How to Grow Yellow Chives: A Detailed Guide to the Key Cultivation Techniques

Yellow chives are a vegetable that has become popular in recent years. Because of its special growing method, it develops a color different from that of regular chives. On the market, yellow chives are a bit more expensive than regular chives, and many people want to grow them. But to grow them well, you need to master some techniques.

How to Grow Yellow Chives

1. Direct sowing. Use 2 kg of seed per 667 sq m. Before sowing, open sowing furrows on the seedbed running east-west, with a flat bottom, about 17-20 cm deep and about 17 cm wide at the bottom, at a row spacing of 73 cm. Loosen the bottom of the furrow, break up and level the soil, and spread a thin layer of fine sand to fill the soil gaps, then sow. To ensure even sowing, uniform seed depth, and neat emergence, you must also make a special sowing press board (a wooden board 1 m long and 8-10 cm wide, with one end raised and a rope tied to it). Place the board in the sowing furrow, with one person slowly dragging it in front and another gently pressing the board down behind, so that a straight, even imprint appears in the furrow. After dragging and pressing, sow the seeds evenly within the imprint. Immediately after sowing, cover with a thin layer of fine sandy soil no more than 0.5 cm thick, then apply fully decomposed human manure and urine at a concentration of 1 part human manure and urine to 2-3 parts clear water, using about 1000 kg of the diluted human manure and urine per 667 sq m.

2. Division and transplanting. Prepare the seedlings separated from the old clumps; about 4000-5000 plants are needed per 667 sq m. Open rows running east-west, 20-25 cm deep, with a row spacing of 30-35 cm. Apply 2000-3000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure per 667 sq m, or apply 1000-1500 kg of organic compound fertilizer and 50 kg of superphosphate. After thoroughly mixing the fertilizer with the soil, place the separated seedlings into the furrows and earth them up, with a plant spacing of about 20 cm.

Cultivation Techniques for Yellow Chives

1. Prepare the beds at the right time: Planting of yellow chives begins around June 25 each year, with the key being to keep the bed soil at moderate moisture. For dry land, prepare the beds dry; for dry beds, open furrows, water, and then plant. If the beds are wet when prepared, the soil tends to become compacted, with poor aeration, making it hard for new roots to grow.

2. Apply sufficient base fertilizer: Apply 10,000 jin of farmyard manure per mu, together with 20 kg of biological fertilizer, 20 kg of urea or diammonium phosphate, 150 kg of superphosphate, and 35 kg of potassium sulfate. Mix the fertilizer and soil thoroughly and evenly, so the bed soil is loose yet moderately firm and the bed surface is level.

3. Transplant in time: When the yellow chive seedlings have grown to 4-5 leaves and are about 20 cm tall, they can be transplanted. Transplant at a reasonable density, with proper planting depth, moderate watering, and appropriate pesticide use.

4. Reasonable close planting: The planting bed for yellow chives is 2.2 m wide. When transplanting with a row spacing of 30 cm and a single-plant spacing of 5 cm, yellow chives are both high-yielding and high-quality, and the beds do not need to be rotated for 4-6 years while still maintaining high and stable yields.

5. Proper depth: Special attention must be paid to the depth when transplanting yellow chive seedlings. If planted too deep, tillering is late and scarce, and later growth is not vigorous; if planted too shallow, the clumps easily fall apart. The depth of the planting furrow should be decided according to the size of the chive seedlings.

Fertilizer and Water Management for Yellow Chives

After sowing, the chive seedlings must be watered according to weather conditions. In dry weather, water once each morning and evening to keep the soil moist, so the seeds germinate quickly and the seedlings emerge early. Generally, dry seeds germinate and emerge 6-10 days after sowing. At this time, remove any grass mulch promptly and apply one application of 10% decomposed dilute human and livestock manure. When the chive seedlings grow to 6-10 cm tall, apply a topdressing of human and livestock manure water at a concentration of 20%. After 20 days, as the temperature rises, gradually reduce the fertilizer concentration, but increase the number of applications and the total amount. On the 7th day, apply one application of 10% human and livestock manure water. When the seedlings are 30-40 cm tall, increase the fertilizer concentration; generally, 0.2-0.3 kg of urea can be added to every 50 kg of 30% human and livestock manure water to promote rapid growth of the chive seedlings, thicken the pseudostems, and widen and thicken the leaves. If drought occurs, irrigate by running water through the furrows, and after the water recedes, apply 50% human and livestock manure water.

Pest Control for Yellow Chives

1. Chive maggot: To control chive maggot, use ground spraying, that is, during the peak emergence of adults, broadcast 2.5% trichlorfon powder along the rows at 2-2.6 kg per mu, or spray 40% phoxim emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

2. Leafminer: To control leafminer, from the peak egg-laying period to the early larval hatching stage, spray 75% cyromazine at 5000-7000 times dilution, or 2.5% deltamethrin, 20% fenvalerate, or other pyrethroid pesticides at 1500-2000 times dilution.

3. Thrips: To control thrips, during the peak larval occurrence period, spray 50% phoxim at 1000 times dilution, or 10% imidacloprid at 4000 times dilution, or 3% acetamiprid at 3000 times dilution, or 2.5% deltamethrin and other pyrethroid pesticides at 1500-2500 times dilution.

The growing method for yellow chives is still quite simple. The key is to choose the site in advance, prepare the fertile soil beforehand, and then choose the appropriate time for sowing. Later management must also be strengthened; field fertilizer and water management and timely pest control are all very important. Only by doing these well will yellow chives grow well in the later stages.