What Kind of Vegetable Is Ice Plant? A Detailed Guide to Growing It
Ice plant, also known as ice pillar and Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, originated in Africa and has been introduced and cultivated in China in recent years, but many people still do not know this vegetable. So, what kind of vegetable is ice plant? How do you grow ice plant? Let's find out together!
1. What kind of vegetable is ice plant?
Ice plant originated in Namibia in southern Africa. It is nutritious, has a unique flavor, a crisp texture, and is rich in amino acids, antioxidant substances and other highly functional substances. It can be served cold, used in soups, and so on. Because it was only introduced to China in recent years, it has only become known to everyone in recent years.
2. How do you grow ice plant?
1. Planting preparation
Ice plant seeds are extremely small, and their ability to push through the soil is weak. They often sprout but fail to emerge because the soil is too hard, causing the seeds to rot and die. Therefore, before planting, you must choose good soil. The soil is required to be loose, breathable and moisture-retentive; only such soil is suitable for the growth of ice plant. You can also start seedlings indoors using a seedling tray filled with seedling substrate. The seedling substrate can be a nutrient soil mainly composed of coconut coir.
2. Sowing and seedling raising
Before sowing, first soak the seeds in warm water at about 30 degrees for 2-4 hours. When sowing, sow 2-3 seeds in each hole. If using a seedling tray, sow at intervals of 9cm, also 2-3 seeds. After sowing, cover with a layer of fine soil 3-5 mm thick. It should not be too deep, otherwise normal germination will be affected. After sowing, maintain the temperature at about 20 degrees; it should not be too high or too low. At low temperatures, find ways to raise the temperature; at high temperatures, strengthen ventilation to lower the temperature of the seedling-raising environment. In this way, they will sprout and emerge before long. Generally, 20-40 days after sowing, or when the seedlings have grown 4-5 leaves, they can be transplanted and planted out.
3. Transplanting
When lifting the seedlings for transplanting, be careful not to damage the roots of the seedlings. Also pay attention to the timing of transplanting; it is not suitable to do so on cloudy and rainy days or during high-temperature periods, so as not to affect the survival rate of transplanting. Dig holes in the planting site and transplant, controlling the plant and row spacing at 20×30cm per hole. After transplanting, cover with soil, water once to help the seedlings recover, but do not water too much, and then keep the temperature at about 25 degrees.
4. Field management
The suitable growing temperature for ice plant is between 20-30 degrees. It is relatively sensitive to high temperatures, so pay attention in summer and take shade and sun protection measures to prevent strong light from scorching it and causing death. Strengthen ventilation to lower the temperature of the planting site. Ice plant is relatively drought-tolerant, so when watering, do not water too much; water again when the soil surface is dry. Ice plant grows extremely fast in the middle and later stages, and can grow into a large patch in a very short time.
The above is the Tuliu.com editor's summary for you of what kind of vegetable ice plant is and how to grow ice plant. If you have tasted the deliciousness of ice plant, you can try growing it yourself!