How to Break Dormancy in Winter-Sown Chinese Chives? Practical Experience Shared

Chinese chives are a very common vegetable in daily life. I think many people like scrambled eggs with Chinese chives, but Chinese chives are generally planted in spring, summer and autumn. In winter, when the weather is too cold, it is not very suitable for planting Chinese chives. However, with the continuous improvement of people's cultivation techniques today, many people also grow Chinese chives in winter.

Experience in breaking dormancy of winter-sown Chinese chives

After October, the weather gradually turns cold, allowing the plants to die naturally in the field so that nutrients fully flow back to the roots. Remove the dead grass in the field. If the ground has already frozen, it can be properly covered to thaw it. Remove the soil between the rows, open furrows, and pull out the small bulbs for cold stimulation and sunlight exposure to break dormancy. After 3-5 days, the chive roots change color. Spread fine soil and mixed manure, level it, and irrigate once with a pesticide to control pests. Water thoroughly, set up 1 windbreak for every 2 beds, insert arched bamboo strips on the beds, and cover them with film. Cover with straw mats to increase temperature and keep warmth, maintaining 20-25°C during the day. After the plants have grown, ventilate to exchange air, reduce humidity and prevent disease. On cloudy days, as long as the temperature inside the beds does not drop, the straw mats should be uncovered to let the Chinese chives receive scattered light.

Harvest the first crop after 30-40 days of covering. After harvesting, when the seedlings grow to 5-10 cm, apply urea once and water once, then cover again. After the first crop is harvested, the second crop can be harvested 25 days later, and after the second crop is harvested, the third crop can be harvested 30-35 days later. After the weather turns warm, remove the covering in time.

Disease control when growing Chinese chives

1. Ventilate and reduce humidity; 1-2 days after harvesting, ventilate widely and appropriately control watering.

2. Chemical control: when the seedlings are 2-3 cm tall, spray with 50% iprodione wettable powder at 1500 times dilution, or 50% carbendazim wettable powder at 300 times dilution, or 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder at 600-800 times dilution, once every 7-10 days, for a total of 2-3 sprays. 2. Phytophthora blight. It can be controlled by drenching the roots with 40% phosethyl-Al wettable powder at 300 times dilution or 25% metalaxyl wettable powder at 1200 times dilution; it can also be sprayed with 40% phosethyl-Al wettable powder at 200-300 times dilution or 25% metalaxyl wettable powder at 800-1000 times dilution.

Sowing techniques for growing Chinese chives  

1. Sowing time. After the soil thaws and before the Autumn Equinox, sowing can be done at any time. Generally, it is from late March to early May, and spring sowing is preferred. For summer sowing, earlier is better than later.  

2. Sowing rate. 4-5 kg of seed is needed per mu. For open-field seedling raising and transplanting, 1.5-2 kg.  

3. Sowing method. Before sowing, first take out part of the surface soil of the bed (sieve it for use in covering soil after sowing), then shallowly hoe and rake it level. First water once with bottom water, about 3.3 cm deep. After the water seeps down, water again to a depth of about 3.3 cm. After the water seeps down, scatter the seeds evenly, then cover with soil about 1.5 cm. The next day, rake it level with a tooth rake, keeping the surface soil both loose and moist, which is beneficial for seed germination and emergence. After sowing, cover with plastic film to preserve moisture. After more than 30% of the seeds have emerged, remove the plastic film in time to prevent seedling burn. If white shoots or lodging are found, add some moist soil again.

Planting time for Chinese chives  

1. Spring sowing: earlier is better than later. In spring, when the local soil temperature stabilizes at 5-10°C, sowing can be done. At this time, the ground has not completely thawed through, the soil-returning period has not yet arrived, and the surface is relatively moist, so emergence is very easy. This sowing method also avoids weed damage. Because after sowing, the Chinese chive seedlings emerge relatively quickly, while the temperature at that time is not yet suitable for weed germination, forming a time difference. Therefore, everyone is recommended to use this sowing method as much as possible.  

2. Summer sowing: generally sown after cucumbers and tomatoes are cleared from the garden. At this time, the temperature is high and drought and waterlogging are likely to occur. The sowing rate should be about one third greater than in spring. The soil cover should not be too thick, and the soil should be kept moist to help achieve full emergence.  

3. Autumn sowing: generally sown around the Beginning of Autumn. The sowing rate should be twice that of spring. Management is mainly based on seeing dry and seeing wet. In the later period, attention should be paid to weed damage. Autumn sowing is generally not recommended.

Now our country's planting industry is continuously developing, and many off-season vegetables can be grown. Therefore, Chinese chives can also be grown in winter. However, when planting in winter, attention should be paid to controlling its temperature, and some techniques for growing Chinese chives should also be mastered, and so on.