Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for Spring Sowing and Cultivation of Amaranth
Amaranth, original name: amaranth, aliases: Joseph's coat, old youngster, old-and-young, tricolor amaranth, Latin name: Amaranthus tricolor, Amaranthaceae family, Amaranthus genus annual herb, stems stout, green or red, often branched, hairy or hairless when young. Amaranth has soft, smooth leaves and a strong vegetable flavor, sweet and fragrant on the palate, with the effect of moistening the intestines and stomach and clearing heat.
Amaranth leaves are rich in calcium that is easily absorbed by the human body, can promote the growth of teeth and bones, and can maintain normal myocardial activity and prevent muscle cramps. It also contains abundant iron, calcium and vitamin K, which can promote blood coagulation.
Amaranth is rich in dietary fiber; regular consumption can help with weight loss and lightening the body, promote detoxification, and prevent constipation. At the same time, regular consumption of amaranth can strengthen the physique; its content is higher than that of solanaceous fruits, and it has the reputation of “longevity vegetable”.
Amaranth can promote children's growth and development; its iron and calcium content is higher than that of spinach, making it outstanding among fresh vegetables. It is also suitable for anemia patients, women and the elderly, maintaining normal myocardial activity, and promoting blood coagulation, hematopoiesis and the blood's oxygen-carrying function.
Spring Sowing and Cultivation Techniques for Amaranth
Amaranth varieties cultivated as a vegetable are mainly divided by leaf color into two major categories: green amaranth and purple amaranth (i.e. red amaranth). The former has relatively strong heat tolerance and is suitable for summer and autumn cultivation; the latter has slightly weaker heat tolerance and is more suitable for spring cultivation. In order to obtain high quality and high yield, the following key techniques should be well implemented when planting amaranth in spring:
1. Land selection and sowing
In addition to requiring flat terrain and convenient drainage and irrigation, the amaranth plot should especially be chosen with fewer weeds, to facilitate harvesting and improve market quality. Before sowing, first plow the plot, apply 1500 kg of human and livestock manure per mu as base fertilizer, then rake it level and form beds; the bed surface should be finely crumbled and level. Since amaranth is mainly harvested for its young tender stems and leaves, broadcast sowing can generally be used. Sowing density varies with different seasons; in early spring when temperatures are low, to ensure sufficient seedlings and high yield, 3-5 kg per mu should be sown. Broadcasting should be uniform; after sowing, cover with a layer of plant ash or fine sand, and water the bed surface moist (be careful to avoid pouring with water, so as not to wash away the seeds).
2. Strengthen management
After sowing, pay attention to keeping the soil surface moist. Generally, about 7 days after early spring sowing, seedlings emerge. After emergence, first weed promptly; when the seedlings grow 2 true leaves, apply 2.5 kg of urea per mu (diluted with thin human manure); when the seedlings are about 7 cm tall, combine with watering and apply 5-7 kg of urea per mu; when the seedlings are more than 15 cm tall, thinning and harvesting can begin. After each harvest, topdressing should be done promptly, spraying 0.1% urea solution mixed with human manure as a foliar fertilizer, and pay attention to weeding.
3. Harvest in stages
Amaranth can be sown once and harvested in batches. The peak harvest period for spring sowing is from May to July. Early harvesting is generally combined with thinning, keeping sparse and harvesting dense, keeping small and harvesting large; retained seedlings should be uniform to ensure later yield; later harvesting can use a knife to cut, leaving about 10 cm at the base to promote the sprouting of side branches; when the side branches grow to about 25 cm, cut and harvest again.