How to Plant Water Chestnuts? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Planting Methods
The water chestnut, also known as Chinese water chestnut, has fruit that can be eaten directly as a fruit, and its seedlings, roots and fruit can all be used as medicine, with excellent healthcare effects, making it a food loved by many people. Although we know it, but do you know how it is grown? Let's follow along with the editor below to take a look at the detailed introduction.
1. Choosing the Site
To grow water chestnuts well, choosing the site is extremely important. Water chestnuts like fertile, loose paddy fields with sufficient sunlight, and it is necessary to ensure that the paddy field has an adequate water source and is convenient for irrigation and drainage. After choosing a good paddy field, apply an appropriate amount of superphosphate and potassium chloride as base fertilizer to maintain soil fertility, then use a rake to mix it evenly with the soil, which also loosens the soil.
2. Raising Seedlings
Water chestnuts are propagated using corms. Before propagation, select corms that are large, plump and undamaged, with smooth skin and thick, strong buds, to use as seedling seed. Before planting, soak the seed in a sterilizing agent for 10-24 hours, remove and air-dry, reasonably control the plant and row spacing, and press them into the mud with the buds facing upward. After sowing, cover with rice straw or a straw mat to retain moisture and fertilizer and promote sprouting. After sowing, water frequently to keep it moist. In addition, water carefully so as not to wash away the soil on the corms. After the seedlings emerge, slowly uncover the straw mat or rice straw to let the seedlings adapt to the high-temperature and strong-light environment.
3. Timely Transplanting
Generally, early-water water chestnuts are transplanted at a seedling age of 45-70 days, while late-water ones are transplanted at a seedling age of about one month. When transplanting, control the plant and row spacing at 30×60cm. Both seedlings from the main stem clump and tiller seedlings can be used as transplanting seedlings. The transplanting depth should be just enough to plant them firmly. If the seedlings are too tall when transplanting, cut off part of the tips, leaving only 25-30cm, in order to avoid breaking easily due to being too tall or lodging due to wind.
4. Fertilizer and Water Management
Fertilizer and water management for water chestnuts is extremely important. First is water level management. For early-water water chestnuts, the water level should be controlled at 2-3cm in the early stage, and as they gradually grow, deepen the water level to 7-10cm. For late-water water chestnuts, after transplanting, irrigation should be maintained at 6-8cm, and at the corm-forming stage, the water level should be lowered to 3-5cm. In winter, maintain a shallow water level of 1-2cm to overwinter. During the growth period, add more chemical fertilizer dissolved in water to promote the growth of the root and stem parts of the water chestnut. In the late growth stage, add organic fertilizer irregularly, but not too much, to avoid excessive vegetative growth of the plants.
The above is an introduction to the planting methods of water chestnuts. We hope it can help you. To learn more about planting knowledge, please stay tuned to us.