Milk vetch planting methods and timing: when is the best time to sow?

SummarySeed treatment: after drying the seeds in the sun for 4 hours, mix them with calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer. Timely sowing: sow in the early autumn season each year. Protecting and promoting seedlings: do a good job of weeding during the growth process, which helps promote the robust growth of the seedlings. Field management: promptly control water management well, and during the growth period, apply farmyard manure, superphosphate, quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer, etc. as topdressing.

I. Seed treatment

1. Milk vetch originally had a fairly widespread wild population, so it does not have great requirements for soil; generally, choosing water-rich, cool and fertile soil for planting is enough.

2. Before sowing, dry the seeds in the sun for about 4 hours, then wipe off the waxy layer on the seed surface, which helps promote seed water absorption and germination. After treatment, put the seeds into salt water and pick out the shriveled, diseased and other inferior seeds floating on the water surface.

3. Then soak the healthy seeds in human urine for about 7 hours. After soaking, air-dry them, then mix them with calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer and wait to sow.

II. Timely sowing

1. Generally, choose to sow in the early autumn season each year. The temperature and humidity at this time are relatively suitable for seed germination and seedling emergence. The sowing time has a relatively large impact on the growth of milk vetch.

2. If sowing is too early, the symbiotic period with fertilizer will be long, and the seedlings after emergence will grow relatively weakly; if sowing is too late, the temperature will gradually drop, the seeds will enter dormancy, and the germination rate will decline.

3. Moreover, after emergence, the seedlings are prone to freezing damage, and the overwintering survival rate will not be high. When sowing, pay attention to the sowing density, sow evenly, and ensure uniform seedling emergence.

III. Protecting and promoting seedlings

1. If sowing in rice fields, generally avoid muddy fields when harvesting rice. After harvesting, sow promptly, then cover the milk vetch with rice straw, which helps increase temperature and strengthen soil water retention, promoting the robust growth of the seedlings.

2. Do a good job of weeding during the growth period. If weeding is not done in time, weeds will compete with the seedlings for growth nutrients, causing poor nutrition for seedling growth, and in severe cases may cause seedling death. Therefore, in order to ensure the healthy growth of milk vetch, measures to protect and promote seedlings must be done well.

IV. Field management

1. During the growth process, milk vetch is afraid of both drought and waterlogging, especially at the seedling stage. Attention should be paid to drainage work. If there is too much accumulated water, rotten buds and rotten seedlings are likely to occur.

2. If water management is improper, it will affect the growth of the plant's roots and stems, causing phenomena such as yellow leaves and leaf drop. Therefore, according to factors such as the growth stage of milk vetch and the climate, promptly control water management well.

3. Milk vetch has a very high demand for nutrients. Generally, after seedling emergence, apply farmyard manure promptly as topdressing, which helps improve the resistance of the seedlings, and in December apply farmyard manure, superphosphate and other fertilizers as topdressing, which helps improve the cold resistance of the seedlings. After the Beginning of Spring, an appropriate amount of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer can be applied as topdressing, and trellises can be set up according to the growth condition of the seedlings.