A Detailed Guide to Turnip Growing Techniques: Everything You Need to Know About Cultivation Methods and Management Essentials

Turnip, also called kohlrabi, is the main winter vegetable in the southern Zhejiang region. Its fleshy root is tender and dense, used for stir-frying, boiling or pickling, and there are many ways to eat it. Many farmers grow some turnips. Let's take a look at turnip growing techniques below.

I. Sowing

In cool mountainous areas, seedlings are generally raised from late July to early August. Choose loose, fertile sandy loam that drains and irrigates easily for the seedbed, apply plenty of organic fertilizer, water thoroughly, and cover with straw after sowing to retain moisture and promote emergence. During seedling raising, temperatures are high and thunderstorms are frequent; after emergence, pay attention to shading, cooling and moisture retention, and preventing damage from heavy rain. After the true leaves unfold, water with dilute manure slurry to promote seedling growth. Generally, once two true leaves have fully unfolded, transplant promptly on a cloudy day. Plant 3000-4000 plants per mu, with a plant spacing of 30-40 cm and a row spacing of 50 cm. Apply per mu in the holes 50 kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer mixed with 40 g of Baode soil inoculant, and water thoroughly after planting.

II. Fertilizing

Apply timely topdressing after the plants have established. Generally 5-7 days after planting, apply 15 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer per mu, and when the turnip is about the size of a ping-pong ball, apply another dose combined with hilling, using 10 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer per mu. Apply some nitrogen fertilizer as appropriate according to seedling condition, such as ammonium bicarbonate, urea, etc.

III. Watering

1. Seedling growth stage: For 3 days after planting, water once each morning and evening every day. After the seedlings have rooted and survived on the 3rd day, gently part the straw or green bristlegrass to expose the leaves, while still using grass to cover around the plant (the fleshy root ball); although the fleshy root is exposed to the soil, it is not left open to the sky. The soil should be kept loose; for the exposed fine roots, after rain and before fertilizing, carry out intertillage, weeding and hilling. Watering should follow the principle of keeping the soil moist.

2. Seedling rosette stage: Apply dilute decomposed urine water once every 3 days, and apply decomposed human manure and urine once every 15 days between plants, for a total of 3-4 applications. In the early stage, when the seedlings are small and temperatures are high, the concentration of decomposed human manure and urine should be dilute, and the concentration should gradually increase as the seedlings grow. The bed surface should remain moist, and watering should be frequent during drought.

3. When the fleshy root expands rapidly and leaf growth slows, this period has the greatest water and nutrient demand. Avoid applying too much nitrogen fertilizer alone; increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizer instead.

IV. Pest and Disease Control

The main insect pests of turnip include aphids, cabbage webworm (leaf-rolling worm), cabbage caterpillar, cotton leafworm, diamondback moth, and striped flea beetle; the main diseases include downy mildew, turnip virus disease, soft rot, and bacterial angular leaf spot.

Turnip is the main winter vegetable in the southern Zhejiang region, and its market sales are also considerable. Moreover, after pickling, it can be preserved for a relatively long time, making it a vegetable that can be grown on a relatively large scale.