What are the intercropping and relay intercropping patterns of vegetables in mulberry orchards? Introduction to planting methods

It is understood that intercropping and relay intercropping in mulberry orchards can both increase farmers' income and help eliminate overwintering mulberry pests, increase soil fertility in mulberry orchards and improve soil permeability. In recent years, more and more farmer friends have adopted this intercropping method, which has not only stabilized the mulberry orchard area but also improved comprehensive benefits. So what are the several patterns of intercropping and relay intercropping vegetables in mulberry orchards? Let's take a look together below.

1. Mulberry - winter and spring vegetables

In mulberry orchards, intercrop winter vegetables such as Suzhou green with strong cold resistance, tolerance to fertilizer and water, and high yield. Sow in early to mid-September, transplant and set out in early to mid-October, strengthen fertilizer and water management in time, and bring to market successively from December to March of the following year.

2. Mulberry - spinach - cabbage

Spinach is a cold-type vegetable. Sow it between mulberry rows in mid-October. Before sowing, apply 3-4 cubic meters of farmyard manure per mu and 3-5 kg of urea as seed fertilizer, with a seeding rate of 3-4 kg per mu. When spinach grows to 4-5 leaves, if the weather is dry, apply quick-acting fertilizer heavily together with irrigation. In November, larger plants can be selected for market, and this ends around New Year's Day. Afterwards, prepare to relay intercrop cabbage between the mulberry rows. Choose early-maturing, high-yielding early varieties such as Chunfeng and Xinfeng, sow in early October to raise seedlings, and set out in early November. Each mulberry orchard can plant 3-4 rows, with a plant spacing of 25-30 cm. Because the optimum temperature for cabbage growth is 25-30 degrees C, protected cultivation should be used for relay intercropping cabbage in mulberry orchards in winter, aiming to bring it to market in early to mid-April.

3. Mulberry - garlic - small green vegetables

Relay intercropping garlic in mulberry orchards should be carried out in late September during the 3rd-4th instar of the mid-autumn silkworm. Generally, the seeding rate is 50-75 kg per mu. The garlic variety Shui Zao is used, with a row spacing of 15-20 cm and a plant spacing of 8-9 cm. After the late-autumn silkworm is finished and before overwintering, apply a heavy nitrogen fertilizer once, and strengthen cultivation and weeding. In mid-April, when the spathe of the garlic bolt extends 6-8 cm out of the leaf sheath, harvest the garlic bolts. From late May to early June, harvest green garlic and seed garlic successively. After summer pruning of mulberry trees, immediately fertilize, turn the soil and broadcast small green vegetable seeds. After emergence in 2-3 days, thin the seedlings and strengthen fertilizer and water management. If cabbage caterpillars or aphids are found causing damage, immediately spray with 80% dichlorvos 1000-fold solution, and harvest in July.

4. Mulberry - green garlic

Relay intercropping green garlic in mulberry orchards is generally planted in early to mid-September, with about 100 kg of garlic seed per mu. Before planting, first soak the garlic cloves in water for 1-2 days, then fertilize, turn the soil and open furrows for planting. The furrow depth is 3-4 cm, the row spacing is 7-10 cm, and the plant spacing is 2-3 cm. Seedlings emerge in about a hundred days. As the garlic seedlings grow, the false stem should be cultivated by covering with fine soil 1-2 times. After the late-autumn silkworm is finished, quick-acting fertilizer should be applied in time. When the garlic seedlings reach 25-30 cm, harvest the seedlings for sale.

5. Mulberry - lettuce

The variety suitable for relay intercropping lettuce in mulberry orchards is round-leaf lettuce. It is suitable to raise seedlings in September, and in early to mid-October select strong seedlings, open furrows and set them out between mulberry rows, with a row spacing and plant spacing of 30 cm × 20 cm, planting about 4000 plants per mu. After setting out, strengthen fertilizer management. In early to mid-April, when the highest leaf and the heart leaf of the lettuce are flat and spread out, that is the best harvest period.

6. Mulberry - chrysanthemum greens - cilantro

Relay intercropping chrysanthemum greens in mulberry orchards mainly adopts the method of raising seedlings and transplanting. Chrysanthemum greens is cold in nature and very suitable for autumn and winter cultivation. Generally, seedlings are raised in early to mid-September and set out in the mulberry field in mid-to-late October. At this time, the late-autumn silkworm has finished, and the leaf area index is between 0 and 1, making field operations easy. Chrysanthemum greens can grow at 5-25 degrees C, and grows most vigorously at 18-23 degrees C. Fertilizer and water management should be strengthened before winter, aiming for 15-20 leaves to grow before frost arrives, including 10-15 outer leaves and more than 5 heart leaves, and it is harvested successively from New Year's Day to the Spring Festival. From late March to early April, plant cilantro under protected cultivation, making full use of the light and temperature during the period from summer pruning at the end of May to before the rows close. Harvest in late June when the seedlings are 20 cm tall.