How to grow Chinese mallow? Latest planting time and methods explained
Chinese mallow is an annual herbaceous plant in the Malvaceae family, with relatively high nutritional value. Its main edible parts are the seedlings or tender stems and leaves. In addition, the whole plant can be used as medicine, with various effects such as promoting diuresis and lactation, and moistening the intestines to relieve constipation. In China, its planting area is relatively large, so when should Chinese mallow be planted? And how should it be planted? Below, the editor brings you the planting time and methods for Chinese mallow. Let's take a look!
1. Planting time
If Chinese mallow is cultivated in open fields, it is generally done in spring and autumn. Because Chinese mallow has relatively poor heat tolerance, if sown in summer, it is prone to seedling degeneration and death, so it is not suitable for planting in summer. In northern regions, because temperatures become relatively low after entering autumn, open-field cultivation is not possible. Therefore, in the north, spring sowing should be the main method, generally carried out after the soil thaws in March. The sowing time should not be too late, otherwise rising temperatures and stronger light will affect the quality of Chinese mallow. If cultivated in a solar greenhouse, it can be sown in batches for year-round production.
2. Land preparation and fertilization
Chinese mallow actually has no strict requirements for soil and can grow normally in most soil types. Whether the soil is barren or fertile, Chinese mallow can be planted. However, although it can grow normally, this still has a certain impact on the yield and quality of Chinese mallow. Therefore, the soil should mainly be loose, fertile soil with good drainage and irrigation. Before sowing, land preparation should be done well, applying about 2500 kg of decomposed farmyard manure per mu, mixed with an appropriate amount of ternary compound fertilizer. Then plow the soil deeply and rake it level, making wide beds ready for sowing.
3. Timely sowing
The main propagation method of Chinese mallow is sowing. If direct seeding is used, drilling is mostly adopted. Dig sowing furrows with row spacing controlled at about 20 cm, then evenly scatter the seeds into the furrows and cover with soil. If raising seedlings, first do the work of soaking and sprouting the seeds. Soak the seeds in warm water for about 10 hours, then remove them, wipe them dry, wrap them in a wet cloth, and place them in an environment of 22 degrees for sprouting. Then level the seedbed, water it thoroughly, and evenly scatter the seeds. After sowing, cover with a layer of fine soil about 1 cm. After the seedlings emerge, water them in time and do a good job in intertillage weeding and water and fertilizer management.
4. Field management
When the seedlings grow to three true leaves and one heart leaf, thin them so that the plant spacing is controlled at about 5 cm. Then, when 5 true leaves have grown, finalize the seedling spacing, with plant and row spacing controlled at 15*25 cm. During the seedling stage, weeds also grow vigorously, so attention should be paid to weeding, while carrying out appropriate intertillage to prevent soil compaction. After finalizing the seedlings, water and fertilize reasonably, mainly with urea, applying about 6 kg per mu. After entering the late harvest period, attention should be paid to controlling the application of nitrogen fertilizer to prevent excessive nitrate residues.
The above is a brief introduction to the planting time and methods of Chinese mallow. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can be helpful to everyone.