How to Grow Cabbage Mustard (Ercai): Detailed Guide to Planting Time and Methods

SummaryPlanting time: Cabbage mustard is generally sown from late August to early September. Preparing the seedbed: Choose a shaded area for the seedbed, requiring well-drained, loose and fertile sandy loam with deep soil and no pests or diseases. Deeply plow the soil, broadcast quicklime to disinfect, then apply fertilizer. Thinning and strengthening seedlings: To promote seedling growth, fertilizer should be applied after each thinning. Transplanting and fertilizing: Transplanting should be done on sunny or cloudy days, and after planting, topdressing can be applied about 2-3 times. Pest and disease control: Use pesticides rationally for prevention and control.

I. Sowing Time

1. Cabbage mustard is generally sown from late August to mid-September, with the best sowing time in early September.

2. The suitable temperature for cabbage mustard seed germination is around 20-28°C. To keep the bed surface moist, apply decomposed manure water before sowing, then broadcast evenly. To improve the germination rate, after sowing cover with a 0.5cm thick layer of fine sand, plant ash, or stone grains, etc., and finally after spraying pesticide, cover with straw or a shade net, etc.

3. When the germination rate reaches 75%, remove the shade net and straw in the evening to avoid seedling legginess. If there is high temperature and drought in summer and the soil is dry, water in the early morning or evening to protect the seedlings, and you can also set up a shade net or small arched frame, etc.

II. Preparing the Seedbed

1. The seedbed should be chosen in a shaded area. The soil should preferably be loose and fertile sandy loam with good drainage and irrigation conditions, deep soil, and no pests or diseases. Then deeply plow the soil, broadcast quicklime for disinfection, which can also adjust soil pH.

2. Note that if only quicklime is applied, the soil will become hard and lean, so base fertilizer needs to be applied, mainly decomposed human and livestock manure, combined with superphosphate, boron, magnesium, zinc and other trace elements. Then mix the seedbed soil evenly, level it, and make beds about 1.7m wide for later use.

III. Thinning and Strengthening Seedlings

(1) When the seedlings grow to 1-2 true leaves, thinning can be carried out, with a spacing of about 3-4cm, then apply fertilizer. About 1800-2000 kg of clear manure water per mu can be applied, together with about 5 kg of urea.

(2) The second thinning is when the seedlings have 3-4 true leaves, with a seedling spacing of about 5-6 cm. At the same time, apply fertilizer: about 2000-2500 kg of decomposed clear manure water per mu, together with about 5-6 kg of urea. A third thinning and fertilizing can be carried out according to specific conditions.

IV. Transplanting and Fertilizing

1. Transplanting should be done on sunny days or on sunny days with soil. After planting, water thoroughly. After the plants survive transplanting, to promote seedling growth, apply human and livestock manure water about 2-3 times as topdressing.

2. About 2-3 days after transplanting, apply rooting fertilizer: about 3000-3500 kg of decomposed human and livestock manure per mu. About 15 days after transplanting, topdressing can be carried out: about 2500-3000 kg of human and livestock manure per mu, together with about 20 kg of urea. About 35 days after transplanting, apply about 3000-3500 kg of human and livestock urine and manure per mu as topdressing, together with about 20 kg of superphosphate, about 15 kg of potassium sulfate, and about 20 kg of urea.

V. Pest and Disease Control

1. The main pests and diseases of cabbage mustard are aphids and viral diseases, etc. To control aphids, spray imidacloprid, compound pesticide insecticide at 1000 times dilution, or use yellow sticky traps for trapping and killing, about once every 7-10 days.

2. To control downy mildew, spray 64% Sandofan at 400 times dilution, etc. To control striped flea beetles, spray 2.5% deltamethrin EC at 2500 times dilution, etc. To control soft rot, spray agricultural 72% streptomycin soluble powder at 3500-4000 times dilution. If the disease is relatively serious, spray again after about 8-10 days. Stop applying pesticide within 15 days before harvest.