How to grow skullcap plant?

Skullcap(Scutellaria baicalensis) is a traditional medicinal plant that grow in China for over 2,000 years, it also has an ancient Chinese name “Huang qin“.

As the source of baicalin extract, growing skull cap plants are becoming more and more common. In this article, I will introduce how to grow skullcap.

How to grow skullcap plant?

1. Planting time

April in spring and August in autumn in China.

2. Planting location

Grow Skullcap plant in sunny, loose, fertile, well-drained soil. Sandy or humus loam with deep soil has the best planting effect.

3. Skullcap grow method

• Seed propagation: Select Scutellaria baicalensis seeds with plump particles and soak them in warm water for 24 hours to promote germination.
• Propagation by cuttings: During the growth period of Scutellaria baicalensis, select healthy branches and cut them into appropriate lengths, then insert them into a sand bed or nutrient soil for cultivation.

4. Planting management

• Watering: After sowing, be careful to keep the soil moist but avoid water accumulation, otherwise the roots and stems will easily rot.
• Fertilizer: Fertilize once in spring and autumn. You can use nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium compound fertilizer or organic fertilizer for skullcap plant to better grow. When applying fertilizer during the growth stage, you need to pay attention to the ratio of nutrients and do not apply excessive nitrogen fertilizer.
• Weeding: Carry out weeding timely to ensure growth space and nutrient supply, also strengthen pest and disease control.
• Harvesting: We usually harvest skullcap in autumn, when the plant leaves grow to wither and turn yellow. After harvesting, need to dig up the entire plant and remove the soil and impurities. Finally, we need to dry it to maintain the quality and purity of skullcap.

Precautions of grow skullcap plant

• When planting seeds, we should control the planting spacing at about 10 cm. When the seedlings grow to 4 centimeters high, screen out the dense and thin seedlings.
• After the seedlings grow up to the ground, should loosen and weed the soil in time to keep the surrounding soil loose and weed-free. Weeding is required 3-4 times a year.
• Scutellaria baicalensis is drought-tolerant and afraid of water accumulation. When suffering severe drought or after applying fertilizer, it can be watered appropriately. However, you need to pay attention to drainage during the rainy season and prevent water from accumulating in the field, otherwise the roots will easily rot.

Our KINTAI strictly controls the product quality from the skullcap plant grow base, therefore producing the high-quality skullcap root extract 85% baicalin powder. You can click here to learn more!