When to plant sword beans? The latest planting time and methods
The sword bean (Canavalia gladiata) is also a type of legume. For sword beans, it is mainly the fresh, relatively tender pods that are used, and they often appear in our lives in the form of a simple stir-fry. They are very nutritious. For young women who love beauty, eating more sword beans can whiten the skin. Nowadays, many cosmetics contain sword bean ingredients. At the same time, sword beans can also be used as medicine, and they are quite effective in treating some relatively common minor ailments and pains. Today, Qinong Net brings you not information about the nutritional value of sword beans, but its planting methods and its planting time. Let's take a look together with the editor below.
Planting time
The sword bean is a relatively heat-tolerant plant, so it can be sown in all three seasons of spring, summer, and autumn. However, the varieties of sword beans planted in each season will differ slightly. We will choose corresponding varieties with better resistance according to the changes in the seasons. Planting in spring is generally around February or March, sowing in summer is around May, and sowing in autumn is in August, after which they will be transplanted. The most suitable temperature for sword bean seeds to germinate is preferably between 25 and 30 degrees, while the optimal temperature for sword bean seedlings to grow is between 20 and 25 degrees. The temperatures in the sowing months of each season will be more or less unsuitable, so we also need to maintain and control the field temperature well when sowing at ordinary times.
Planting methods
1. Land preparation
Planting sword beans is actually very simple. In the past in rural areas, most fields were used to grow major crops, such as corn, rice, and so on, while sword beans were not really needed much, so only one or two plants would be grown, and they could just be casually planted on the field ridges. From this, it can be seen that it does not have high requirements for soil, nor does it need much land preparation. If high yield is desired, it is generally chosen to be planted in sandy soil with good drainage and irrigation functions and strong permeability. During land preparation, ridges need to be made and furrows dug, and the width of each ridge is about 30 cm, which can ensure smooth drainage in the field. Finally, base fertilizer is applied, generally by scattering a layer of livestock manure on each ridge.
2. Sowing
The seed coat of sword beans is relatively hard. If it is not treated before sowing, the speed of sprouting is very slow. So we generally soak the sword bean seeds in water for about one day, then put them into formalin solution for seed dressing. After 20 minutes, take them out and rinse them in clean water. Generally, rinsing about three times is enough. Finally, put the seeds in a cotton bag and place them in an environment of 25 to 30 degrees for germination. After about five days, sprouts will grow, and then they can be sown. When sowing, we use the method of hole sowing, digging holes on the prepared ridges at a distance of 40 cm per plant, then putting two to three seeds in each hole, and finally covering the seeds with thin soil and watering once.
3. Fertilization
After the sword bean seedlings break through the soil, we can prepare to weed and fertilize. Generally, about one week after the seedlings emerge, we carry out one intertillage and weeding. After weeding, on average, each mu needs 1,000 jin of farmyard manure, 50 jin of compound fertilizer, 50 jin of potassium fertilizer, and 30 jin of phosphate fertilizer as topdressing, which can be watered for irrigation. The second fertilization is when the sword bean seedlings grow to about 30 cm. In order to promote the growth of the seedlings, we mainly apply 1,000 jin of urea. The third fertilization is when sword beans flower and form pods. At this time, the purpose of fertilization is to promote flowering and preserve fruits, so a certain dose of foliar fertilizer and boron fertilizer can be sprayed, and at the same time 100 jin of potassium fertilizer is applied.
⟦NL>4. Trellising
Trellis management is something that must be done when sword bean seedlings grow to 40 to 50 cm, because sword bean seedlings grow somewhat long. If they are allowed to creep and grow on the ground, first, the field does not have such a large space, and second, creeping on the ground makes them greatly affected by moisture, temperature, and light, which will seriously reduce yield. So we generally build a support beside each plant, then attach some ropes to the support, and then guide the bean seedlings onto the trellis, letting them climb and grow along the ropes on the trellis. This can not only increase yield but also provide convenience for later harvesting and daily field management.
5. Disease prevention
The most common diseases of sword beans include root rot, blight, rust, and powdery mildew. The commonly used control methods are spraying with dexon, chlorothalonil, zineb, and thiophanate-methyl, once every ten days, about three times in total. The main pests are aphids, South American leafminers, and tobacco whiteflies. For aphids, 40% dimethoate emulsion at 2000 times dilution, or dichlorvos at 800 times dilution can be used for spraying. For South American leafminers and tobacco whiteflies, 10% imidacloprid wettable powder, 20% mipafox suspension concentrate, and so on can be used for control.