The Latest Technical Method Tutorial for Sowing and Raising Lotus Root Seedlings

I believe everyone is familiar with lotus root; it has high nutritional value and good taste, and its planting area has been expanding in recent years. However, growing lotus root is not simple. Below, let me walk you through the sowing and seedling-raising techniques for lotus root.

1. Seed selection

There are many varieties of lotus root. You should choose seeds of varieties that are more suitable for local growing conditions and consumption habits. When selecting, you should choose strong buds of the same variety, and it is best not to use or to use as little as possible lotus roots that have diseases. After selecting the seeds, disinfect them with a medicinal solution before use; you can use carbendazim diluted 500-800 times with water for disinfection. After selecting seed lotus roots with strong buds, cut an incision on the seed lotus with a bud point at a distance of 2cm from the bud point. After disinfection, place them in a cool and ventilated place to let the medicinal solution dry, and wait for planting.

2. Sowing

The seedbed should be a field plot that is sheltered from the wind, faces the sun, and is convenient for irrigation and drainage. Before sowing, apply 2000-3000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure per mu to help the field plot retain heat and promote seedling growth. Sowing can be carried out when the local temperature is stable above 10 degrees; it is generally done in February to March. When sowing, pay attention to classification: large-bud lotus roots should be temporarily planted in one field plot, and small-bud lotus roots in another field plot, with a plant and row spacing controlled at 5cm×10cm to facilitate later management. After planting, maintaining a suitable greenhouse environment is the key to ensuring seedling survival. In the early stage, growth is relatively slow when the temperature is too low. When temperatures are low, cover with film to keep warm; when temperatures are high, ventilate to allow air circulation, so as to avoid scorching the leaves.

3. Field management

When the seedlings grow to the stage of 1 leaf and 1 whip, they can be transplanted to the field. Before transplanting and seedling emergence, spray the seedbed once with a disease-prevention medicinal solution. You can use 1 kg of 50% carbendazim powder mixed with soil and broadcast it, or spray a 1000-fold solution of 70% thiophanate-methyl. After transplanting, when the first standing leaf emerges, apply 15-20 kg of urea per mu. When the leaves stop emerging, apply 30-40 kg of urea and 30 kg of potassium fertilizer per mu, or apply 50-60 kg of compound fertilizer per mu. During the lotus root formation period, appropriately spraying foliar fertilizer and potassium dihydrogen phosphate can promote lotus root enlargement. In the early growth stage, when temperatures are low, the water layer should be shallow to help the ground temperature rise. Before the standing leaves emerge, keep the water layer at 5-10 cm. During the vigorous growth period, gradually deepen the water layer to 20 cm. In the late growth stage, the water layer should be controlled at about 5 cm to promote enlargement of the lotus root body.

The above is an introduction to lotus root sowing and seedling-raising techniques. I hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.