What are the key cultivation techniques for garland chrysanthemum in summer?

Garland chrysanthemum, also known as youmai cai, and called bitter vegetable in some places, belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is a pointed-leaf type leaf lettuce harvested for its tender shoots and tender leaves. The leaves are long and lanceolate, light green in color, crisp and tender in texture, extremely fresh and delicate in taste, fragrant, with a unique flavor, and contain large amounts of vitamins and abundant calcium, iron, protein, fat, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and other nutrients. It is a premium among vegetables eaten raw, and is known as “phoenix tail”.

Morphological characteristics of garland chrysanthemum Garland chrysanthemum belongs to the Asteraceae family and is a pointed-leaf type leaf lettuce harvested for its tender shoots and tender leaves. The leaves are long and lanceolate, and its appearance is somewhat like the “head” of celtuce, with slender, flat-spreading leaves and a thin, short stem. In terms of genetic relationship, garland chrysanthemum belongs to a variety of leaf lettuce——long-leaf lettuce, and is similar to the familiar romaine lettuce, so it is also called niuli lettuce. It is light green in color and vigorous in growth. It has strong disease resistance and adaptability, a crisp and tender texture, and an extremely fresh, delicate taste with a fragrant aroma, and is known as “phoenix tail”.

High summer temperatures affect the production efficiency of garland chrysanthemum. In order to maximize the production efficiency of garland chrysanthemum in summer, we must master the key points of summer cultivation of garland chrysanthemum. Below we will introduce how garland chrysanthemum should actually be cultivated in summer.

1. Choose superior varieties. Varieties that are heat-tolerant, disease-resistant, high-quality and high-yielding should be selected, such as Xiangyoumai cai.

2. Sow at the appropriate time. Summer-sown garland chrysanthemum is suitable for sowing from late June to early July, requiring 50 grams of seed per mu, with a seedling age of 25 to 30 days, and transplanting from late July to early August. Autumn sowing is suitable from late July to early August, requiring 40 to 50 grams of seed per mu.

3. Seed treatment. Because the seedling-raising period of summer and autumn garland chrysanthemum coincides with the high-temperature, drought and rainy season, in order to ensure uniform and strong seedlings, it is best to soak and sprout the seeds before sowing. First wrap the seeds in gauze and soak them in cold water for about 1 hour, then take them out and place them under conditions of 15°C to 20°C to promote sprouting. After 2 to 3 days, once the seeds show white sprouts, they can be sown.

4. Cultivation management. Plots with higher terrain, fertile soil, good permeability and where no Asteraceae crops have been grown should be selected. Apply sufficient base fertilizer, with 5000 kg of high-quality barnyard manure, 40 kg of diammonium phosphate, 20 kg of urea, 20 kg of potassium sulfate, or 200 to 300 kg of plant ash per mu. After sowing, small arched sheds should be built on the seedling bed with bamboo strips 2 m or 4 m long, and then a layer of shade net or old film should be covered over the arched sheds to play a role in rain protection and cooling. Throughout the entire growth and development period, keep the field moist and the soil loose. During the growth period, foliar fertilizer should be applied 2 to 3 times in combination with watering, generally spraying with 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate or a 0.2% to 0.5% urea solution.

5. Harvest at the appropriate time. When the number of leaves of garland chrysanthemum reaches 30 to 34 and the plant height is 45 to 48 cm, harvest all at once at 2 to 3 cm above the ground for sale.