How to Grow Fennel? A Detailed Guide to Planting Methods
Fennel generally refers to Schizonepeta tenuifolia, an annual herbaceous plant whose whole plant and flower spikes can be used medicinally, and it is widely cultivated in China.So how do you grow fennel? When should you plant it?
How to grow fennel?
1. Sprouting and soil preparation
Choose sandy soil with a relatively intact soil structure, moderate pH, and strong permeability, aeration, drainage, and irrigation capacity. Then plow and fertilize the plot, and the day before sowing, soak the purchased fennel seeds in water for a day, then carry out sprouting treatment.
2. Sowing and raising seedlings
Broadcasting: before sowing, water the soil once, then scatter the seeds evenly on top, then use a tool to press the seeds into the soil, and cover with a layer of dry grass or plastic film.
Drilling: on the prepared land, make furrows at a spacing of 15 to 20 cm between rows, with a furrow depth of 3 to 4 cm, then scatter the seeds evenly into the furrows and cover them with soil, then water each furrow once, and finally cover with a layer of dry grass or film.
Hill sowing: make a hole every 15 to 20 cm, scatter in the seeds, water and cover with soil, and finally promote seedling emergence.
3. Water and fertilizer management
When the seedlings grow to 4 to 5 cm, you can thin and fill in the seedlings, and at the same time do the work of cultivating and weeding. After weeding, carry out the first topdressing and watering, and when the plants grow to about 10 cm, carry out the second fertilization and watering.
4. Pest and disease control
The main disease harming fennel is gray leaf spot, and the main pests include fennel aphids, yellow-winged fennel borers, yellow swallowtail butterflies, scarab beetles, cutworms, and red-striped stink bugs. Growers should carry out prevention and control in advance and spray the corresponding pesticides.
When to plant fennel?
Fennel can generally be planted in two seasons, in March to April in spring and in September in autumn. Of course, it can also be planted in winter and summer, except that winter requires the use of greenhouse technology, while in summer the yield and quality are not very ideal. Generally speaking, spring sowing is the best sowing time that combines high yield and high quality.
When fennel grows to 20-30 cm, it can be harvested at the right time, generally yielding 3-4 cuts, and after harvesting, plow the land and rotate the crop.