How to Grow the Latest Asparagus Seeds? A Detailed Guide to Planting Methods
Asparagus is native to the eastern Mediterranean coast and Asia Minor. Wild species still exist today in the grasslands and river valleys of Europe, the Asian continent and North Africa. It has a cultivation history of more than 2,000 years. It was introduced to the Americas in the 17th century, to Japan in the 18th century, and to China in the early 20th century. Caoxian County in Shandong Province, China, is known as the “Hometown of Chinese Asparagus”. Now let us take a look at how to grow asparagus seeds!
Asparagus Seedling Time
For open-field seedling raising of asparagus, sowing can be done from early April to early August, while for small arch-shed seedling raising it can be done earlier in early March. The asparagus seedling bed should be sandy soil that is fertile, well aerated and has good drainage and irrigation conditions, and a plot with few weeds, especially few perennial weeds, should be chosen.
Asparagus Seed Treatment
Asparagus seeds have a thick coat with a relatively thick waxy layer, making it hard for them to absorb water, so they must be soaked to promote germination and treated with chemicals before sowing. Before sowing, soak them in warm water at 25-30°C for 3-5 days, changing the water 1-2 times a day. Once the seeds have absorbed enough water, take them out, mix them with fine sand, put them in a container, cover with a wet towel, and place them at 25-30°C to promote germination, turning them twice a day. After 5-8 days, once they have sprouted white, they can be sown.
Sowing Asparagus Seeds
Raising asparagus seedlings and then transplanting them is the most commonly used method in production. It makes careful management during the seedling stage easier, gives a high emergence rate, uses less seed, can shorten the root and crown growing period in the field, and helps improve land utilization. Usually, sowing can begin when about 10% of the seeds have sprouted. Before sowing, apply sufficient base fertilizer to the nursery bed, make flat beds 1.1 m wide, and sow seed by seed. The sowing depth depends on the temperature, and the sowing density is 10×10 cm.
Asparagus Planting Technique
Before planting asparagus, first deep-plow and level the land, then open north-south trenches at a row spacing of 1.5 m, with trenches 40 cm wide and 40 cm deep. In the trenches, apply 5000 kg of high-quality organic fertilizer and 50 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer per mu, mix with soil, and water the planting trenches to settle them. The planting time is generally in early May. When the asparagus seedlings reach 60-70 days of age, have 4-5 strong shoots and a plant height of 15-20 cm, they can be transplanted and planted. At planting, the row spacing is 150-160 cm and the plant spacing is 35-40 cm.