How to grow fennel in spring and autumn? Planting time, seed treatment and fertilisation methods

SummaryThe best time to plant fennel is March-April in spring and August-September in autumn; if planting in winter, greenhouse technology is required. Planting method: first select plump and intact seeds, soak them in warm water for about 12 hours before planting, the soil needs sufficient base fertiliser, after sowing in autumn cover with plastic film, when true leaves appear thin and fill in the seedlings, fertilise during the growing process, and when the fennel plants grow to about 30cm they can be harvested.

Planting time for fennel

Fennel has a very wide range of uses; it is a spice we are all familiar with, and it is also a medicinal herb. Fennel is usually grown in two seasons: first, March-April in spring, and second, August-September in autumn. If you choose to plant in winter, greenhouse technology is required, while planting in summer cannot guarantee its yield or quality.

Planting methods for fennel

1. Seed selection

For fennel seeds, choose plump, intact ones from the most recent year, as these seeds have a higher success rate of germination. If the autumn temperature is high, the seeds germinate more slowly than in spring, so at this time the seeds can be given some treatment to make them germinate faster .

Treatment method: before planting, rub the seeds, then soak them in warm water for about 12 hours, wash off the mucilage on the fennel seeds, then wrap them in gauze and place them in an environment of about 20 degrees to germinate; once the seeds show white sprouts, you can begin preparing to sow. When selecting sprouts, choose the fast-growing ones; a very small number of seeds have not yet germinated, so keep waiting for them to germinate and keep them as backup.

2. Applying base fertiliser to the soil

Fennel is suited to loose, fertile sandy soil; only this kind of soil allows fennel to grow luxuriantly. Fennel has requirements for soil fertility, so you must apply enough base fertiliser to the soil before planting. You can use a mixture of manure and NPK compound fertiliser, which is relatively comprehensive in nutrients, can effectively improve soil quality, and allows fennel to grow more effectively.

3. Sowing

After applying the base fertiliser, be sure to plough the land deeply, and do not leave large clods of soil, as this would make the soil fertility uneven; therefore, after ploughing, level the beds, then sow the germinated fennel seeds, and after sowing cover with a thin layer of soil. But note that in autumn there will be a lot of rain, so you should make raised beds and cover the sown fennel seedlings with plastic film to protect them from being washed away by rain.

4. Thinning and filling in seedlings

Wait until the fennel breaks through the soil and grows seedlings, and when true leaves appear, you can begin thinning. First remove the surrounding weeds, then start thinning with a plant spacing of about 4 cm; if there are places where fennel seedlings are scarce, fill them in promptly.

5. Fertilising

When the fennel seedlings grow to about seven to eight centimetres, fertilise, because fennel needs a large amount of fertiliser to grow quickly. You can combine urea with water, using about 10 kg per mu. And when the fennel seedlings grow to ten centimetres, you can continue to use urea for a second fertilisation to speed up the growth of the fennel. Compound fertiliser and urea are used together when the fennel seedlings have eight true leaves; at this point the quality of the fennel grown can reach a certain level.

When fennel grows to two or four leaves, use foliar fertiliser to promote the greening and growth of the leaves. To prevent fennel from lodging during growth, when fennel grows to a certain height, use some agents to control the growth of the fennel.

6. Harvest in time

Fennel can be harvested all at once or in several harvests. If you want a higher yield of fennel, you can harvest it in several rounds, and the harvested fennel plants only need to have grown to about thirty centimetres; but note that the method of harvesting fennel multiple times is to cut it about three to four centimetres above the ground, then apply fertiliser once more to promote growth, while for a single harvest you can simply pull it up by the roots.