The Latest Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial for Malabar Spinach

Malabar spinach, also known as tofu vegetable, rouge vegetable, and fence vegetable, is an annual twining herbaceous plant of the genus Basella in the family Basellaceae. It is rarely cultivated and has long been listed as a rare specialty vegetable. Its seedlings, tender stems, tender leaves, and shoot tips are used for food. It has a fresh, tender, soft, and smooth taste, and can be stir-fried, blanched, or served cold. It has a delicate fragrance, is crisp and refreshing, and has a unique flavor somewhat like wood ear fungus. Now let us take a look at the cultivation techniques for Malabar spinach!

Growth Habits of Malabar Spinach

Malabar spinach originates from the tropical regions of Asia, and is grown in many places in both northern and southern China. In the south, some have escaped into the wild. It tolerates high temperatures and high humidity, and generally grows in loose, fertile sandy loam. The suitable germination temperature for seeds is around 25°C, and the suitable growth temperature for the plant 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. It grows in areas below 2000 m in elevation.

Cultivated Varieties of Malabar Spinach

1. Red Malabar Spinach: Red Malabar spinach, also known as red-leaf Malabar spinach and red-stem Malabar spinach, has stems ranging from light purple to pink, dark green leaves, and purple-red coloring near the veins and leaf margins. The leaves are ovate to nearly round, relatively small in leaf type, about 6 cm in both length and width. The peduncle of the spike-like inflorescence is 3-4.5 cm long. It is native to India, Myanmar, and other places.

2. Green-stem Malabar Spinach: Green-stem Malabar spinach is a variety of red-stem Malabar spinach. Apart from having green stems, its leaves are dark green, with purple-red coloring near the veins and leaf margins. The leaves are ovate to nearly round, relatively small in leaf type, about 6 cm in both length and width. The peduncle of the spike-like inflorescence is 3-4.5 cm long.

3. Large-leaf Malabar Spinach: Large-leaf Malabar spinach, also known as big-leaf Malabar spinach, has green stems and dark green leaves with acute tips. The leaves are heart-shaped, with grooved petioles, and the leaf type is relatively broad and large, 15 cm long and 8-12 cm wide. It has spike-like inflorescences with peduncles 8-14 cm long. It is native to southern China.

4. White-flower Malabar Spinach: White-flower Malabar spinach, also known as white Malabar spinach and fine-leaf Malabar spinach, has light green stems and green leaves. The leaves are ovate to oblong-ovate-lanceolate, with rounded or gradually pointed bases, pointed or slightly acute tips, and slightly wavy margins. The leaves are relatively small, averaging 2.5-3 cm long and 1.5-2 cm wide. It is rarely cultivated.

Propagation Techniques for Malabar Spinach

1. Sowing Time: Malabar spinach can generally be sown and cultivated in the open field when the temperature is above 20°C. Malabar spinach grown mainly for harvesting tender stems and leaves enters the harvest period about 50 days after sowing. Generally, if sown in April, it can be harvested in June.

2. Land Preparation and Fertilization: Before sowing Malabar spinach, prepare the land and apply fertilizer first. Apply about 5000 kg of fully decomposed high-quality coarse manure per mu, spread it evenly, then plow and make beds 1-1.2 m wide. When sowing in spring, to increase soil temperature, plastic film can be laid over the ground 1 week before sowing to warm it. Sowing can be done only when the soil temperature is stable above 15°C.

3. Seed Soaking and Germination Promotion: The seed coat of Malabar spinach is thick and hard, so seeds should be soaked and germinated before sowing. Soak the seeds in 50°C water with stirring for 30 minutes, then soak them in warm water at 28-30°C for 4-6 hours. After washing them clean, keep them moist at 30°C to promote germination. When the seeds show white sprouts, they can be sown.

4. Sowing Methods

① Drilling: For drilling, first open furrows in the bed, 2-3 cm deep, 10-15 cm wide, with 20 cm between furrows, and sow along the furrows. After sowing, rake the bed level, press it lightly, then water the bed, using enough water to moisten the bed surface.

② Broadcasting: For broadcasting, first water the bed thoroughly with bottom water. After the water seeps down, spread a 0.5 cm layer of fine soil, then sow, and after sowing cover with 1.5-2 cm 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: For Malabar spinach grown for leaf harvest, the row spacing is 40 cm, plant spacing 30 cm, with 1-5 plants per hole. For harvest of 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, keep the soil moist and water it in a timely manner. After each harvest, promptly apply human manure and urine once, 50 kg per mu, or 10 kg of urea. In the rainy season, drain water promptly to prevent waterlogging.

3. Timely Harvesting

① Tender Shoots: To harvest tender shoots, when the seedlings are 30-35 cm tall, leave 3-4 leaves and cut the top shoot. After that, select and keep 2 strong, vigorous lateral buds to become shoots, and remove the rest. After harvesting 2 rounds of shoots, again keep 2-4 strong lateral buds to become shoots, and remove the rest. During the vigorous growth period, 5-8 strong lateral buds can be selected and kept to become 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 become shoots.

② Leaves: When cultivating for leaf harvest, trellises should be set up for the vines to climb, and main vines should also be selected and retained. Generally, strong lateral buds at the base should be selected to become 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 become 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 middle growth stage, and every 10-17 days in the late stage.

4. Disease and Pest Control

① Brown Spot: Brown spot mainly damages the leaves. In the early stage, affected leaves have small water-soaked reddish dots, which gradually expand, with the center becoming grayish-white to brown and the nearby margins dark purplish-brown. They are relatively thin but not easily perforated, and in severe cases cause early leaf withering. The control methods are crop rotation, deep plowing, and chemical control. Treat seeds with 100-fold formalin solution for 30 minutes to 1 hour for sterilization. In the early stage of the disease, spray with 65% zineb 600-fold solution every 7-10 days for 2-3 applications. During the high-temperature vigorous growth period, spray Bordeaux mixture at 1:3:200 (or 300) for protection.

② Purple Spot: Malabar spinach purple spot damages the leaves. Diseased leaves have purple round yellow-brown spots on the margins. The center of the lesion is sunken and thin, easily perforated, resembling a snake's eye. In severe cases, purple spots cover the entire leaf. Control involves strengthening field management, timely drainage to prevent waterlogging, and spraying 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder 800-fold solution or 50% procymidone wettable powder 1800-fold solution. To improve plant disease resistance, increase the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers.

③ Gray Mold: Malabar spinach gray mold damages leaves and stems. Diseased leaves have water-soaked spots that gradually develop and cause the leaves to wilt and rot, with gray mold growing on them. When stems are infected, water-soaked light green spots appear, and diseased stems easily break, collapse, and rot, with gray mold growing on them. Control involves strengthening field management, applying more high-quality coarse manure, strengthening intertillage and loosening of the soil, using plastic mulching or building small arched sheds, strengthening insulation, and preventing high humidity. In the early stage of the disease, 5% chlorothalonil dust can be sprayed in the greenhouse, or 5% procymidone wettable powder 1200-1400-fold solution can be sprayed.