Latest Broccoli Seed Prices and Planting Methods
Broccoli is also known as green cauliflower, green broccoli, and green-sprouting broccoli. It is a biennial herbaceous plant of the genus Brassica in the family Brassicaceae—originating from the eastern coast of the Mediterranean region. After being introduced to China at the end of the 19th century, it was first grown in Taiwan, China, and later cultivated in Guangdong, Fujian, Yunnan, Beijing, Shanghai, and other places as well. Now it is commonly cultivated across both northern and southern China. Let us take a look below at broccoli seed prices and planting methods!
How much does broccoli seed cost per gram?
The price of broccoli seeds is about 12 to 20 yuan per gram, but prices vary greatly depending on seed quality, variety, place of origin, and market conditions. For production, broccoli varieties should be selected that have strong plant growth vigor, dark green flower buds, few scorched buds, arc-shaped round heads, few side shoots, small buds, large heads, disease resistance, heat tolerance, cold tolerance, and wide adaptability, such as Excellent, Longlu, Shanshui, Yuguan, Dongfang Lubao, Wanlu, and Luxiu, among others, but they must meet the national second-grade seed standard before use.
What varieties of broccoli are there?
1. Excellent: An early-maturing variety with a mushroom-shaped head and a relatively prominent top, dark green in color, with a single head weighing 350 to 400 grams. The head is compact, the buds are fine, and it has good market quality. It has relatively few side branches and is suitable for early spring and autumn cultivation.
2. Future: An early-maturing variety, an upright type suitable for dense planting, with a mushroom-shaped head, a relatively deep green color, and a full shape. It has good market quality and is suitable for autumn cultivation.
3. Shanshui: A mid-maturing variety with vigorous growth and a large spread, with a single head weighing about 500 grams. It is semicircular, with a compact head, fine buds, and a blue-green color. It has relatively poor cold tolerance but strong stress resistance.
4. Ludaizi: A mid-maturing variety with a single head weighing about 500 grams, vigorous growth, and good quality. It is semicircular and used for both the main head and side heads. With abundant fertilizer and water, it is prone to hollowing; under high temperature and frequent rain, it is prone to "starry sky" spotting; and under frost, it is prone to purpling.
5. Shenglu: A mid-to-late-maturing variety with vigorous growth and cold tolerance, with a single head weighing about 500 grams. It is semicircular, with fine buds and a deep green color, and is not prone to hollowing.
Growing conditions for broccoli
1. Light: Broccoli likes sufficient light. When light is adequate, the plants grow robustly and can form a strong vegetative body, which is conducive to photosynthesis and nutrient accumulation, making the heads compact and dense with a fresh green color and good quality. However, overly strong sunlight in midsummer is also unfavorable for growth and development.
2. Temperature: Broccoli has strong cold tolerance and heat tolerance. Within the range of 5 to 20°C, the higher the temperature, the faster the growth and development. The suitable temperature for germination is 20 to 25°C, for the seedling stage 15 to 20°C, for the rosette stage 20 to 22°C, and for head development 15 to 18°C.
3. Water: Broccoli requires a relatively large amount of water during growth, especially during vigorous leaf growth and head formation, when it must not lack water. However, excessive rain during the seedling stage or excessively high soil moisture can easily cause black rot and black spot disease. During head formation, soil moisture should be kept at 70 to 80% of field capacity.
4. Soil: Broccoli is suitable for planting on loam and sandy loam with good drainage and irrigation, deep plow layer, loose and fertile soil texture, and strong water and fertilizer retention. The pH range is 5.5 to 8, with 6 being the best. Throughout the entire growth process, its N, P, K ratio is 14:5:8.
Sowing methods for broccoli
1. Sowing time: For broccoli autumn double-cover cultivation, the sowing time is early July; for solar greenhouse overwintering cultivation, late July to August; for solar greenhouse early spring cultivation, early September to early October; for plastic tunnels and small arch sheds for early spring cultivation, November; and for spring plastic film cultivation, January.
2. Seed soaking treatment: Soak broccoli seeds in warm water at 33°C for 15 minutes while stirring continuously. Stop when the water temperature drops to 20°C, continue soaking in warm water for 4 hours, rinse clean with clear water, and then germinate.
