What are the latest precautions for growing arrowhead?
Arrowhead, also known as scissors grass, is a perennial aquatic herbaceous plant in the Alismataceae family, and it is grown throughout China. The main edible part of arrowhead is its underground corm, which generally grows in shallow ditches, along small streams, and in paddy fields. So when growing arrowhead, what issues do we need to pay attention to? Follow the editor below to learn about them together.
1. Seed bud treatment
Arrowhead mainly reproduces and grows through medium seed buds, so the selection and treatment of seed buds are very important. Generally, we choose moderately sized, fully mature seed buds that are free of pests and diseases. Then we cut off part of the corm, soak it in carbendazim, remove it after fifteen minutes and let it dry, and store it for overwintering. Before sowing, soak the seed buds in clean water for one or two days, and then they can be sown.
2. Planting time
Arrowhead also has requirements for planting time, and not all times are suitable for growing arrowhead. Generally speaking, the planting time for arrowhead is from the end of April to the beginning of May each year, when the average temperature can reach above fifteen degrees, so that the emergence rate after sowing will be higher. The sowing time cannot be too early or too late, and the earliest sowing time cannot be earlier than mid-April.
3. Water level adjustment
Water level management in arrowhead cultivation is crucial. Although arrowhead is an aquatic plant, it has a strict standard for water requirements. When it is just sown, the water level in the paddy field generally only needs to be about two to three cm. After seven to ten days, we continue to add new water to the field, still keeping the water level at about three cm. During the seedling growth period, the water level should also be maintained at about three cm. If the temperature rises above twenty-six degrees, then we need to reasonably increase the water level, keeping it at about five to ten cm. Note that no matter what stage of growth it is in, we need to keep the field soil moist.
4. Topdressing management
Topdressing is meant to promote the growth of arrowhead, thereby increasing its yield and quality. About one week after planting, topdressing is needed, mainly with decomposed manure water. Throughout its growth process, we should follow the principle of promote, control, promote when topdressing, so as to achieve the best nutrient utilization effect. During fertilization, we must not apply only nitrogen fertilizer or other single fertilizer types, and should pay attention to the combined use of nitrogen fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer, and potassium fertilizer.
5. Pest and disease control
To improve the yield and quality of arrowhead, we also need to pay attention to the prevention and control of pests and diseases during cultivation. The main diseases are brown spot disease and zebra disease, and we can use thiophanate together with chlorothalonil. The most common pests are aphids, stem borers, and armyworms, and we can use dichlorvos, dimethoate, and beta-cypermethrin respectively for spraying and killing.
The above are the five main issues to pay attention to during arrowhead cultivation. Next are things like arrowhead planting density and pruning of branches and leaves, which are also issues we need to pay attention to during cultivation. If you encounter other problems during cultivation, you can also ask the editor for consultation.