A Detailed Guide to the Planting Time and Key Techniques for Malabar Spinach
Malabar spinach (Basella alba) originated in China and India. Its tender stems and leaves are eaten, and it can be stir-fried, served cold with dressing, or cooked in soup; its texture is tender, soft and smooth. Malabar spinach contains relatively high amounts of calcium and vitamins, and is also low in calories. Regular consumption helps lower blood pressure and benefits the liver. In addition, Malabar spinach rarely suffers from pests and diseases, making it a pollution-free vegetable. The planting time and techniques for Malabar spinach are introduced as follows:
I. Planting time for Malabar spinach
Malabar spinach is generally sown in April and harvested in June. It can usually be sown and cultivated in the open field once the temperature is above 20°C, and when grown mainly for harvesting tender stems and leaves, it enters the harvest period about 50 days after sowing. Malabar spinach tolerates high temperatures and high humidity, and generally grows in loose, fertile sandy loam. Seeds generally germinate best at around 25°C, and the optimum temperature for plant growth is 25-30°C. Throughout the entire growth period, the soil needs to be moist. A few varieties have strict requirements for high temperature and short daylight, while most varieties are not demanding about sunlight.
II. Key techniques for planting Malabar spinach
1. Cultivation method
For summer and autumn cultivation, there is no need to sprout the seeds. For broadcast sowing, the seeding rate is 6-8 kg per mu, and the effective plant stand is 30,000 plants per mu.
2. Choosing varieties
It is advisable to choose high-quality, high-yielding, disease-resistant varieties such as red-stem Malabar spinach and green-stem Malabar spinach.
3. Field management
(1) Management methods
When the main purpose is harvesting tender shoots, leave 3-4 leaves at the base when the seedlings are about 30 cm tall, cut the tender shoot tips, and keep two vigorous lateral buds to form shoots. When harvesting the second round of shoots, keep 2-4 lateral buds to form shoots. During the vigorous growth period, each plant has 6-8 vigorous lateral buds forming shoots. In the middle and late stages, remove flower stems and young buds promptly. In the late stage, when growth weakens, keep 1-2 vigorous lateral shoots to promote larger leaves.
When the purpose is harvesting leaves, trellis cultivation is required. When the seedlings are about 30 cm tall, set up an A-frame trellis and train the vines onto it. In addition to the main vine, keep two vigorous lateral vines at the base to form the framework vines. When the framework vines reach the top of the trellis, pinch off the growing tips, and after pinching, keep one vigorous lateral bud from each framework vine. After the leaves of the framework vines are all harvested, cut them down from the trellis. When putting up the trellis and after each harvest, hill up the soil. It is also possible to harvest tender shoots without pruning or trellising.
(2) Cultivation and weeding
After direct-seeded seedlings emerge and during the growth period, cultivate and weed promptly to prevent weeds from competing for nutrients.
(3) Fertilizing and watering
For the base fertilizer, well-rotted farmyard manure or livestock and poultry manure is best. For topdressing, use rotted human and livestock manure or urea dissolved in water. After the seedlings emerge, keep the soil moist and water in a timely manner. After each harvest, apply 10 kg of urea as topdressing in a timely manner, and in the rainy season, drain promptly to prevent waterlogging.
(4) Pest and disease control
The disease that commonly occurs on Malabar spinach is brown spot. In the early stage of occurrence, spray 72% Kelu wettable powder at 500-600 times dilution. If damage by the tobacco cutworm (Spodoptera litura) occurs, and many small holes are found on the tips of tender leaves, a pyrethroid insecticide can be sprayed once when the larvae are in the 1st-2nd instar. Continuous cropping of Malabar spinach may also lead to root-knot nematode disease; rotating to a different crop can reduce or avoid the occurrence of this disease.
4. Scientific harvesting
When the main purpose is harvesting tender shoots, when the seedlings are about 30 cm tall, leave 2 true leaves at the base and cut them off with scissors. When the sprouted lateral branches have 5-6 true leaves, harvest again in the same way. When the main purpose is harvesting tender leaves, harvest once every 15-20 days in the early stage, every 10-15 days in the mid-growth stage, and every 7-10 days in the late stage. The harvested leaves should be fully expanded but not yet old, and thick and fleshy. Generally, the yield of tender shoots is 2000-4000 kg per mu.