How to Grow Water Chestnuts? A Detailed Guide to Scientific Cultivation Methods

The water chestnut is a plant that grows in water in everyday life. In some regions it is called "matijiao" (horse hoof), named so because its shape closely resembles a horse's hoof. The water chestnut also has fairly high nutritional value; eating it regularly can promote growth and development, lower blood pressure, and beautify the skin. So how exactly should water chestnuts be grown scientifically?

Scientific Cultivation Methods for Water Chestnuts

1. Selecting Seed Corms

Propagation uses the corm, also called the fruit ball, for asexual reproduction. The water chestnut reproduces through stolons. Before sowing, select one by one corms with unbroken skin, thick and healthy apical and lateral buds, dark brown skin, a single corm weight of more than 15 grams, and characteristics of the cultivated variety, to serve as seed corms. Before sowing, soak them for 18-24 hours in a 500-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim wettable powder to kill surface pathogens. About 15-20 kg of seed corms are needed per mu of field.

2. Seedling Raising Time

The seedling raising time for water chestnuts depends on the transplanting period. For early-water water chestnuts, because the early temperatures are low, seedling raising begins 40-45 days before transplanting (late March to early April); for late-water water chestnuts, because temperatures are higher during seedling raising, seedlings are raised 20-25 days before planting. In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, seedlings are generally raised from Qingming to Guyu. Before raising seedlings, sprout them indoors first, then sow and transplant them temporarily in paddy fields.

3. Sprouting Seed Corms

The indoor sprouting method is to spread a layer of rice straw about 10 cm thick on the ground, arrange the seed corms with their buds facing up on the straw, stack them 3-4 layers, cover them with more rice straw, and water them once each morning and evening. After 10-15 days, when the buds have grown to 3-4 cm, the seedlings can be transplanted into the seedling field for sowing.

3. Seedling Field Preparation

The seedling field should be chosen in a place with convenient irrigation and drainage that is fertile and loose. Deeply plow, finely harrow, and level the seedling field, leaving furrow ditches around the sides and building surrounding ridges, because during this period the water chestnut's nutrition mainly comes from the corm, so the seedling field generally does not need fertilizing.

4. Sowing and Raising Seedlings

Arrange the sprouted corms one by one into the seedling pond, and press the corms into the mud 1-2 cm, with a plant and row spacing of 6×6 cm. The buds should face up and be at a uniform height, and the field should maintain a water layer of 1-2 cm. After 15-20 days, when the seedlings are about 10 cm tall and have 5-6 leaf-like stems, they can be transplanted temporarily.

Planting Techniques

1. Land preparation and fertilizing: It is best to choose a paddy field with sufficient sunlight, loose topsoil, relatively firm subsoil, a plow layer of about 20 cm, ample water sources, convenient irrigation, and clean water for planting. Before planting, deeply plow the field about 15 cm, then apply base fertilizer. The reference standard for fertilizing is to apply 3000 kg of decomposed pig manure, 30 kg of superphosphate, 10-15 kg of potassium chloride, and 15 kg of ammonium bicarbonate per mu. Finally, harrow it finely until the field soil becomes muddy paste.

2. Timely planting: In the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, water chestnuts can be planted from late May to early June. Before planting, carefully dig out the seedlings and wash off the soil before planting. The best plant and row spacing for planting water chestnuts is about 30×50 cm, with 1 plant per hole and 2500-3000 plants per mu. Planting water chestnuts should be at an appropriate depth, with 5-7 cm into the soil being suitable.

Field Management of Water Chestnuts

1. Seedling stage: The period from after the plants survive to before tillering and suckering is called the seedling stage. The water chestnut is an aquatic crop, and during the seedling stage a shallow water layer of 3-5 cm should be maintained. Water chestnuts begin to grow 10-15 days after planting. When the old leaves of the water chestnut seedlings wither and die, combine weeding by stepping the yellowed stems, rotted seed corms, and withered weeds and leaves into the field, which helps the seed corms grow new roots. At this time, topdress once with urea, generally applying 10-15 kg of urea per mu, to promote earlier tillering and suckering of the water chestnuts.

2. Vegetative stage: During the tillering stage, carry out 2-3 rounds of inter-row weeding and cultivating for the water chestnuts. Combine the weeding with the second topdressing, applying 5-10 kg of urea per mu to promote corm formation. From the Autumn Equinox to Cold Dew, during the vigorous growth period of the corms, the water layer should be deepened, preferably kept in the range of 6-9 cm. During this period, water chestnut stem blight and the water chestnut white stem borer often occur. For water chestnut stem blight, spray 40 kg per mu of a 500-1000-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim wettable powder plus an 800-fold dilution of 70% thiophanate-methyl for control. The control method for the white stem borer is to spray 100 grams of 98% cartap mixed with 50 kg of water.

3. Maturity stage: During the corm maturity stage, that is, about 20 days before harvest, irrigation should be stopped to let the leaves turn yellow and gradually dry up in preparation for harvest. There is no other management during this period; it is only necessary to prevent damage by livestock.

Growth Habits of Water Chestnuts

Water chestnuts prefer to grow in ponds or are cultivated in paddy fields. They like warmth and moisture and fear freezing, and are suitable for growing in loam with a soft plow layer and firm subsoil.

In cultivation, a plow layer of 20-25 cm is required, which is good for the growth and development of the corms without letting the corms drill too deep, keeping individual development uniform and consistent in size, and also facilitating digging and harvesting. If the plow layer is too sticky, it is not good for the corms to expand; if there is too much humus, the sugar content of the corms decreases and the sweetness is poor. They are suitable for growing in shallow water. In terms of nutritional needs, they require less nitrogen fertilizer and more phosphorus fertilizer. Throughout the entire growth period, sufficient sunlight is required.

Through the above content, I believe everyone has gained some understanding of water chestnut cultivation techniques. Water chestnuts generally grow in ponds or paddy fields, fear cold and like warmth, so tropical regions are more suitable for growing water chestnuts. Water chestnuts have high edible value; they are not only delicious and nutritious but also have very good medicinal value!