How to Grow Wild Rice? A Detailed Explanation of Methods and Key Technical Points

Wild rice has very high nutritional value and is edible. Although wild rice is rarely eaten as a staple grain today, its history as a food can be traced back more than three thousand years to the Zhou Dynasty, when it was one of the six grains served to emperors. So, how is wild rice grown?

1. Selection of the wild rice field

The wild rice field should be chosen with good light, level land, deep soil, a water source, and strong water- and fertilizer-retention capacity. A paddy field through which cool water flows, or a plot near a reservoir that can use deep reservoir water for irrigation, is best.

2. Plowing and fertilizing

Plow the wild rice field and apply 3000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure per mu or 2500 kg of concentrated human manure and urine. If the previous crop was rice, increase the amount of base fertilizer, then harrow level and irrigate with 2-3 cm of water, so that the field is level, the mud is soft, and the fertilizer is sufficient.

3. Timely planting

From April to early May, when the wild rice seedlings are about 20 cm tall and the paddy soil temperature is above 10°C, the seedlings can be transplanted and planted.

4. Water level management

Water level management for wild rice follows the principle of “shallow-deep-shallow.” In the early growth stage after planting (before tillering), maintain a shallow water level of 3-5 cm, which helps raise soil temperature and promotes rooting and tillering. By the late tillering stage in June, deepen the water level to 12-15 cm to suppress ineffective tillering. Because temperatures are high in July-August, the deep water level also has a cooling effect, but the water should be changed regularly to prevent root rot caused by soil oxygen deficiency.

When entering the wild rice booting stage, the water level should be deepened to 15-18 cm, but it must not exceed the position of the "wild rice eye" (the maximum water level should not exceed 2/3 of the pseudostem), to prevent elongation of the stem. In the late booting stage, the water level should be lowered to 3-5 cm to facilitate harvesting. After harvesting, the wild rice field should be kept under a shallow water layer or in a moist state through the winter, and must not be allowed to dry out.

5. Topdressing in stages

Seedling-promoting fertilizer: 7-10 days after the wild rice seedlings are planted and have survived, apply 500 kg of human manure and urine per mu or 15-20 kg of ammonium bicarbonate to stimulate the seedlings. If the base fertilizer in the wild rice field is sufficient, the amount of fertilizer can be reduced.

Tillering fertilizer: In the early tillering stage (about 10 days after the first fertilization), apply 1000 kg of human manure and urine per mu or 20-30 kg of ammonium bicarbonate to promote effective tillering and plant growth. If no seedling-promoting fertilizer was applied, the tillering fertilizer should be applied somewhat earlier.

Regulating fertilizer: During the full tillering stage in June-July, topdressing should be carried out according to the growth of the plants, generally applying 10-15 kg of ammonium bicarbonate per mu. If the plants are growing vigorously, it may be omitted.

Wild rice-promoting fertilizer: When 10%-20% of the tiller seedlings of the new wild rice have pseudostems that have become flattened, a heavy application of wild rice-promoting fertilizer should be made to promote expansion of the fleshy stem and increase yield. Generally, apply 2500-3000 kg of decomposed human manure and urine per mu, or 30-40 kg of ammonium bicarbonate. The wild rice-promoting fertilizer must be applied at the right time. If applied too early, the plants have not yet entered the booting stage and are prone to excessive vegetative growth, thus delaying booting. If applied too late, it cannot meet the fertilizer demand during the booting stage and will affect yield.

6. Cultivation and weeding of the field

Removing yellow leaves: After the wild rice has survived planting, the field should be cultivated and weeded in a timely manner. To protect the tiller seedlings, cultivation should proceed from near to far to avoid damaging the tiller seedlings. It is best if the field is free of weeds, the mud is not too compacted, and the soil surface is level. In late June, during the late tillering stage of wild rice, when the plant clusters are crowded, old leaves and yellow leaves at the base of the plants should be removed in a timely manner to promote ventilation and light penetration and to promote booting. Remove yellow leaves once every 7-10 days, for a total of 2-3 times. The removed yellow leaves can be stepped into the field mud at any time to serve as fertilizer.

7. Timely harvesting

Wild rice in mountainous areas generally begins booting in early July and is harvested from mid-August to early September, about 20-30 days earlier than autumn wild rice in plain areas. Different climatic conditions, especially temperature levels, affect the booting time and harvest period of wild rice. At harvest, cut off the stem and remove the leaves, leaving 40 cm of leaf sheath. Wild rice with leaf sheaths can be stored for 3-5 days immersed in clean water (if stored in a cold storage facility, it can be kept fresh for 60-70 days).

Generally, it takes about 14-18 days from the beginning of booting to harvest. If harvested too early, the fleshy stem has not yet fully expanded and the yield is low. If harvested too late, the wild rice flesh turns green, quality declines, and gray wild rice is easily formed. After entering the harvest period, harvest once every 3-4 days. The average yield is about 1600 kg of unshelled wild rice per mu.

In addition to its relatively high nutritional value, wild rice also contains wild rice red pigment. Wild rice red pigment is a natural coloring agent that can be used as a food colorant, and the pigment is safe and harmless to the human body.