A Detailed Guide to the Latest Planting Methods and Key Techniques for Water Shield (Brasenia schreberi)
Water shield is also called horse-hoof vegetable mainly because its shape closely resembles a horse's hoof. It is an aquatic plant that is mainly found in the Jiangnan region. Because it has certain requirements when it comes to growing conditions, it is not available for sale in many places, which makes it a relatively precious vegetable. Moreover, I believe many friends are not familiar with this vegetable either, so today we are mainly going to learn about the planting methods for water shield, and afterwards everyone will be able to grow it according to their own specific circumstances.
1. Site selection and land preparation
Water shield needs sufficient sunlight to grow normally, so we should choose a sunny spot for planting. Next, it survives more easily in soil that is on the acidic side, so when choosing a site we need to test the pH. It is also best to choose an area with running water or water that is relatively rich in minerals and free of pollution. The mud in the field is best kept at around 20 cm. When preparing the land, we can use machinery to plow the field, then raise and reinforce the field ridges, which helps with water storage and flood prevention. Finally, scatter an appropriate amount of barnyard manure.
2. Sowing at the right time
There are two sowing methods. The first is sowing seeds, and the second is planting by cuttings. However, the germination rate of water shield seeds is particularly low, so seeds are usually not used for sowing. If seeds are to be used, they must be carefully selected and treated before planting, so the cutting method is still the most commonly used when we plant. Water shield can be planted in both spring and autumn, but the best sowing time is still March and April in spring; next, planting in August and September in autumn is also quite good.
3. Reasonable close planting
When planting by cuttings, we need to carry out reasonable close planting according to how fertile the soil is. Usually we need to cut the stems of water shield into small sections of 10 cm each, then insert them vertically into the mud at a reasonable density. Generally, for land with sufficient nutrients we plant at a row spacing of about 60 to 70 cm and a plant spacing of about 50 cm, while for relatively fertile land we plant at both a row spacing and plant spacing of about 50 cm. For relatively poor soil we plant at a spacing of 30 to 40 cm. Only in this way can the soil be used fully and reasonably.
4. Water and fertilizer management
Water and water quality management in water shield cultivation is very important. Water shield needs a large amount of water to grow. Usually the water depth in the field needs to be adjusted according to seasonal changes. When first planted in spring, the water depth is generally around 15 cm. After the seedlings emerge, the water level can be raised appropriately, with the water depth controlled at around 25 to 35 cm. In summer we need to deepen the water to around 70 to 80 cm, because summer temperatures are relatively high. When winter comes, the water depth should be reduced to around 30 cm. Only in this way can water shield grow normally. Water shield also needs a large amount of nutrients for its growth, but as for fertilizing, we can only fertilize according to the growth conditions of the water shield. If the leaves turn yellow in the field or the growth rate is slow, we can add an appropriate amount of phosphate fertilizer and fertilizer containing trace elements to supplement nutrition.
5. Pest and disease control
The most common diseases of water shield are leaf rot and fusarium wilt. The main cause of these diseases is water pollution, and we can prevent and control them by purifying the water quality and using Bordeaux mixture. The more common pests are stem borers and green caterpillars, which can be sprayed and killed with dimethoate emulsion. In addition, large numbers of pond snails and flat snails will also appear, and we can spread tea seed cake to poison them or identify and catch them by hand.