Shallot Cultivation Technique Tutorial: Detailed Explanation of the Latest Planting Methods
Shallot, also called small red garlic, has oval-shaped bulbs that are purplish-red, and is a rather unique seasoning vegetable. It is not commonly sold on the market now, but it is an allium plant with a very good taste and high nutritional value, and it is also a good medicine for treating hemoptysis. If invested in planting, the returns should be good. Some people will certainly ask how to grow this shallot, so I will introduce it to everyone next.
1. Land Selection and Land Preparation
Choose fertile, deep, well-drained, water- and fertilizer-retentive, sunny, flat land, and then choose land with no similar crops planted nearby, and land where shallots have not been planted before or where common diseases have not occurred. To prepare the land and form ridges, first plow the soil; a plowing depth of 15 cm is enough, because shallot bulbs are not large and the root system is not long. Break up all the soil finely, then sun-dry the land for one week. After spraying pesticide, sowing can be done three days later. The ridge surface width should not exceed 1.3 m, and the length should not exceed 8 m.
2. Planting
Sow in autumn; the best time is from August to September, and seed bulbs saved from that summer can be used for sowing. Choose healthy, plump bulbs for planting. Generally, plant one bulb every 5 cm; do not plant too densely. The plant spacing and row spacing should both be about 3 to 5 cm. Then, when planting, you can directly dig holes 4 cm deep and 5 cm wide on the ridge surface, place the bulbs in directly, and cover with soil.
3. Water and Fertilizer Management
On clear sunny days, water in the morning and evening when there is no sun, and keep the soil moist. Then, the soil should always be kept in a state of alternating dry and wet; it must not be drought-stricken. In the rainy season, dig drainage channels to guide and drain water away. Because the cultivation period is long, the base fertilizer must be sufficient, and then multiple topdressings are also needed. The base fertilizer should be a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer; apply 300 jin of compound chemical fertilizer per mu as base fertilizer. In the early stage of plant growth, apply 40 jin of nitrogen fertilizer per mu as one topdressing. During the bulb expansion period, apply 300 jin of farmyard manure as one topdressing, for two topdressings, and also supplement 2 kg to 3 kg of magnesium sulfate per mu, plus plant ash.
4. Weeding
Weeds often grow between the rows where alliums are planted, so pay attention to applying herbicide before planting. After planting, as soon as weed seedlings appear, pull them out promptly to avoid competing for the shallot's nutrients. Then, after rain, loosen the soil. Generally, because the rows are planted densely, do not use tools such as hoes; use small wooden sticks to loosen the soil, loosening about 5 cm, and do not damage the roots.
5. Seed Saving
After planting through the winter until March of the following year, begin selecting and cultivating plants for seed saving. Choose healthy, pest- and disease-free bulbs, and harvest in May. Remove the aboveground stems and leaves, clean the bulbs, sun-dry them slightly, then hang them in a dry, ventilated place.
The above is the cultivation and planting technique for shallots. I hope it can be helpful to you after reading. After learning and understanding it, you can plant according to your own past experience with growing similar crops and in combination with the actual environmental and climatic conditions; the content here can provide some reference.