How to Grow Cotton to Avoid Seedling Death? A Detailed Guide to Planting and Harvest Times

In daily life, cotton has a very wide range of uses, so the area planted with cotton in our country is also considerable. So how do you avoid cotton seed death? Do you know the cotton planting and harvest times?

1. Basic facts about cotton

1. The origin of cotton

Cotton is a plant native to the subtropics, also called cotton fiber, and its output is highest in countries such as China, the United States and India. In our country, the production areas include the Jianghuai Plain, the Jianghan Plain, the southern Xinjiang cotton region, the North China Plain, northwestern Shandong, the northern Henan Plain, and the coastal and riverside plains of the lower Yangtze River.

2. The uses of cotton

Cotton has high output and low cost, and is suitable for making all kinds of clothing, furniture fabric and industrial cloth, skin-care anti-wrinkle beauty products, honey-source plants and cut-flower materials, etc.

2. How do you avoid cotton seed death?

Generally, there are many causes of cotton seed death, including diseases such as damping-off and management mistakes, among which the most important are three points: first, no disinfection or sterilization; second, excessive watering and fertilizing; third, mistakes in sowing and pesticide spraying; fourth, suffering freezing damage. And to avoid cotton seed death as much as possible, you should:

1. Understand the role of coated cotton seed

After cottonseed has been delinted with foam acid and coated, the germs attached to the cotton seed have already been killed, enhancing the cotton seed's own disease resistance, giving it a significant advantage over uncoated cotton seed. But the disease resistance of coated cotton seed has certain limitations; it is not a case of once coated, all is well. Germs spread by soil and external forces must still be controlled to ensure full stands, strong seedlings and early development of cotton.

2. Do a good job with supporting application techniques

Mainly increase the application of decomposed organic fertilizer, avoid one-sided application of nitrogen fertilizer that promotes excessive vegetative growth and weakens cotton seedlings; mix the nutrient bowl soil for the cotton seedling bed well, and spray pesticide on the bowl soil and cotton seedlings.

3. Relieve stiff seedlings and restore cotton seedling growth

For cotton seedlings that have become stunted and have stalled in growth due to pesticide damage or fertilizer damage, different agents should be used to resolve it. Experienced growers can apply them themselves, and those who do not understand can consult experienced older farmers or relevant agricultural technicians.

3. Cotton planting time and harvest time

Planting cotton at the right time also helps to a certain extent with increasing yield. Below is an introduction to its planting time and harvest time.

1. Cotton planting time‘

Under normal circumstances, the sowing time for cotton is April to May, among which cotton varieties with a long growth period can be sown in early April, and those with a short growth period can be sown late in late April.

Of course, the sowing and planting time for cotton differs from region to region, so it should be determined according to the local climate conditions and planting conditions.

2. Cotton harvest time

Cotton generally takes 75-100 days from squaring to maturity and boll opening. The cotton harvest time also differs slightly depending on the planting region. Generally, the flowering period of cotton in the provinces and regions of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is from late July to early September; in the provinces of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River it is from early July to early August; and in Turpan, Xinjiang, it is from mid-July to early September.

The above is an introduction from the Tuliu website editor about some situations involving dead seedlings in cotton planting. In addition, timely sowing and harvesting are very important for cotton to achieve high yield, so everyone should pay attention to this.