Precautions for Winter Cultivation of Yellow Chives
Yellow chives, also known as “chive sprouts”, “yellow chive sprouts”, and “yellow chives”, commonly called “chive white”, are the product of chives that have been blanched and turned yellow through softening cultivation. When chives are cut off from light and grown entirely in darkness, they cannot carry out photosynthesis or synthesize chlorophyll due to the lack of sunlight, so they turn yellow and are called “yellow chives”. Because they do not see sunlight, they are yellow-white, and their nutritional value is inferior to that of chives. They belong to the Liliaceae family as a perennial herbaceous plant, and the seeds and leaves, among other parts, are used in medicine. They have effects such as strengthening the stomach, refreshing the mind, stopping sweating and astringing, tonifying the kidney and supporting yang, and securing essence. They are distributed throughout the country.
Morphological Characteristics
The roots of chives are rather special. They have no distinction between a main root and lateral roots, and even fewer root hairs; they only have relatively plump, string-like fibrous roots. In the year of sowing, they are borne at the base of the stem disc of the rhizome; from the 2nd year onward, they are borne around and on one side of the stem disc of the rhizome. The fibrous roots are about 30 cm long and are mainly distributed in the soil layer 20 cm below the surface. This indicates that the chive root system has a relatively poor ability to absorb water and nutrients. The rhizome is gourd-shaped and grows in the soil. It is an organ for storing nutrients, and the growing point at its top can produce tillers in the year of sowing.
The bulb of annual chives is flat-round. In biennial plants, the bulb disc begins to elongate and continues to produce new roots, and the site where new roots emerge tends to shift outward. Later, with the increase in tillering, the rhizome continuously elongates toward the soil surface each year, and the site where new fibrous roots are borne also keeps rising, while the original old roots continuously die off, producing the so-called “root-jumping” phenomenon. This allows the root system to renew itself year after year. The life span of the chive rhizome is 2 to 3 years. As plant age increases, the old rhizomes gradually age and die, and the fibrous roots die with them, while new fibrous roots continuously form on the upper rhizome to replace the dead old roots. On average, each tiller has about 10 fibrous roots. The number of tillers in chive seedlings over three years old decreases relatively, but good fertilizer and water conditions can delay this trend, thereby allowing chives to remain productive for a long time. The leaves are flat, strap-shaped, and the leaf sheaths are closed, forming a false stem. They bolt between July and August, with an umbel borne at the top. The flowers are white, and the seeds are black.
Precautions for Winter Cultivation of Yellow Chives
1. Field Layout
The chive beds are extended east-west, with a width of 3 m, a bed surface of 2.5 m, bed ridges of 0.5 m, and a height of 25 cm.
2. Preparation of Chive Plants
For chives, choose varieties with wide leaves, thick stems, and cold tolerance. For the chive plants used for cultivation, pay attention in early spring to intertillage and weeding, watering and fertilizing, and controlling insect larvae and maggots.
3. Root Nurturing in Autumn
Around “End of Heat”, and at the latest before “Autumnal Equinox”, apply heavy organic fertilizer to the chives. After fertilizing, pour 50% trichlorfon 800-fold solution along the chive rows to control maggots. In autumn, water the chives frequently; if there is no rain, water once every 15 days, and drain water in case of waterlogging.
At the same time, carry out shallow intertillage multiple times to eliminate weeds. Through autumn management, make the chives grow into plants with leaves 1.5 cm wide, stems 1 cm thick, and plant height 40 cm.
4. Winter Management and Care
After “Start of Winter”, set up windbreaks on the north side of the chive beds. The height of the windbreaks depends on the width of the beds. Generally, a 3 m wide bed requires a 3.5 m high windbreak. The windbreaks tilt southward at a 75-degree angle, with 5 m between each windbreak from north to south. After “Minor Snow”, when the chives return to the roots, rake away the withered chive leaves, clean thoroughly, dig them open with a small hoe to expose the bulbs, and air them for one day. Use a watering can or sprayer to spray trichlorfon or dichlorvos to control underground pests. Then cover with plastic film and cattail mats, three layers of cattail mats, uncovering at 9 a.m. and covering at 3 p.m. When new chive sprouts grow out of the ground, begin earthing up, with the thickness based on covering the leaf sheath part. As the chives grow again, earth up three more times, with a total thickness of 15 cm. When earthing up, avoid covering too thickly at one time. Sieve the soil and pile it between the chive rows, and when earthing up, use a small hoe to bank it on both sides of the chive plants.
5. Scientific Harvesting
The first crop has a growth period of 30 days and comes to market at “New Year's Day”, with a plant height of about 30 cm. The cutting position is at the junction between the original bed surface and the earthed-up soil.
6. Careful Management After Harvest
After harvesting, clear the earthed-up soil onto the bed ridges, loosen the surface soil, and raise the ground temperature. Water when the seedlings are 3 cm tall, and wash in diluted manure with the water. After the water seeps down, manage as before and harvest 2 to 3 crops. After the 3rd cutting, no more earthing up is done, and no harvest is taken that year. Remove the film and coverings and let them grow under natural conditions. Strengthen management to nurture the roots well and prepare for production again next winter.