When is the best time to sow foxtail millet in Northeast China?

Foxtail millet is a plant of the grass family, and its main growing region is the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River in China, so when should foxtail millet be sown in Northeast China?

1. When is foxtail millet sown in Northeast China?

Foxtail millet likes high temperatures, with an optimum growing temperature of 22-30 degrees, and it is suitable for cultivation below 1000 meters in altitude. It is a drought-tolerant and stable-yielding crop. It originated in China and is widely grown in northern China.

The suitable sowing season for foxtail millet in Northeast China is spring, generally from about April 20 to May 20, and the sowing time is not exactly the same in different provinces and cities in Northeast China. In Heilongjiang, sowing is generally around April 20; in areas such as Jilin and Liaoning, sowing is generally from the beginning of May to the 20th.

2. Cultivation techniques for foxtail millet

1. Choosing the land

To grow foxtail millet, choose loose soil, flat terrain, a relatively thick black soil layer, good drainage, and high soil organic matter content, carry out reasonable crop rotation, and sow the millet seed on plots where millet was not grown in the previous crop. After the plot is chosen, the soil must be finely prepared and well leveled.

2. Choosing the seed

Choose seeds of good quality with strong stress resistance, good yield performance, and good market and nutritional quality; do a good job of seed treatment, subject the millet seed to air screening and salt-water selection, remove shriveled grains, grass seeds, debris, and so on, dry the seeds in the shade, and then treat them with chemicals to prevent underground pests and white blight.

3. Sowing

Sow early at the right time, starting sowing when the temperature steadily passes 7°C, mainly sowing to seize soil moisture; prepare the soil finely, press the grid well, and cover with soil evenly and consistently. If rain forms a hard crust after sowing, use a roller or other farm tools to break the hard crust so as to help achieve full seedlings and strong seedlings.

Establish a reasonable population structure: for flat land and plots with high fertility, the density should be greater; for sloping land and plots with low fertility, the density should be smaller. Generally, for flat land and plots with relatively high fertility, keep 35,000-40,000 plants per mu, and for sloping land and plots with poorer fertility, keep 30,000-35,000 plants per mu.

4. Fertilizing

Base fertilizer is mainly farmyard manure; apply 5000-8000 jin of high-quality farmyard manure per mu, mix it with superphosphate as base fertilizer, and apply it into the soil when plowing or ridging.

For seed fertilizer, generally apply 10 kg of diammonium phosphate and 5 kg of nitrogen fertilizer per mu as seed fertilizer, which can promote early and rapid growth of millet seedlings and meet the nutrient needs of foxtail millet during its growth period.

In addition, foxtail millet also needs weeding and loosening of the soil, so that it can grow better.