Cultivation Methods and Key Technical Points for Watercress

First, choose paddy fields or dry land with convenient irrigation conditions, and fertile clay loam or loam soil for planting; second, carry out cutting propagation in August and September, maintain soil moisture, and apply fertilizer reasonably; third, after planting, harvest when the watercress has grown to about 30 cm tall.

1. Planting Site Selection

For watercress, the planting site generally should be a paddy field or dry land with convenient irrigation conditions. Next, the soil at the planting site must be sufficiently fertile and have strong fertilizer and water retention, so the soil texture is generally clay loam or loam; sandy soil must not be used. There should be just the right amount of shade near the planting site, which can reduce the work and cost of building shade frames. Paddy fields should be leveled, dry land should be deeply plowed, and sufficient base fertilizer should be applied. Beds should be prepared well and left ready for sowing.

2. Scientific Sowing

Watercress can be planted in all four seasons, but the best planting time is August and September each year. Watercress is generally planted by cuttings, so the seedlings for watercress can simply be watercress bought from the market, which can be used for cutting propagation. For paddy field planting, the row spacing is generally about 15 to 20 cm, and the plant spacing is about 10 cm. For dry land planting, the row spacing is about 15 cm, and the plant spacing is about 12 cm. Insert the seedlings into the prepared soil, with three or four seedlings per hole, and insert them shallowly about 2 cm into the soil.

3. Field Management

Watercress has relatively high water and fertilizer requirements, so there are also certain differences between the management of paddy field planting and dry land planting. If planting in a paddy field, then after planting we need to put shallow water into the field, generally about 2 cm deep, and then gradually increase the water level as the plants grow; generally the water level in the field will not exceed 5 cm. For dry land planting, watering is needed after planting, then once every three or four days, to maintain soil moisture. We also need to apply fertilizer reasonably, generally mainly quick-acting fertilizer, spraying foliar fertilizer and applying decomposed organic fertilizer.

4. Harvesting and Seed Saving

Watercress should be harvested in batches. Generally, after planting, when the watercress has grown to about 30 cm tall, the first harvest can be carried out. After harvesting, we need to apply fertilizer once, mainly urea. There are generally two types of watercress propagation, namely vegetative propagation and seed propagation. For seed saving by vegetative propagation, select and keep plants; for seed propagation, use seeds for seed saving. The fruit generally matures in May, and then the seeds can be kept.