How to Fertilize Overwintering Spinach? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Methods
The temperature in winter is very low, so when growing overwintering spinach, we need to focus on doing the fertilization work well. Improper fertilization has a very large impact on the growth of spinach, and cannot meet the growth nutrients needed for spinach growth, leading to a decline in both yield and quality. So when growing overwintering spinach, how should fertilization be done? Today the editor will give everyone a brief introduction. Let us take a look below!
1. Apply sufficient base fertilizer
When growing overwintering spinach, the first fertilizer we need to apply is the base fertilizer. Because of the low winter temperature, the growth period of overwintering spinach is very long. If there are not enough nutrients, then during overwintering the spinach will very likely suffer from fertilizer deficiency due to a lack of nutrients. This will make it impossible for the overwintering spinach to overwinter safely, reducing the yield, and in severe cases it will cause the spinach to die in large numbers. Therefore we must be sure to apply sufficient base fertilizer. The base fertilizer should mainly be decomposed farmyard manure, and after fertilizing, do the work of land preparation and bed making well.
2. Apply less nitrogen fertilizer
The fertilization standard for spinach before overwintering is to ensure that the spinach can grow at least 5 leaves before overwintering. This is because spinach plants with 5 leaves have the strongest cold resistance, and too many or too few can easily cause the spinach plants to suffer frost damage. Therefore, if the sowing time is appropriate, then sufficient fertilizer must be applied, and care must be taken to control the amount of nitrogen fertilizer. It must not be applied in excess, to avoid excessive vegetative growth of the spinach. This leads to a reduction in dry matter and nutrient accumulation in the spinach plants and causes frost damage. If the sowing time is too late or the soil fertility is low, then some nitrogen fertilizer can be appropriately applied as a top dressing to ensure the seedlings overwinter at a suitable stage.
3. Fertilize after greening
After spinach enters the greening stage following overwintering, the most important part of the fertilization work is to grasp the timing of the top dressing well, carrying it out at the same time as watering. This is because after the spinach turns green, if the top dressing is applied too early, it will cause the soil temperature to drop, affecting the recovery and growth of the spinach seedlings. The top dressing time should also not be too late, as this will likewise affect the growth of the spinach. Therefore, the greening fertilizer for overwintering spinach should be applied separately in March and April, because at this time the outside temperature is gradually rising, which is beneficial to the growth and development of the spinach.
4. Fertilize after overwintering
Fertilization after overwintering should be carried out before the spinach begins to bolt and flower. Fertilizing at this period can effectively extend the time before the spinach bolts and flowers, and can achieve the goal of increasing yield. However, it should be noted that spinach is relatively sensitive to ammoniacal nitrogen fertilizer. And the growing season of spinach happens to be during the change of seasons, when the soil temperature is not high and the soil's digestibility is relatively poor, so it is best to use little or no ammoniacal nitrogen fertilizer, and mainly use nitrate nitrogen fertilizer.
The above is a brief introduction to how to fertilize overwintering spinach. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can help everyone!