3. Seed germination: Wrap the soaked broccoli seeds in moist cotton gauze and germinate them at 30°C. Rinse once daily with clear water, and sow when 60% of the seeds have sprouted white.
4. Seedbed selection: The broccoli seedling stage is relatively short. Choose a seedbed on a field with high terrain, convenient drainage and irrigation, soil rich in organic matter, and where cruciferous vegetables have not been planted within two years or where the previous crop was rice. The seedbed should preferably run north-south.
5. Apply sufficient base fertilizer: 15 to 20 days before sowing broccoli, plow deeply; 7 to 10 days before, apply 15 kg of ternary compound fertilizer plus 5 kg of superphosphate per mu, or splash-apply 2500 kg of decomposed human urine and manure. Turn and rake the soil fine, and make a sowing bed about 1.2 m wide, with a seedling field ratio of 1:20 to 30.
6. Mix with pesticide and sow: Before sowing broccoli, water the seedbed thoroughly once and apply agents such as 1000-fold phoxim. At sowing, mix the seeds evenly with an appropriate amount of sand and broadcast them evenly in the seedbed. After sowing, press down with a shovel, then spread a layer of medicinal soil mixed with 0.1% carbendazim and dexon.
7. Shade and insulation: After sowing broccoli in summer, lay a layer of shade netting flat on the seedbed, build a small arch shed, and cover it with another layer of shade netting for double-layer shade, moisture retention, and cooling seedling cultivation. In winter and spring, use one layer of plastic film and one layer of greenhouse film for double-film insulation seedling cultivation.
Planting methods for broccoli
1. Land preparation and fertilization: Broccoli roots penetrate relatively shallowly, so it should be planted on fertile soil with good water and fertilizer retention. Generally, per mu, use 100 kg of organic fertilizer, 10 kg of urea, 25 kg of compound fertilizer, and 2 kg of borax as base fertilizer. Plow the land, rake it level, open furrows, and apply fertilizer.
2. Reasonable transplanting: When broccoli seedlings have grown to 6 leaves and 1 heart, and the soil temperature at a depth of 10 cm has stably passed above 10°C, and the seedling age is 30 to 35 days, they can be transplanted. When transplanting, the soil covering the seedlings must not exceed the cotyledon scar, and must certainly not bury the growing point. After transplanting, water thoroughly.
3. Cultivation management: Within 2 days after transplanting broccoli, promptly inspect the field and fill in missing seedlings, provide sufficient nutrients and water, loosen the soil frequently, keep the lower soil moist, cultivate appropriately, and remove weeds. Generally, cultivate once, do deep loosening combined with one topdressing, and remove weeds manually twice.
4. Topdressing method: 7 to 10 days after planting broccoli, apply 5 kg of urea and 10 kg of potassium sulfate per mu; 15 to 20 days later, apply 25 kg of compound fertilizer and 10 kg of potassium sulfate per mu; at the early stage of head formation, spray once with monopotassium phosphate, boron treasure, or a 0.05 to 0.10% borax and ammonium molybdate solution.
5. Irrigation method: Broccoli needs slightly more water than other crops. Except for the seedling stage, when soil moisture should be appropriately controlled, sufficient water should be ensured during all other growth and development stages. Generally, manual furrow irrigation or mechanical sprinkler irrigation is used, and advanced sprinkler irrigation equipment is best.
6. Remove side branches: For broccoli varieties grown specifically for the terminal head, side branches should be removed before the head appears. For varieties used for both terminal and side heads, side branches sprout relatively abundantly; generally, keep 1 to 2 strong upper side branches and remove the rest to reduce nutrient consumption.
⟦NL>7. Temperature management: When broccoli heads begin to form, the normal temperature is around 25°C. High field temperatures of 30°C must not continue for more than three days. If they exceed three days, temperature control measures should be taken, such as manually covering the heads with leaves or using coverings, artificial rainfall, and other methods.8. Pest and disease control: Broccoli is prone to a variety of pests and diseases. After transplanting, investigations should be conducted promptly to prevent the occurrence of pests and diseases. Systemic pesticides should be used as preventive agents, and fumigants and contact-killing agents as control agents when outbreaks occur. Green, pollution-free pesticides should be used for control.