How to Grow Ice Plant? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Cultivation Methods
The scientific name of ice plant is Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, also known as crystalline ice plant. Its surface produces something that looks like ice crystals, and the plant itself has a salty taste, so no salt is needed when eating it; it is suitable for salads or cold dressed dishes. So for this unusual vegetable, do you know how to grow it? Let's take a look.
1. Planting Preparation
Ice plant seeds are extremely small, and their ability to push through the soil is weak. They often germinate but fail to emerge because the soil is too hard, causing the seeds to rot and die. Therefore, before planting, you must choose the right soil; the soil should be loose, breathable, and moisture-retentive. Only such soil is suitable for the growth of ice plant. You can also grow seedlings indoors using a seedling tray filled with seedling substrate; the seedling substrate can be a nutrient soil based mainly on coconut coir bricks.
2. Sowing and Seedling Raising
Before sowing, first soak the seeds in warm water at about 30 degrees for 2-4 hours. When sowing, sow 2-3 seeds per hole. If using a seedling tray, sow at intervals of 9 cm per point, also 2-3 seeds. After sowing, cover with a layer of fine soil 3-5 mm thick; it should not be too deep, otherwise normal germination will be affected. After sowing, maintain the temperature at about 20 degrees; it should not be too high or too low. At low temperatures, find ways to raise the temperature, and at high temperatures, strengthen ventilation to lower the temperature of the seedling-raising environment. In this way, they will sprout and emerge before long. Generally, 20-40 days after sowing, or when the seedlings grow 4-5 leaves, they can be transplanted and planted out.
3. Transplanting
When lifting the seedlings for transplanting, be careful not to damage the root system of the seedlings. Also pay attention to the timing of transplanting; it is not suitable during rainy days or high-temperature periods, so as not to affect the survival rate of transplanting. Dig holes in the planting site and transplant; control the plant spacing and row spacing at 20×30 cm per hole. After transplanting, cover with soil, then water once to help the seedlings recover; do not water too much, and then keep the temperature at about 25 degrees.
4. Field Management
The suitable growth temperature for ice plant is 20-30 degrees. It is relatively sensitive to high temperatures, so in summer you must pay attention and take shade and sun protection measures to prevent strong light from scalding it and causing death. Strengthen ventilation to lower the temperature of the planting site. Ice plant is relatively drought-tolerant, so when watering, do not water too much; water again when the soil surface is dry. In the middle and later stages, ice plant grows extremely fast and can grow into a large patch in a short time.
The above is the content on how to grow ice plant. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more about vegetable cultivation knowledge, please stay tuned to us.