A Complete Guide to Chayote Planting Time and Methods
Chayote is a vegetable variety that has emerged in recent years. Because it somewhat resembles the hand of the Buddha, it was named chayote. It also has another name, longevity melon, because of its relatively high medicinal value. Nowadays many people really like chayote, but its planting area is not large and its annual output cannot meet consumer demand, so many people have begun to grow chayote. However, growing chayote is not that easy, so now Qinnong Network will tell everyone when is the best time to plant chayote and its planting methods.
Planting Time
Chayote has weak cold resistance, which means the planting time must be chosen correctly, otherwise the yield and survival rate of chayote will certainly not be high. But today's greenhouse technology is really very practical, so we can also grow it in greenhouses. For greenhouse planting, March is generally chosen, but normal planting time is generally around April to May each year. The specific situation still has to be chosen according to the local climate conditions.
Planting Methods
1. Land selection and soil preparation
Chayote's resistance is not particularly strong, and it is more suitable for planting in relatively warm areas, so it also has certain requirements for soil selection. It is best to choose sandy soil with sufficient sunlight, good soil permeability, moderate drainage and water retention capacity, and sufficient soil fertility, or neutral soil with weak soil viscosity is also acceptable. When preparing the land, we need to first evenly spread farmyard manure over the land, then deep-plow the soil, so that nutrients can penetrate deep into the land and increase soil fertility. Try to make the soil clods as fine as possible and the land as level as possible. Next, a small ditch needs to be made in the field about every 1.5 m to facilitate drainage and irrigation.
2. Sowing and raising seedlings
Because chayote's growth cycle is relatively long and the seed seedling period is also relatively long, before sowing we need to first soak the seeds in warm water for about a while, then remove them and put them into a chemical agent and stir evenly, then remove them, rinse with water, drain the water, and then sow. There are two sowing methods. The first is hole sowing: sow in holes in the field at a row spacing of 40 to 50 cm and a plant spacing of 30 to 40 cm, then cover the seeds with soil. The second is to first cultivate chayote seedlings on a seedbed, then wait for a suitable time, generally around May, for transplanting. The transplanting spacing is the same as for hole sowing. At the same time, whether hole sowing or transplanting, we need to water the land first, and then plant.
3. Field management
Proper field management of chayote determines its yield and quality. During the entire growth period of chayote, fertilization is generally required at least three times. Many crops need fertilization after planting, but chayote cannot be fertilized during this period; just watering is enough, otherwise the chayote seedlings will wither. When the plants enter the rapid growth period, the first fertilization is needed, mainly with urea. The second fertilization is during the peak flowering season of chayote. At this time, we need to spray a certain dose of foliar fertilizer and apply some decomposed farmyard manure to promote flowering and preserve fruit. Finally, after the fruit has set successfully, in order to promote the growth and maturity of chayote, we can spray an appropriate amount of boron fertilizer on it.
4. Branch and leaf management
When chayote grows to 40 cm long, we need to build a trellis for it. Although it can be allowed to crawl directly on the ground, building a trellis can not only improve the yield and quality of chayote but also avoid many pests and diseases. Next, during its growth process, we need to prune part of the branches and leaves, which can reduce nutrient consumption and also increase the success rate of fruit setting.