What Fertilizer Should Be Applied to Yardlong Beans for High Yields When They Are Marketed in All Four Seasons? Master These Fertilizer and Water Management Techniques

Yardlong bean, also known as cowpea, long cowpea, or banded bean, is one of the popular vegetables widely cultivated in northern China. It can be produced year-round and marketed in all four seasons. So what fertilizer should be applied to yardlong beans for high yields? What are these fertilizer and water management techniques?

1. What Fertilizer Should Be Applied to Yardlong Beans for High Yields?

1. Applying base fertilizer

The base fertilizer should mainly consist of decomposed organic fertilizer, combined with a compound fertilizer of an appropriate ratio.

Generally, use 500-1000 kg of farmyard manure, 50 kg of superphosphate, and 50 kg of ternary compound fertilizer (15-15-15) per mu. The base fertilizer is applied when preparing the soil and forming ridges. You can open a small furrow on the planting ridge, place the base fertilizer in the furrow, and then cover it with soil. If you use this method of fertilizing, you must remember that yardlong bean seedlings cannot be planted directly in the organic fertilizer furrow. Make sure the distance between the yardlong bean seedlings and the organic fertilizer furrow is 10-15 cm. This avoids burning the seedling roots due to direct contact with the fertilizer.

2. Applying topdressing

For vining yardlong bean varieties, when the soil is fertile or the base fertilizer is sufficient, the first topdressing can be delayed until the vine-tending stage (plant height around 35 cm). Otherwise, it is best to apply a seedling-promoting topdressing of 10% human feces and urea from the emergence of the first compound leaf to before vine tending. During flowering and pod setting, apply heavy topdressing per 667 sq m: 20 kg of compound fertilizer, and every 7-8 d apply 50% human feces and urine at 2500-5000 kg once, and additionally apply 15 kg of superphosphate, diluted with water, pour it on and mix with fine soil when the ground is wet, and apply in holes 1-3 times.

3. Spraying foliar fertilizer

In the mid-to-late growth stage, yardlong beans often show symptoms of various trace element deficiencies, such as yellow leaves. Foliar fertilizer should be sprayed in the early growth stage, that is, the seedling stage and the vine-guiding stage. If it is applied only after symptoms such as yellow leaves are found, the effect will be greatly reduced.

2. What Are the Fertilizer and Water Management Techniques for Yardlong Beans?

1. Plant nutrition in yardlong beans is the key to increasing flower clusters and pod formation. Sufficient base fertilizer can promote root growth and the activity of rhizobia, form more root nodules, make the stems and vines grow vigorously in the early stage, and differentiate more flower buds, laying the foundation for high yield. Base fertilizer is generally applied per mu at 2000-3000 kg of high-quality organic fertilizer, 25-30 kg of superphosphate, and 50 kg of plant ash.

2. Before flowering and pod setting, yardlong beans do not have high requirements for water and fertilizer, and management should focus on control. If the base fertilizer is sufficient, generally no more topdressing is needed. In dry weather, appropriate watering can be done. If there is too much water and fertilizer, the stems and leaves will grow excessively, causing the flower cluster nodes to rise and the number to decrease, and easily forming empty vines in the middle and lower parts. When the first flower cluster pods of the plant set, and the flower clusters on the following few nodes appear, combine topdressing with 1 watering, applying 10-15 kg of ternary compound fertilizer per mu and irrigating 20-30 cubic meters.

3. After pod setting, keep the soil moist frequently, and irrigate and topdress again every 1-2 weeks to maintain vigorous plant growth and flowering and pod setting. Entering the peak pod harvest period, more water and fertilizer are needed. Another irrigation and topdressing can be carried out, applying 10 kg of urea, 20-25 kg of superphosphate, 5 kg of potassium sulfate, or 40 kg of plant ash per mu, and irrigating 20-30 cubic meters per mu. If the water and fertilizer supply is insufficient, the plants tend to decline in growth, and flower and pod drop occurs.

In addition to obtaining nutrients from the soil and photosynthesis, water and fertilizer are an important part of increasing yield. Therefore, if you want to obtain high yields, you must do a good job in water and fertilizer management.