A Complete Guide to Hyacinth Bean Planting Time and Methods

The sowing time for hyacinth beans varies by region; for example, in the Yangtze River Basin the sowing time is from May to the end of July, while in North China the sowing time is June. The planting methods are mainly seedling raising by sowing and transplanting. If hyacinth beans are to be transplanted, it should be done after mid-February or when the seedlings have 1 leaf and 1 heart.

During the hyacinth bean growing and management period, also pay attention to the following points:

1. Field preparation: Deep plow and sun the soil for 1 week, apply 2 tons of farmyard manure per mu deeply into the soil, break up the clods finely, and make raised beds with a low ridge, with a net bed surface of 1.8 m and a ridge width of 30 cm. Dig planting holes on the bed surface in wide and narrow rows. For the wide rows, dig one row of planting holes down the center of each bed surface at a spacing of 45 cm. For the narrow rows, dig 2 rows of planting holes on each bed surface at a plant and row spacing of 1.5×0.45 m.

2. Transplanting method: At transplanting, use 5-10 kg of compound fertilizer per mu, scatter it into the sowing holes and mix it evenly with the soil. Transplant 4 surviving seedlings from nutrient bags into each hole, cover the bed surface with plastic film and press it down firmly, poke the film open and pull out the hyacinth bean seedlings, and finally water each planting hole thoroughly with rooting water.

3. Plant training: After the hyacinth beans survive, insert stakes and build trellises in time, and guide the vines onto the stakes. Insert 3 stakes per hole, tie the tops of the stakes tightly with string, and finally connect the tops of the stakes around each bed surface with strong string so that the hyacinth bean branches and vines can climb, forming a fence-like growth. After entering the vigorous growth period, remove leaves frequently, mainly removing overly dense leaves and diseased, pest-damaged, and old leaves, as well as leaves covering the flowers and where small hyacinth beans form, to reduce nutrient consumption, increase ventilation and light penetration, and favor the growth of the hyacinth bean pods.

4. Fertilizer and water management: 20 days after transplanting, apply 5 kg of urea per mu (or diluted human waste water) and 10 kg of compound fertilizer mixed with water. Water with fertilizer 1-2 times before harvest. After entering the harvest period, topdress once about every 15 days, applying 5-10 kg of urea per mu (or diluted human waste water) and 10-30 kg of compound fertilizer mixed with water, and water timely according to the growth of the hyacinth bean plants.

5. Pest and disease control: Prevent in advance the occurrence of mosaic virus disease, hyacinth bean rust, hyacinth bean leaf spot, hyacinth bean small gray butterfly, and hyacinth bean red spot disease. Spray chemicals early during the peak periods of these diseases, and promptly apply chemical control when diseases occur.

6. Timely harvest: Hyacinth beans can be eaten from tender pods to old pods. Harvest pods of different maturity stages for market according to market demand. For seed-purpose hyacinth beans, select pods from before and during the middle of the plant's harvest period that have the characteristics of the variety, plump seeds, and bright skin color, and harvest them when the skin dries and shrinks.

Although hyacinth beans adapt well to many types of soil, if you want to increase yield, it is still recommended to plant them in well-drained, fertile sandy soil.