How to Protect Winter Vegetables from Freezing? A Detailed Guide to Practical Protection Methods
In winter, crops and vegetables are also afraid of the cold. How can we ensure the normal growth of crops in winter?
Freeze protection measures for greenhouse vegetables
1. Strengthen covering
Build small arched tunnels inside the greenhouse, using thin bamboo poles etc. as arches, cover with film at night, and cover the film with straw mats; cover the ground inside the greenhouse with plastic film to increase temperature and retain moisture. Use plastic film as a skirt around the bottom inside the greenhouse, which can significantly reduce the invasion of cold air at the bottom; at the same time, pay attention to plugging gaps in the greenhouse to minimize heat loss through gaps.
2. Strengthen fertilizer and water management
Before and during low-temperature freezing damage, crops should stop using nitrogen fertilizer to prevent plants from becoming too soft, which reduces cold resistance, and to prevent fertilizer damage causing seedling death. You can spray 0.3-0.5% monopotassium phosphate and a 400-500 times diluted plant antifreeze solution. Water the greenhouse with diluted manure water so the soil does not freeze easily, achieving the purpose of protecting seedlings and preventing cold.
3. Temporary heating
When the daytime temperature inside the greenhouse is below 15°C and the nighttime temperature is below 5°C, chilling injury or freezing damage may occur. Temporary heating measures should be taken at night, manually supplementing heat energy, that is, placing several coal ball stoves inside the greenhouse to raise the temperature inside.
Freeze protection measures for open-field vegetables
1. Artificial covering for freeze protection
Before winter begins, scatter fallen leaves, pine needles or crop straw etc. on the vegetable beds as long-term winter mulch, and remove it when the weather warms up in spring.
2. Low trenches and dense planting
Plant appropriately deep. In winter, northwest winds blow frequently, so you can open shallow trenches on the beds running east-west or northeast-southwest, 10-13 cm deep, and plant the vegetables in the trenches, which has a windproof and warming effect. Winter vegetables should be planted somewhat deep, burying the root and stem parts that are prone to freezing damage into the soil, which can avoid wind and reduce freezing damage.
3. Manage fertilizer and water well
Water with antifreeze water at the right time. After planting winter vegetables, fertilizer and water should be applied reasonably to promote early growth. After winter begins, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied should be controlled to prevent excessive soft growth. 1-2 days before a cold wave invades and after the cold wave has passed, when the weather warms up and the soil thaws, water or apply diluted human manure and urine at the right time, which can prevent the ground temperature from dropping too low and prompt the crops to resume growth in time.
4. Make sun-facing vegetable beds
Make the vegetable bed surface slightly inclined toward the south to increase the amount of solar radiation the bed surface receives and raise the ground temperature.