How to Grow Snow Peas? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Growing Methods
Snow peas are twining herbaceous plants of the Fabaceae (papilionaceous) family, native to Southeast Asia, and are called snow peas because the Dutch brought them to China. Snow peas have relatively high nutritional value, containing a high amount of protein and amino acids needed by the human body. In China they are widely cultivated and are a crop with good economic value. So how should snow peas be grown? Below, the editor brings you the growing methods for snow peas. Let's take a look!
1. Site selection and land preparation
Snow peas have relatively strong growth ability and no great demands on soil, and can grow normally in various soils. However, pay attention to the soil's pH value: snow peas cannot grow in acidic soil, and if the soil is strongly acidic, lime needs to be sprinkled into the soil to neutralize the acidity and alkalinity. In addition, snow peas must be rotated for at least 4 years or more, otherwise pests and diseases will occur severely. After selecting the land, prepare it promptly, deep-plow to loosen the soil, improve soil permeability, then apply an appropriate amount of base fertilizer; the base fertilizer is mainly farmyard manure, with an appropriate amount of superphosphate and potassium chloride added. Make level beds to facilitate sowing and later management and harvesting.
2. Seed selection and soaking
Before sowing, do a good job of seed selection: put the seeds into salt water and remove the shriveled seeds and pest- or disease-damaged seeds that float up. Then do a good job of sprouting: soak the seeds in water for 5 hours, place them in an appropriate environment to sprout, and after the seeds show white and sprout, place them in a low-temperature environment of 1°C for about half a month. Then mix the seeds with rhizobia to increase the number of root nodules on the plants, raise the growth rate of stems and leaves and the rate of flowering and fruiting, and achieve the goal of increasing yield. After the above series of measures, sow at the right time, reasonably control water and fertilizer, and promote seed germination and seedling emergence.
3. Field management
After sowing, shallow-till and loosen the soil promptly to raise soil temperature, promote seeds taking root and sprouting, and ensure healthy growth of seedlings. If sowing in autumn, then carry out earthing-up measures before winter to do a good job of keeping warm and overwintering. Before snow peas flower, apply a topdressing of nitrogen fertilizer once to promote plant growth, and do it together with loosening the soil and preserving moisture. When pod setting begins, increase the frequency of watering, along with the proportion of potassium and phosphorus in the fertilizer. Keep the soil in a moist state to provide sufficient water for pod development; when the plants grow to about 35 cm, set up trellises and guide the vines to ensure healthy plant growth.
4. Timely harvesting
The growing season of snow peas differs considerably from that of other legume vegetables, so the harvesting time also differs to a certain extent. For example, when planted in June, because the temperature is relatively high, the growth ability of snow peas is enhanced, and their growing period only needs about two weeks. On the contrary, in winter, the low-temperature environment is unsuitable for the growth of snow peas, so the growing period needs about one month. Therefore, our harvesting time must be determined according to the planting time, and also the planting direction, etc.; there is no specific harvesting time, and everyone needs to judge it as appropriate.
The above is a brief introduction to how to grow snow peas. The growing period of snow peas is not very long, so the incidence of pests and diseases is relatively low. However, management cannot be neglected; improper management will increase the incidence of pests and diseases, so we must not only do a good job of field management, but pest and disease control work is also indispensable. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you for reading and supporting us.