the site needs to be freed from the plant, it is enough to dig up the soil in the fall, choosing the nodules, and then again in the spring.
