When to Plant Chickpeas? A Detailed Guide to Planting Time and Methods

AbstractChickpea planting time: spring sowing in April-May, summer sowing in June, autumn sowing in October-November. Land preparation and fertilization: after deep ploughing and raking the soil flat, apply sufficient base fertilizer. Planting density: for erect plant-type varieties, the planting density is about 50 plants per sq m; for spreading plant-type varieties, the planting density is about 33 plants per sq m. Later management: 30-60 days after sowing, appropriate intercultivation can effectively suppress weed growth; before emergence, herbicide can be sprayed, and later, water and fertilize reasonably.

I. Sowing Time

Generally, chickpeas are sown in spring from April to May, in summer in June, and in autumn from October to November. Before sowing, seeds of good quality and higher yield should be selected for planting.

II. Land Preparation and Fertilization

1. Chickpeas should preferably be planted in fertile sandy loam that is convenient for irrigation and drainage; it is not suitable to plant them on continuous cropping land or saline-alkali land. After selecting the land, deep plough and rake it flat.

2. After preparing the land, apply sufficient base fertilizer. For autumn sowing, it can be directly broadcast in the field, with a sowing rate of about 1000 kg per mu. Generally, seed fertilizer is applied in furrows before sowing at a depth of about 8-10 cm. To avoid burning the sprouts, the fertilizer should be about 5-8 cm away from the seeds, and about 10 kg of superphosphate can be applied per mu.

3. At the early flowering stage of the plants, root topdressing can be carried out at a depth of about 10-15 cm and about 10-15 cm from the plants, with about 10-12 kg of urea applied per mu. At the same time, topdressing should be carried out together with furrowing and earthing up. At the full flowering stage of the plants, foliar topdressing can be carried out, spraying 100 g of monopotassium phosphate or 200 g of urea per mu, or about 5 g of Penshibao.

III. Thinning

Chickpeas have strong adaptability to different planting densities. For erect plant-type varieties, the suitable planting density is about 50 plants per sq m; for spreading plant-type varieties, the suitable planting density is about 33 plants per sq m.

IV. Intercultivation and Weeding

1. About 66 days after sowing chickpeas, weeding should be carried out regularly to ensure there are no weeds in the field, which helps the seedlings grow rapidly.

2. About 30-60 days after sowing, to improve soil aeration, appropriate intercultivation can be carried out, which can also control weed growth. Secondly, before the emergence stage, 1000-1500 g of chloramben per hectare, or 1000-1500 g of nitrofen, or about 1000 g of chloramben, etc., can be sprayed. This not only helps with weed control but also increases yield.

V. Timely Watering

1. In most winter-sowing areas, chickpeas receive relatively high rainfall before sowing and in the early growth stage, and the soil moisture is suitable for plant growth, so no watering is needed.

2. If spring sowing is carried out, or winter sowing is carried out in arid areas where rainfall is relatively low and cannot meet the water demand before sowing and in the early growth stage, water should be supplemented in time. When the plants grow 4-6 true leaves and during pod formation, the water demand is relatively high, so watering must be carried out in time to ensure high yield.

VI. Fertilization

Generally, chickpeas are mainly fertilized with organic fertilizer and cake fertilizer. Apply an appropriate amount of phosphate fertilizer according to soil fertility, preferably 1.5-3 kg of phosphorus pentoxide per mu. To increase yield, an appropriate amount of molybdenum fertilizer and zinc fertilizer can also be applied.