High-Yield Asparagus Growing Methods and an Introduction to Its Main Producing Areas

Because the edible young shoots of asparagus resemble reed sprouts and bamboo shoots, many people in China have become accustomed to calling Asparagus officinalis "lusun" (asparagus). So where are asparagus's producing areas? How do you grow it for high yield?

1. Where are asparagus's producing areas?

Asparagus is mainly produced in countries such as China, Peru, Germany, France, Spain, the United States and Japan.

Our country has become the world's largest producer and exporter in terms of asparagus planting area.

Asparagus is widely planted in our country. At present, apart from the two provinces and autonomous regions of Tibet and Qinghai where it is not planted, it is planted in all other provinces, with 90% of the area concentrated in the provinces of Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Hebei, Shanxi and Shaanxi in the Huang-Huai River basin. Among these provinces, Shanxi has the largest cultivation area.

2. How do you grow asparagus for high yield?

1. Plot selection

The main characteristics of a suitable soil environment for asparagus are: fertile soil, deep soil layer, and a relatively low groundwater table.

In terms of soil type, sandy soil gives better results than clay soil. Before land preparation begins, carry out overall fertilization to add fertilizer. The fertilizers used are mainly organic fertilizer, compound fertilizer, etc., and fertilization must ensure even spreading over every 667 m2 of land. Then plow the soil deeply to make beds, and rake the beds level. After that, dig planting furrows, with the depth and width of the furrows maintained at 30 cm and 40 cm respectively.

2. Seed treatment

Treat the seeds before sowing asparagus. Put the seeds into clean water, and immediately remove the shriveled seeds floating on the surface. The remaining seeds then need to be washed multiple times and soaked. The water temperature for soaking the seeds should be kept at around 25-30°C, with the water changed every day. After removing them, drain the seeds. Then use wet gauze to keep the seeds moist and to sprout them. Once the seeds show white, they can be sown.

3. Timely planting

Sow asparagus in the suitable planting season. The soil temperature for sowing is generally maintained at 18-20°C. If planting at the Spring Festival, it should be done after the frost period, because the surface temperature rises during that time, which helps asparagus sprout earlier. If the sowing time is too late, it will cause the asparagus plants to grow relatively slowly and the mother plants to be smaller in form.

4. Field management

The focus is on hilling soil and weeding, and on watering and fertilizing, to ensure that the asparagus stems grow plump. In terms of trace element requirements during juvenile-stage management, N and K are the main ones, supplemented by part of Ca, Mn, Zn, Cl, etc. During the process of asparagus sprouting, organic fertilizer can be applied all at once. And according to the actual situation of the season, loosen the soil in the asparagus field.

5. Pest and disease control

The main disease of asparagus is stem blight. The main control methods are: choosing a suitable planting site, reducing the sources of inoculum and the spread of pathogens during land preparation at the planting site, choosing varieties with strong disease resistance when selecting seeds, and using chemicals for sterilization, etc.

The main insect pests of asparagus are mole crickets, cutworms, white grubs, click beetles, aphids, beet armyworms, cabbage armyworms, thrips, etc. Chemical control and biological control should be combined.

6. Harvesting asparagus

When the asparagus harvesting work begins, supplementary "relay" fertilizer should be applied. Generally, during the first 4 months of the asparagus harvesting period, fertilizer must be applied multiple times as a booster. At the start, the booster fertilizer can be applied into furrows in the soil, and afterward it can be applied by flushing with irrigation water.