The Latest Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial for Ice Plant
Ice plant, also known as ice vegetable, was first cultivated in Africa and has only been introduced in recent years. It is a green vegetable that has been extremely popular in the market in recent years, rich in nutrients and delicious in taste, able to supplement the human body with nutrients and also help with beauty and preventing the three highs. So how should ice plant be cultivated? Let's take a look together.
1. Sowing
Sowing is the most important method of propagation for ice plant. Its seeds are extremely small, so before sowing the seeds need to be soaked to promote germination. Plug tray seedling raising can be used, generally a 200-cell plug tray is used for sowing, and generally 3 seeds are sown per cell. Because the seeds are extremely small, do not cover them with thick soil. Keep the temperature at around 20 degrees, which is favorable for seed germination. In low-temperature environments, a constant-temperature incubator should be used. After 35-40 days of sowing, when the seedlings have grown 4-5 leaves, they can be transplanted and planted out. Since the root system of ice plant is not well developed, in order to improve the survival rate, they can first be moved into nutrient cups for cultivation, and after about half a month, once the root system has grown well, they can be planted out.
2. Planting Out
Ice plant has strong drought tolerance, so when choosing the planting site, a plot with loose soil, good drainage and good air permeability should be selected, and raised beds can be made for cultivation. When planting out, place a small amount of phosphate fertilizer in the holes dug on the bed surface. Generally, a row spacing of 40-50 cm and a plant spacing of 30-40 cm are appropriate. After planting out, water thoroughly once, but be sure not to irrigate with a large volume of water.
3. Temperature and Water
Temperature and water are relatively important when growing ice plant. It likes to grow in an environment of 20-30 degrees, and is extremely sensitive to high temperatures especially in summer, so cooling measures should be taken in time. In addition, ice plant has strong drought tolerance, so there is no need to water frequently during cultivation; simply water appropriately when the soil is dry. Excessive watering will not only affect its growth, but in severe cases may also cause death.
4. Harvest
After ice plant has grown, harvesting also requires attention to method. It can be harvested directly with scissors, and in most cases it can be harvested directly about two months after sowing. At this time, harvesting should start from the side branches of the ice plant. During transport after harvest, it should be kept in a low-temperature environment. In addition, pre-cooling should be carried out immediately after harvest. If the ambient temperature is too high, the ice plant may deteriorate.
The above is an introduction to ice plant cultivation techniques. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.