How is purple yam planted, and does it need plastic mulch covering?
Yam is something we buy quite often in daily life; it can not only be used in soups, but also eaten together with desserts. Purple yam is very popular on the market now, and quite a few novice growers are also observing it. So how is purple yam planted? Let's take a look together!
How is purple yam planted
1. Choosing and preparing the land
Purple yam is suited to plots that drain and irrigate easily, are loose and fertile, and have deep soil; sandy loam or loam with good permeability is preferable. Sticky or overly hard soil is not suitable, as it affects the growth and development of its tubers, causing them to fork or become deformed and affecting yield and quality. Before planting, deep plow in advance, use the sun to bleach and sterilize the soil, then prepare the beds. Generally the bed surface is about 50 cm wide, the bed height about 30 cm, and the ditch width about 30 cm. The bed surface should be leveled and finely worked.
2. Sowing
Before sowing, first select disease-free seed tubers, remove the soil from them, and cut them into tuber pieces about 5 cm long and weighing about 40-50 grams. Apply lime or plant ash to the cut surfaces, and once the cuts are dried, they can be sown. When cutting, be sure to disinfect the knife to avoid infection by pathogens. The sowing time is generally chosen around Qingming, using a single-plant, single-row method, generally with a spacing of 30×80 cm, planting about 2,800 plants per mu, and using about 130 kg of seed per mu. When planting, open a furrow in the bed surface and apply fertilizer, put compound fertilizer or farmyard manure into it, cover with a layer of soil, then place the seed tubers in it.
3. Field management
After sowing, cover with plastic mulch. After covering, tie and press down the edges tightly, and also press the mulch down with clods of soil so that wind cannot blow it apart and ruin it. After seedlings emerge, break the mulch open in time so that the seedling leaves do not come into contact with the mulch and get scorched. Black mulch is best, as the effect is better. After seedlings emerge, set up trellises in time to guide the vines; fine bamboo poles can be used to build a herringbone trellis, and the trellis should be inserted firmly and tied tightly so that wind does not blow it down.
4. Fertilizer and water management
In addition to applying base fertilizer at sowing, purple yam has a relatively large nutrient requirement during its growth period, so it should also be topdressed in good time. Generally, when the stems and vines have covered the trellis, apply 25-35 kg of compound fertilizer and 10 kg of urea per mu, and during the growth period spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate and urea solution several times to prevent premature leaf aging. Summer is hot and rainy, and water accumulates very easily, so to prevent waterlogging damage, do a good job of drainage; while in July-August, during a continuous week of dry weather, irrigate in time to keep the soil moist.
That is the summary Tuliu.com has for everyone today on the question of planting purple yam. You can try it out based on your own usual planting experience and by referring to the above content.