Taro Planting Time and Methods: When Is the Best Time to Plant
SummaryPlanting time: open-field cultivation can be done in early March, while plastic-film cultivation can be done before February. Planting method: it is best planted in fertile, deep, clayey soil with strong water retention; apply 2000 kg of organic fertilizer and 60 kg of 48% potassium sulfate compound fertilizer as base fertilizer; then sow the seed taro indoors, and transplant when the young shoots grow to 3-4 cm; during the middle and late growth stages of taro, keep the soil moist, and drain promptly in the rainy season; in the late growth stage, carry out intertillage and weeding and harvest at the right time.
1. Planting Time
1. Taro is intolerant of frost and likes to grow in a warm and humid environment, so it is generally sown after the last frost in the local area.
2. Sowing too early can easily cause seed rot. Taro has a relatively long growth period, and it can only germinate when the temperature is above 13-15°C. Therefore, planting can be started around early to mid-March, and if using plastic-film cultivation, it can be planted earlier before February.
2. Planting Methods
1. Land preparation and fertilization
(1) Taro has wide adaptability to soil, and fertile, deep, clayey soil with strong water retention is preferable. After land preparation, open furrows at a row spacing of 80-100 cm, with a furrow width of 50 cm and a depth of 35 cm.
(2) Apply fertilizer in the furrows. Taro has a relatively high fertilizer requirement and a relatively long growth period, so when planting, sufficient base fertilizer should be applied. Per mu, apply 2000 kg of high-quality organic fertilizer and 60 kg of 48% potassium sulfate compound fertilizer, applied in furrows opened according to row spacing.
2. Sowing method
(1) Select seed taro free of pests and diseases and without wounds, dry them in the sun for 3-4 days, then arrange them densely indoors, cover with 8-10 cm of wet sand for sprouting, and keep the room temperature at 20-25°C. After 20-30 days, when the sprouts grow to 3-4 cm and the 5 cm soil temperature is stable at 10°C, plant them.
(2) Open 2 sowing furrows on the ridge, with a furrow spacing of 30 cm and a depth of 7 cm. After watering the furrows thoroughly, sow the taro, with a plant spacing of 33-40 cm, and 4500-5000 plants can be planted per mu.
3. Watering management
(1) No watering is needed before taro emerges, but in the middle and late stages the soil should be kept moist, and drainage should be timely in the rainy season. About 80 days after emergence, hole fertilization can be carried out beside the plants in combination with watering. The soil for planting taro must not be too dry; in dry weather, yellow leaves and withered leaves will appear.
(2) However, soil that is too wet or has standing water is also unfavorable for root growth. During the seedling stage, the soil needs sufficient subsoil moisture, and watering should be strictly avoided. During the seedling stage, the soil should alternate between dry and wet, and attention should be paid to drainage when there is a lot of rain.
4. Intertillage and earthing up
(1) During the taro seedling stage, intertillage, weeding, and soil warming can be carried out in combination with topdressing. At the end of the seedling stage, intertillage can be done again and the cultivation furrows leveled into flat ground.
(2) Later, earth up once every about 20 days, with a thickness of 7 cm, for a total of 2 times. Earthing up helps inhibit the germination and growth of the terminal buds of daughter taros and grandchild taros, thereby reducing nutrient consumption, allowing the taro to expand fully and produce a large number of adventitious roots, and improving the drought resistance of the plants.
5. Timely harvest
(1) After taro matures, it should be harvested in time. In the Yangtze River Basin region, early-maturing varieties sown early are generally harvested from early September to early October, those sown late can be harvested from late September to late October, and mid-to-late-maturing varieties can be harvested from the end of September to early November.
(2) Harvesting can also be appropriately advanced or delayed according to market demand, but it is generally completed before heavy frost, which helps avoid frost damage to taro.