Detailed Explanation of Key Points for Soilless Cultivation of Water Spinach

First, prepare the cultivation trough, with a trough height of 30cm and a width of 50cm. Then mix cinder or furnace slag from daily life with chicken manure, ternary compound fertilizer, and organic fertilizer to prepare the substrate, pile it up to compost, and then fill the trough. Before sowing, treat the seeds first by placing them in warm water and soaking for half an hour. For planting, control the plant and row spacing at about 15×15cm. After harvesting, apply a base fertilizer once to ensure the nutrients needed for its growth.

1. Planting Preparation

Soilless cultivation is different from traditional planting methods. It requires specialized planting equipment——cultivation troughs, which can be purchased directly or built yourself. Generally, the cultivation trough is 30cm high and 50cm wide. Another important thing is the preparation of the cultivation substrate, which can be made by mixing cinder or furnace slag from daily life with chicken manure, ternary compound fertilizer, and organic fertilizer, piling it up to compost, and then filling the trough. When filling the trough, first spread a 5cm-thick layer of sand at the bottom of the trough, then fill in the prepared substrate, level the substrate, being careful not to make it too compact and keeping the thickness uniform, then water thoroughly with a large amount of water, wait for the water to fully seep down, cover with film for half a month, and then it is ready for planting.

2. Sowing and Seedling Raising

Before sowing, to ensure the germination rate, treat the seeds first by placing them in warm water within 60 degrees and soaking for half an hour, then remove them and soak them in clean water for 24 hours, then wrap the seeds in a wet gauze and place them in a greenhouse environment to promote germination. Open and rinse them once a day with warm water, and once the seeds show white sprouts, they can be sown. When sowing, choose a substrate with good air permeability, cover with a layer of sand and gravel after sowing, then cover with film to keep warm and moist, maintaining the temperature at around 25 degrees. After about half a month, seedlings will emerge. After emergence, remove the film promptly to increase ventilation, and when the seedlings grow to about 12cm, they can be planted.

3. Planting

For planting, control the plant and row spacing at about 15×15cm. When planting, pay attention to the time and climate. Generally, plant in the afternoon, and be sure to avoid the time when the sun is strongest at noon and rainy weather. Before planting, water the cultivation substrate thoroughly once, let the water seep in, then plant the seedlings, burying 2-3 stem nodes of the seedlings deep.

4. Management

Water spinach is a vegetable that can be harvested continuously multiple times a year. In order to allow it to grow quickly after harvesting, generally a base fertilizer should be applied once after harvesting to ensure the nutrients needed for its growth. After each harvest, urea can be applied as a top dressing. In addition, water spinach has a relatively large water demand during cultivation, so it should be watered frequently to replenish moisture, and when watering, water thoroughly. Soilless-cultivated water spinach has fewer pests and diseases, but pest and disease control should still be noted.