When to plant watercress? Detailed guide to planting time and methods

SummaryPlanting time: sow and raise seedlings from late August to September, transplant in September-October. Planting site selection: plant in paddy fields or dry land with convenient irrigation conditions. Field management: after planting in paddy fields, shallow water needs to be added promptly, while after planting in dry land, watering must be done immediately; during the growing period, an appropriate amount of quick-acting fertilizer, organic fertilizer, etc. can be applied. Harvesting and seed saving: harvest when the plants have grown to about 30cm tall; after harvesting, seeds can be selected for saving or plants can be selected and kept for seed.

I. Planting time

1. Watercress is generally planted in autumn and then harvested in winter. When the temperature drops to 25°C from late August to September, planting or sowing and seedling raising begins, then transplanting takes place in September-October, and harvesting can be carried out about one month after transplanting.

2. In the Yangtze River Basin region, after harvesting and replanting 2-3 times, when the temperature drops to 5°C, the plants need to be promptly moved into large or medium-sized sheds, or heeled in inside protected areas to overwinter, and in March of the second year, they are transplanted again to open fields and harvested until April-May.

II. Planting site selection

1. Generally, paddy fields or dry land with convenient irrigation conditions can be chosen for planting. The soil of the planting site must have sufficient fertility and strong fertilizer- and water-holding capacity, so clay soil or sandy soil is not suitable for planting.

2. There should be appropriate shade around the watercress planting site, which can reduce the labor and cost of building shade sheds. Paddy fields need to be plowed level, while dry land needs deep plowing, and sufficient base fertilizer should be applied. After preparing the beds, wait for sowing.

III. Field management

1. Watercress has very high requirements for water and fertilizer, so there are certain differences in management between paddy field planting and dry land planting.

2. If planting in paddy fields, then after planting, shallow water needs to be added to the field promptly, generally to a depth of about 2cm, and then as the watercress grows, the water level is gradually increased; generally the water level in the field must not exceed 5cm.

3. If planting in dry land, watering should be done after transplanting, and then watered once every 3-4 days, which helps maintain soil moisture. During this period, reasonable fertilization is also needed, generally mainly quick-acting fertilizer, then foliar fertilizer sprayed on, as well as an appropriate amount of decomposed organic fertilizer applied.

IV. Harvesting and seed saving

1. When harvesting watercress, it should be harvested in batches. Generally, after transplanting, when the watercress has grown to about 30cm tall, the first batch can be harvested. After harvesting, one fertilization is needed, mainly applying urea.

2. There are generally two types of watercress, namely seed-bearing propagation and vegetative propagation. Seed-bearing propagation uses seeds for seed saving, while vegetative propagation for seed saving means selecting and keeping plants. Generally in May, the fruits of watercress begin to enter the maturity stage, and at this time seeds can be saved.