A Detailed Guide to Watercress Planting Time and Cultivation Techniques
SummaryThe planting time for watercress is around September. If it is planted by cuttings, the time is around mid-to-late September or early October. After about two months, it can grow to about 25 cm, and then it can be harvested and sold on the market.
Watercress is widely cultivated in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and many other provinces and cities in China. Watercress prefers cold and damp environments and mostly grows by the water. It can withstand short periods of frost and other adverse weather, but it cannot tolerate high temperatures. Next, let us take a detailed look at watercress together.
Watercress Planting Time
Watercress is generally sown and raised as seedlings when the temperature is around 22 degrees, usually around September.
If watercress is planted by cuttings, it starts in mid-to-late September, and transplanting begins in mid-October. After about one to two months of growth, when watercress has grown to about 25 cm, it can be harvested and sold on the market.
The watercress we usually buy is its tender stems and leaves. It tastes fresh and tender, with a crisp and refreshing flavor. It also has effects such as clearing lung heat and promoting urination, and regular consumption can also resist aging.
Watercress Cultivation Techniques
There are three common varieties of watercress:
1. British Large-Leaf Watercress. This variety has very good cold resistance and can pass through the cold winter well in the natural environment. It blooms and bears fruit in spring, tastes fresh and tender, and has very good quality.
2. Jiangliang Large-Leaf Watercress. This variety also has strong cold resistance and very strong stress resistance, but it contains a lot of fiber, so it does not taste as tender when eaten.
3. Guangdong Small-Leaf Watercress. This kind of watercress does not bear fruit and can only reproduce asexually. Its cold resistance is not as good as the first two, but its advantage is that it has the freshest and most tender taste.
No matter which variety of watercress it is, the following points must be noted in its cultivation.
1. Watercress likes fertilizer and water, so it is necessary to choose waterside and other places with sufficient fertility for planting.
2. Watercress likes shady and humid environments. The temperature should not be too high or too low. 20-25 degrees is most suitable. If it is too cold, growth will be slow; if it is too hot, it is prone to turning yellow and withering.
3. For transplanting watercress, it is necessary to choose healthy seedlings with complete green leaves, thick stems, and short nodes. Apply fertilizer well before transplanting. About one month after transplanting, it can be harvested. After harvesting, apply fertilizer once more, and after some time it can be harvested again.
4. During the planting period, attention should also be paid to the prevention and control of pests.
Watercress has high nutritional value, and planting it is very simple. It is suitable whether for large-scale planting by growers or for personal planting for self-sufficiency.