When is the latest planting time for Malabar spinach?
Malabar spinach is one of the main vegetables in the high-temperature summer season in southern regions. Its leaves contain a variety of vitamins as well as calcium and iron. It is cultivated as a vegetable, and its juice can be used as a harmless food coloring, but it is relatively rarely cultivated and has long been listed as a rare and special vegetable. It is grown in many places across both northern and southern China, and in the south it has escaped into the wild in some areas. Now let us take a look together at when Malabar spinach should be planted!
When is Malabar spinach planted?
Malabar spinach is generally sown in April and harvested in June. Usually, when the temperature is above 20°C, it can be sown and cultivated in the open field. For types grown mainly for harvesting tender stems and leaves, they enter the harvest period about 50 days after sowing. Malabar spinach is tolerant of high temperature and high humidity and generally grows in loose, fertile sandy loam. The suitable germination temperature for seeds is generally around 25°C, and the suitable growing temperature for plants is 25-30°C. Throughout the entire growth period, the soil needs to remain moist. A few varieties have strict requirements for high temperature and short-day conditions, while most varieties do not have strict requirements for sunlight.
Sowing methods for Malabar spinach
1. Land preparation and fertilization: Before sowing Malabar spinach, first prepare the land and apply fertilizer. Apply about 5,000 kg of fully decomposed high-quality coarse manure per mu. After broadcasting it evenly, plow and harrow the soil and make beds 1-1.2 m wide. When sowing in spring, in order to raise the ground temperature, plastic film can also be laid 1 week before sowing to warm the soil. Sowing can be done only when the ground temperature is steadily above 15°C.
2. Seed soaking and sprouting: The seed coat of Malabar spinach is thick and hard, so the seeds should be soaked and sprouted before sowing. The seeds can be soaked with stirring in 50°C water for 30 minutes, then soaked in warm water at 28-30°C for 4-6 hours. After rubbing and washing them clean, keep them moist at 30°C to promote sprouting. When the seeds show white sprouts, they can be sown.
3. Sowing methods: For drilling, first open furrows in the bed, with a furrow depth of 2-3 cm, a furrow width of 10-15 cm, and a furrow spacing of 20 cm, and sow in rows along the furrows. After sowing, rake the bed level, press it lightly, then water along the bed, using enough water to moisten the bed surface. For broadcasting, first water the bed thoroughly as base water, and after the water seeps down, spread a 0.5 cm layer of fine soil, then sow, and after sowing cover with a 1.5-2 cm layer of fine soil, then cover with plastic film to keep warm and moist. Generally, seedlings emerge after 3-5 days.
Cultivation techniques for Malabar spinach
1. Thinning and final spacing: When Malabar spinach is grown for harvesting leaves, the row spacing is 40 cm, the plant spacing is 30 cm, and 1-5 plants are kept per hole. When grown for harvesting tender shoots, the plant and row spacing is 15-20 cm × 30-40 cm, with 1-3 plants per hole.
2. Water and fertilizer management: After Malabar spinach emerges, the soil should be kept moist and watered in a timely manner. After each harvest, apply a topdressing of human feces and urine once in a timely manner, at 50 kg per mu, or 10 kg of urea. In the rainy season, drainage should be carried out in a timely manner to prevent waterlogging.
3. Harvesting tender shoots: For harvesting tender shoots of Malabar spinach, when the seedlings are 30-35 cm tall, keep 3-4 leaves and cut the top shoot, then select and keep 2 strong and vigorous lateral buds to form shoots, and remove the rest. After cutting 2 rounds of shoots, keep another 2-4 strong lateral buds to form shoots, and remove the rest. During the vigorous growth period, 5-8 strong lateral buds can be selected and kept to form shoots. In the middle and late stages, flower buds should be removed at any time. At the end of the harvest period, 1-2 strong lateral buds can be kept to form shoots.
4. Harvesting leaves: When Malabar spinach is grown for leaf harvest, trellises should be set up for the vines to climb, and main vines should also be selected and kept. Generally, strong lateral buds at the base should be selected to form vines. When the main vine grows to the top of the trellis, pinch off the growing tip, and after pinching, select and keep strong lateral buds from the base of the main vine to form vines. From 40-50 days after sowing, for harvesting tender leaves, generally harvest once every 15-20 days in the early stage, every 10-15 days in the mid-growth stage, and every 10-17 days in the late stage.
5. Pest and disease control: The insect pests of Malabar spinach cause very little damage and occur only in a few continuously wet and humid sections. Diseases include brown spot and gray mold. In the early stage of occurrence, spray 600 times dilution of 72% Kelu wettable powder, or 600 times dilution of 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder, or 1000 times dilution of 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder for control, spraying once every 5-7 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays.