How to grow Ceylon spinach? Detailed explanation of planting methods and technical key points

Ceylon spinach (scientific name: Gynura cusimbua), also known as chan cai, luokui, tofu vegetable, purple angle leaf, is a plant of the genus Gynura, a perennial tall herb, 1.5-2 m tall. Flowering and fruiting period is September-October. Ceylon spinach is eaten as seedlings, tender shoots or young leaves, with a tender, soft and smooth texture and high nutritional value. It can be used in soups, stir-fried, blanched, served cold, and so on. It has a delicate fragrance and, when chewed, is as crisp and refreshing as eating wood ear, hence the name Ceylon spinach. It is commonly cultivated in both the south and the north. In the tropical regions of the south, it can be cultivated as a perennial, while in the north it is mostly cultivated as an annual.

1. Cultivation methods

1. Direct seeding cultivation. For direct seeding to harvest seedlings, use 6-8 kg of seed per mu, broadcast sowing. To facilitate emergence, soak the seeds for 1-2 days before sowing and germinate them at a temperature of about 30°C. About 40 days after sowing, when the seedlings are 10-15 cm tall, they can be harvested.

2. Seedling raising and transplanting. Prepare the seedbed well, sow dry seeds, and seedlings emerge in 3-5 days at an optimum temperature of about 28°C. If the soil temperature is too low, germinate before sowing. During the seedling stage, maintain appropriately low temperatures, and transplant when there are 4-5 true leaves. For harvesting tender shoots, the row spacing is 20-25 cm and the plant spacing is 15-20 cm; for trellising and harvesting young leaves, the row spacing is 60 cm and the plant spacing is 25-35 cm, keeping 3000-4000 plants per mu.

2. Selecting varieties

It is advisable to choose excellent Ceylon spinach varieties such as red-stem Ceylon spinach and green-stem Ceylon spinach, which are high-quality, high-yielding and disease-resistant.

3. Field management and care

1. Management according to needs. ① For those mainly harvesting tender shoots, when the seedlings are 30-35 cm tall, keep 3-4 leaves at the base, cut off the tender shoot tips, and keep two strong lateral buds to form shoots. When harvesting the second round of shoots, keep 2-4 lateral buds to form shoots. During the vigorous growth period, each plant has 5-8 strong lateral buds forming shoots. In the middle and later stages, promptly remove flower stems and young buds. In the later stage, when growth weakens, keep 1-2 strong lateral shoots to promote leaf enlargement. ② For those aiming to harvest leaves, trellis cultivation should be used. When the seedlings are about 30 cm tall, set up an A-frame trellis and guide the vines onto it. In addition to keeping the main vine, also keep two strong lateral vines at the base to form the framework vines. When the framework vines reach the top of the trellis, pinch off the growing tips. After pinching, keep one strong lateral bud from each framework vine. After the leaves of the framework vines are all harvested, cut them down from the trellis. When putting up the trellis and after each harvest, earth up the soil. It is also possible not to prune or trellis and simply harvest tender shoots.

2. Intertillage and weeding. After direct-seeded seedlings emerge, or after transplanted plants have recovered from transplanting, and during the growth period, carry out timely intertillage and weeding to prevent weeds from competing for nutrients.

3. Fertilizing and watering. For base fertilizer, well-rotted farmyard manure, barnyard manure, and livestock and poultry manure are best. For topdressing, use rotted human and livestock manure or urea dissolved in water. After seedlings emerge, keep the soil moist and water in a timely manner. After each harvest, promptly apply 300 kg of human feces and urine per mu or 10 kg of urea as topdressing. In the rainy season, drain water promptly to prevent waterlogging.

4. Pest and disease control. ① The disease commonly occurring in Ceylon spinach is brown spot. In the early stage of occurrence, spray 72% Kelu wettable powder at 500-600 times dilution, or 68.75% Yibao dispersible granules at 800-1000 times dilution for control. ② If damage by the tobacco cutworm occurs, and many small holes are found on the tips of tender leaves, spray once with a pyrethroid insecticide when the larvae are in the 1st-2nd instar. ③ Continuous cropping of Ceylon spinach may also lead to root-knot nematode disease. Implementing crop rotation can reduce or avoid the occurrence of this disease.

4. Scientific harvesting

For direct-seeded plants, when they have 4-5 true leaves, the seedlings can be gradually thinned and harvested for eating. For those mainly harvesting tender shoots, when the seedlings are 30-35 cm tall, leave 2 true leaves at the base and cut them off with scissors. When the sprouted lateral branches have 5-6 true leaves, harvest again in the same way. For those mainly harvesting young leaves, harvest once every 15-20 days in the early stage, every 10-15 days in the middle growth stage, and every 7-10 days in the later stage. The harvested leaves should be fully expanded but not yet old, and thick. Generally, the yield of tender shoots (leaves) is 2000-4000 kg per mu.