The Latest Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial for Shepherd's Purse

Shepherd's purse, whose scientific name is Capsella bursa-pastoris, is a very popular wild vegetable. Artificial cultivation began in the early 20th century; previously it was mainly gathered from the wild to eat. The history of artificial cultivation is not very long, so the cultivation techniques have not been widely promoted. Those who want to learn about it can read this article to understand the cultivation techniques.

I. Planting Time

It can be planted in any season except winter. In southern regions it is mainly cultivated in spring and autumn; in spring it is planted from the end of February to the end of April; in summer it is planted from July to August; in autumn it is planted from September to October. In North China it is planted in March in spring and cultivated from July to September in autumn. In winter it is grown under protected facilities.

II. Land

As for the planting site, as long as it is not low-lying, saline-alkali, or barren land, it can be improved and planted. Deeper soil is somewhat better, and water and fertilizer retention are essential. In addition, it is best to use land that has never grown shepherd's purse before; do not practice continuous cropping, as continuous cropping leads to too many diseases. Plow the soil, apply 2000 jin of farmyard manure per mu, mix it into the soil and till it fine, then level the land and sun-dry the field.

III. Sowing

The seeds are very fine, so there is no need to soak the seeds to promote germination. Never use hot water to soak and disinfect the seeds, as it easily scalds the seeds. You can use low-temperature refrigerator treatment to break seed dormancy. Make a raised bed with deep furrows for sowing, with the bed surface about 1.5 m wide. Use a sieve to sift soil onto the bed surface as the planting soil. The seeds are tiny, so sow them evenly by broadcasting directly; you can mix them with fine soil and broadcast, so that no soil cover is needed. Water to keep moist and set up a shade net.

IV. Emergence

In spring they emerge in one week, and faster in summer. During emergence, keep moist; they must not dry out, but they must not become waterlogged either. Field drainage ditches must be dug well, and two deep drainage ditches the same as those around the field should also be dug inside the field. In winter, water less, and they will not grow leggy. When emergence is complete, apply dilute fertilizer water; when true leaves grow, topdress with 600 jin of farmyard manure per mu. After emergence, pull out weeds promptly; once emergence is complete, thin out diseased and weak seedlings, and transplant when they have four true leaves.

When planting shepherd's purse, pay special attention to the fact that the seeds are very small; they cannot be soaked in hot water, and dormancy can only be broken by low temperature to prompt the seeds to sprout quickly, so that they germinate rapidly after sowing. After emergence, key fertilization management should be carried out, followed by some detailed procedures.