Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for Growing Chives in Greenhouses

Due to market demand, in recent years chives can be grown in more and more regions, and the most common method is greenhouse cultivation. Below, let me introduce greenhouse chive cultivation techniques!

1. Selection of the chive plot

The site for greenhouse chives should be sandy loam rich in organic matter, with convenient transportation and good irrigation conditions. Build the beds running north-south, with a bed width of 1.5 m, a ditch width of 0.6 m, and a length of 30-40 m, and erect one greenhouse for every 2 beds.

2. Root nurturing and seedling strengthening

Root nurturing in chives requires more fertilizer to promote rapid growth and nutrient accumulation. Apply 30-40 kg of diammonium phosphate and 40-50 kg of urea per 667 sq m. When the root seedlings have grown, stop watering and topdressing, and control growth so as to promote the return of nutrients from the leaves and false stems to the bulbs and roots, promote bulb expansion and root growth, and cultivate robust plants.

3. Film covering

The suitable time for film covering should be before the local first frost. Covering too early leads to rapid growth, an early yield peak, and easy premature aging; covering too late exposes the plants to low-temperature cold damage in the open field, which easily causes leaf tip rot, and once chives enter passive dormancy, growth after film covering is slow.

4. Harvest management

Generally, before film covering, a shallow cut can be made, and the film should be covered immediately after harvest, which makes the operation easier. If the chives have not yet reached harvest standard, the film should be covered first to prevent freeze damage, but the operation must be done carefully to avoid injuring the chive plants. In the early period after film covering, the indoor temperature is relatively high, so ventilation must be strengthened to prevent spindly growth, generally keeping the daytime temperature no higher than 25°C. As the outside temperature drops, gradually reduce the ventilation amount, maintaining 20-25°C during the day and 5-10°C at night.

As the outside temperature drops, add grass covering at night, and cover early and uncover late to strengthen insulation performance. After chives are covered with film in winter, topdressing and watering are still needed. For winter chive production, if growth is strong, the harvest period can extend from October to February-March of the following year; after the final harvest, dig out the chive roots and carry out fruit-vegetable production. Note that each harvest should be cut shallowly so as not to affect the growth of the next crop.

5. Strengthen pest and disease control

When growing chives in greenhouses, attention should be paid to controlling gray mold, which can be prevented by fumigating the greenhouse with procymidone smoke agent after each watering; promptly remove diseased residues. When harvesting each time, peel off diseased leaves and bury them deeply in a centralized manner. If gray mold has already occurred, immediately spray with a 1000-fold dilution of 50% procymidone or 50% iprodione wettable powder for control.

Because temperatures differ among regions, when growing greenhouse chives, everyone needs to reasonably control the temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse according to local climatic conditions.