Can Pregnant Women Eat Radish Greens? Plus High-Yield Cultivation Techniques
Radish is one of the world's ancient cultivated crops, also known as laifu, with a flowering period from April to May and a fruiting period from May to June. Its seeds, fresh roots, dried roots, and leaves are all used as medicine.So can pregnant women eat radish greens? How do you grow them? What are the high-yield cultivation techniques?
Can pregnant women eat radish greens?
Yes. Pregnant women can eat white radish, but note that white radish is cold in nature, so it should be eaten in moderation and not in excess. Radish is a cold and cooling vegetable, and those with an excess of yin and a cold constitution, or with weak spleen and stomach, should not eat much of it. Patients with gastric and duodenal ulcers, chronic gastritis, simple goiter, threatened miscarriage, uterine prolapse, and similar conditions should eat radish sparingly.
How do you grow radish greens?
1. Variety selection: Choose radish varieties that grow relatively quickly, and use new seeds from the current year that are plump, undamaged, have strong germination vigor, and a high germination rate.
2. Site selection: Radish production does not have high requirements for temperature and humidity conditions, and generally does not need much light, but it does require fresh, flowing air. It can be placed in a ventilated spot on a balcony or on a terrace.
3. Container selection: Foam boxes of various specifications can be used. Generally, choose a box 60 cm long, 40 cm wide, and 25 cm high, with a flat bottom and drainage and ventilation holes.
4. Sowing operation: First wash the seeds and remove the shriveled seeds and impurities floating on the water surface. Then soak them in warm water at 20°C for 12-17 hours, washing and changing to clean water once during this time. Place a layer of newspaper at the bottom of the foam box, spread a 2 cm thick layer of clean river sand on it, evenly scatter the soaked seeds on the sand surface in the box, then cover the foam box with a layer of black plastic film to keep warm, retain moisture, and block light. Keep the temperature inside the box at 23-28°C, and spray water 2-3 times a day.
5. Cultivation management: The suitable growth temperature for radish greens is 18-25°C. In summer, spray more water to cool down, and in winter, strengthen insulation. During the growth period, water 3-4 times daily, preferably with clean well water. Each watering should be enough to wet all the sprouts and soak the substrate through. During cultivation, the indoor area should be kept dim and must not be exposed to light, otherwise the sprouts will turn green, affecting appearance and taste.
6. Preparing for harvest: Under normal cultivation conditions, from sowing to harvest takes 7-8 days in summer and autumn, and 8-10 days in winter and spring. When the sprouts grow to 12-15 cm, the top petals unfold without cotyledons showing, and there are no rotten stems, no off odor, and no fibrous roots, they can be harvested.
What are the high-yield cultivation techniques for radish?
Radish is a type of vegetable whose product is a fattened fleshy taproot. It is rich in various trace elements and highly nutritious, and has the effects of preventing and fighting cancer, clearing heat and detoxifying, and inhibiting bacteria and reducing swelling. There are many varieties, and by color they can also be divided into red radish, white radish, and green-topped radish. By cultivation season, they can be divided into spring radish, summer radish, autumn radish, winter radish, and four-season radish. In Yunnan, spring radish is generally planted from November of each year to January of the following year, and harvested from February to May; summer radish is planted in March to April and harvested from May to August; autumn radish is planted in June to July and harvested from August to October; winter radish is planted in August to October and harvested from the end of November to February of the following year; four-season radish can be planted and harvested throughout the year.
I. Preparation Before Planting
1. Land selection: For radish planting, it is best to choose a plot whose previous crop was a melon, legume, or solanaceous vegetable. Because radish is a deep-rooted crop, the planting site requires deep soil and loose, fertile soil texture, preferably loam or sandy loam.
2. Land preparation: After the previous crop is harvested, promptly remove dead branches, fallen leaves, and weeds from the field, then deeply plow 25-35 cm; sunning the soil for 5-6 days is even better. Before planting, apply 2500-3000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure, 30 kg of calcium superphosphate, 20-30 kg of potassium sulfate, and 0.5-1 kg of borax per mu. During land preparation, turn the fertilizer into the soil, then break up the clods and rake the soil level before making beds.
3. Bed making: For summer and autumn planting, it is recommended to make raised beds, with a bed width of 1-2 m and a bed height of 20-30 cm. In winter and spring, flat beds or low beds can be made, with a bed width of 3-4 m.
4. Sowing: Radish planting uses the method of dibbling holes and spot seeding. Generally, for ordinary seeds, sow 5-6 seeds per hole, using about 500 g of seed per mu; for coated seeds, sow 1-2 seeds per hole, using about 150 g of seed per mu. After sowing, cover with about 1 cm of fine soil or fine manure. Planting density is determined according to variety characteristics, soil fertility, and cultivation season. For varieties with large leaf spread and high yield, a plant and row spacing of 35-40 cm is recommended. For radishes with fewer leaves, upright leaf type, and smaller individual size, a plant and row spacing of 25-30 cm is recommended.
II. Field Management
1. Thinning and final singling: For thinning and final singling, grasp the principle of thinning early and final singling late. Generally, thin twice. The first time, when the first true leaf unfolds, pull out weak seedlings and seedlings damaged by pests or disease, leaving 3-4 seedlings per hole. When there are 3-4 leaves, thin the second time, leaving two plants per hole. When there are 5-6 leaves, carry out final singling, and it is recommended to leave one robust seedling per hole. For coated seeds, carry out one-time final singling at 4-5 leaves, leaving one robust seedling per hole.
2. Cultivation and weeding: During the radish growth period, cultivate and weed 1-2 times. Grasp the principle of deep first and shallow later, and near first and far later. Stop cultivation after the radish rows close. The purpose of cultivation is to loosen the soil, remove weeds, increase ground temperature, and promote growth.
3. Irrigation: During the radish growth period, the water requirement is relatively high. After sowing, irrigate according to soil moisture conditions to promote seed germination. In the seedling stage, the radish root system is shallow and its absorption capacity is weak, so water lightly and frequently to keep the soil moist. During the vigorous stem and leaf growth period, in order to prevent excessive vegetative growth, appropriately control water. During the peak period of fleshy root expansion, the water demand is great, so supply water fully; otherwise, the radish roots will be thin and yields low, and at the same time, water shortage can cause spongy heart, more fiber, and a pungent taste. In the rainy season and low-lying areas, pay attention to drainage to prevent root rot and black heart. Stop irrigation within 1 week before harvest.
4. Topdressing: For radish planting and fertilization, grasp the principle of combining organic fertilizer with inorganic fertilizer, combining nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, with basal fertilizer as the main part and topdressing as the supplement, and avoid applying nitrogen fertilizer alone. The ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is roughly 1:0.5:2. Applying boron fertilizer to radish can reduce the occurrence of black heart disease. When necessary, 0.1-0.25% boric acid can be used for foliar topdressing.
III. Harvest
When the fleshy root of the radish is fully expanded, the leaf color turns lighter and begins to yellow, and coarse lines appear on the root head, harvest promptly, otherwise it is easy to cause fibrosis or spongy heart. The specific situation is determined by seasonal and varietal differences. Under general conditions, summer and autumn radishes can be harvested 60-70 days after planting, while late-maturing winter and spring radishes require more than 100 days before they can be harvested.