Detailed Guide to Growing Cherry Radishes: Methods and Precautions
The cherry radish is a small radish with a red skin. Because it resembles a cherry, it is named the cherry radish. So what are the growing methods and precautions for cherry radishes?
1. Growth habits of the cherry radish
The cherry radish is not strict about environmental conditions and is relatively adaptable. It originated in temperate regions and is a semi-cold-hardy vegetable.
The suitable temperature range for growth is 5-25°C. The optimum temperature for seed germination is 20-25°C, and the optimum growing temperature is around 20°C. Radishes have relatively strict light requirements; during the growth process, insufficient light affects the accumulation of photosynthetic products, which leads to slow enlargement of the fleshy root and poorer quality.
2. Growing methods and precautions for cherry radishes
1. Growing methods
Cherry radishes are divided into early-maturing cultivation and overwintering cultivation. Early-maturing cultivation refers to sowing in protected facilities in winter or early spring and harvesting for market in early spring. Overwintering cultivation is generally carried out from October to December and requires certain warming measures.
Early-maturing cultivation is further divided into intercropping cultivation in greenhouses, plastic tunnel cultivation, and cultivation in cold frames or small plastic tunnels. In plastic tunnels, sow in early to mid-March and supply for market in late April.
In overwintering cultivation, cherry radishes have a short growing period and require less watering, and excessive supplementary fertilizing is not suitable. Therefore, a loose, fertile sandy loam soil with good permeability should be chosen for cultivation.
2. Precautions
Pay attention to watering, light, and temperature, and also pay attention to pest and disease control during the growing period.
During the germination stage and seedling stage, not much water is needed. It is only necessary to ensure the water requirements for seed germination and to maintain soil moisture, and watering should be done lightly and frequently.
During the growth process of cherry radishes, attention should also be paid to pest and disease control. The specific control methods are:
At the autumn and winter harvest, strictly select disease-free seed plants. This can reduce the source of viruses the following year and reduce virus carried by seeds;
Arrange crop rotation reasonably, avoiding continuous cropping or adjacent cropping, to reduce sources of virus transmission;
The seedling stage is a period when the plant is susceptible to viral diseases. Pesticides should be sprayed in time for control, and virus transmission by aphids should be avoided;
For autumn and winter cultivation, sowing should be appropriately delayed so that the seedling stage avoids the high-temperature and drought season. Sowing when the cool season that is not conducive to disease development arrives can reduce the occurrence of diseases.