What Kind of Vegetable Is Malabar Spinach and the Suitable Planting and Harvesting Times and Methods

Malabar spinach, also known as tofu vegetable, purple angle leaf, etc., is a common vegetable in our country. Because of its high nutritional value and crisp, refreshing taste, many people like to use it for cold dishes, stir-frying, or blanching. So what kind of vegetable is Malabar spinach? When is the best time to plant it? When do you harvest it? How do you grow it?

Malabar spinach is also called chan cai, luokui, tofu vegetable, and purple angle leaf. It is a plant of the genus Gynura, a perennial tall herb, 1.5-2 m tall. Its flowering and fruiting period is September-October. Malabar spinach is eaten as seedlings, tender shoots, or tender leaves. Its texture is tender, soft, and smooth, and its nutritional value is high. It can be used in soups, stir-fried, blanched, or served as a cold dish. It has a delicate fragrance, and when chewed it is as crisp and refreshing as eating wood ear, hence the name Malabar spinach. It is commonly cultivated in both the north and south. In tropical regions of the south, it can be cultivated as a perennial, while in the north it is mostly cultivated as an annual.

Planting time:

Malabar spinach is generally sown in April and harvested in June. It can usually be sown and cultivated in the open field when the temperature is above 20°C. For those grown mainly for harvesting tender stems and leaves, the harvest period begins about 50 days after sowing. Malabar spinach is tolerant of high temperature and high humidity. It generally grows in loose, fertile sandy loam. The suitable germination temperature for seeds is generally around 25°C, and the suitable growth temperature for plants is 25-30°C. Throughout the entire growth period, the soil needs to remain moist. A few varieties have strict requirements for high temperature and short-day conditions, while most varieties do not have strict requirements for sunlight.

Harvest time:

Under normal circumstances, Malabar spinach harvested for seedlings can be harvested about 40 days after sowing, when the seedlings have grown to 5-6 leaves.

When the goal is to harvest tender leaves of Malabar spinach, harvest once every 15-20 days in the early stage, once every 10-20 days in the middle growth stage, and once every 10-17 days in the later stage. When harvesting tender shoots of Malabar spinach, use a knife or scissors to cut them. Cut when the shoots are 10-15 cm long, once every 7-10 days. You can also use the method of cutting tender shoots in the early and late stages and harvesting tender leaves in the middle stage.

Harvesting method:

When harvesting mainly for tender shoots, after the seedlings are 30 cm tall, keep 3 leaves and pinch off the top shoot. Select healthy side buds to grow new shoots, and remove the rest. After harvesting the new shoots, select another 2-4 healthy side shoots or new shoots. In the later stage, as growth vigor weakens, keep 1-2 healthy buds or shoots after pruning, so as to maintain large leaves and strong shoots.

When harvesting mainly for tender leaves, keep the main vine and one side vine at the base. When the plant reaches the top of the trellis, pinch off the growing tip, and select healthy buds or a new main vine from the base of the main vine. After the leaves on the original main vine have all been harvested, cut it off near the new main vine. Harvest once every 10 days in the early stage and once every 5-7 days in the later stage. The yield per 666.7 sq m is 1000-2000 kg.

Cultivation techniques:

Select varieties

It is advisable to choose high-quality, high-yield, disease-resistant excellent Malabar spinach varieties such as red-stem Malabar spinach and green-stem Malabar spinach.

Management and care

1. Management according to needs

① For those grown mainly for harvesting tender shoots, when the seedlings are 30-35 cm tall, keep 3-4 leaves at the base, cut the tender top shoots, and keep two healthy side buds to form shoots. When cutting the second round of shoots, keep 2-4 side buds to form shoots. During the vigorous growth period, each plant has 5-8 healthy side buds forming shoots. In the middle and later stages, promptly remove flower stems and young buds. In the later stage, as growth weakens, keep 1-2 healthy side shoots to promote leaf enlargement.

② For those grown mainly for 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 keeping the main vine, also keep two healthy side vines at the base to form the framework vines. When the framework vines reach the top of the trellis, pinch off the growing tips. After pinching, keep one healthy side bud from each framework vine. After the leaves on the framework vines have been harvested, cut them down from the trellis. During trellising and after each harvest, hill up the soil. It is also possible not to prune or trellis and simply harvest tender shoots.

2. Fertilizing and watering

Organic fertilizer is best as base fertilizer. For topdressing, use chemical fertilizer or organic fertilizer dissolved in water. After emergence, keep the soil moist and water timely. After each harvest, promptly apply organic fertilizer as topdressing. In the rainy season, drain promptly to prevent waterlogging.

3. Pest and disease control

① The common disease of Malabar spinach is brown spot disease. In the early stage of occurrence, spray 72% Kelu wettable powder at 500-600 times dilution, or 68.75% Yibao dispersible granules at 800-1000 times dilution for control.

② If damage from the tobacco cutworm 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.