What Vegetable Is Burr Medic? A Detailed Guide to Growing It
Burr medic, also known as clover or alfalfa, is a common wild grass found along roadsides and on hillsides. Because of its high nutritional value and wide range of uses, it is widely cultivated, and today it is mostly used to feed livestock. So what vegetable is burr medic? What are its growing methods?
1. What vegetable is burr medic?
1. Burr medic is a perennial herbaceous plant of the order Fabales, family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, tribe Trifolieae, genus Medicago. Its stems are upright, its main root is long, and it has many branches, each branch bearing multiple obovate or oblanceolate leaves, usually three or four, but mostly three. Its flowers are purple, and by May to June it produces spiral-shaped seed pods, each containing 1 to 8 seeds.
2. Burr medic, also known as alfalfa, is a common livestock feed. It is currently cultivated in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Yunnan and other places in China. Because of its good nitrogen fixation, many people interplant it with rice, cotton, beans and so on.
3. Burr medic has high nutritional value and contains abundant protein, vitamins, calcium and other elements the human body needs. Burr medic sprouts in particular are rich in vitamin C, vitamin A and dietary fiber and are low in calories, so many people eat them to lose weight. However, from a nutritional standpoint, one would need to eat 5 kg of alfalfa sprouts a day to supplement the vitamin A the body needs. Still, it is not recommended for people to eat, because burr medic mostly grows in the wild and is heavily contaminated, so it is best not to eat it.
2. What growing methods are there for burr medic?
1. Choosing and preparing the land: What kind of land is suitable for growing it?
Burr medic is suitable for growing in a slightly acidic environment with deep, loose, fertile soil that drains well and has good transport access, so when choosing land, try to choose sandy loam with convenient transport. After choosing the land, plow the soil deeply, apply an appropriate amount of decomposed farmyard manure, and simply clear away the underground grass stems.
2. Sowing and raising seedlings: When is the best time to sow?
(1) Seed selection: Simply select seeds that are glossy, plump, undamaged and disease-free. If you do not know whether the seeds are bad or shriveled, soak them in warm water for a while; if they float on the surface, they are bad or shriveled seeds and are not suitable for planting.
(2) Seed treatment: Put the selected seeds in a bag, then soak them in cold water for about 10 hours, and finally take them out and leave them in a cool environment for two or three days. During these two or three days, water them once every 3 hours to promote germination.
(3) Sowing method: Simply scatter the treated seeds evenly over the soil, then sprinkle a thin layer of soil and water an appropriate amount.
3. Field management techniques: How to manage it?
(1) Fertilizer requirements: After burr medic sprouts, when the seedlings grow 2 to 3 true leaves, apply a base fertilizer promptly, and after harvest apply a second topdressing. In other cases, whether to topdress can be determined according to the plant's growth and the fertility of the soil.
(2) Water requirements: During the germination period of burr medic, water twice a day to keep the soil moist. When seedlings emerge, reduce watering, and stop watering after a week to avoid waterlogging damage. In summer, water thoroughly every other day to ensure sufficient moisture.
(3) Cultivation and weeding: During the growth period, burr medic will grow weeds and the soil will gradually harden. This is especially true during the seedling stage and the harvest stage, when burr medic grows weakest and weeds are most likely to appear, so during this period weed frequently and loosen the soil at the right times. In addition, within one week after emergence and within one month, and during the vigorous growth period, loosen the soil well to improve soil fertility.
(4) Pest and disease control: During the growth period, burr medic is prone to viral diseases, cutworms and other pests and diseases, so pest and disease control should be done well around mid-autumn and during the growing period. For those already affected by pests or diseases, specialized pesticides can be used for control.
4. Timely harvest: When is the best time to harvest?
Burr medic can be harvested at any time; as long as the plants grow to a certain height, they can be cut. When harvesting, simply leave a section behind. If seeds have formed, they can be cut down and the seed pods collected to keep for planting the following year.
The above is a detailed introduction to what burr medic is and its growing methods. We hope it is helpful to everyone.