The Latest Planting Methods and Techniques for Plantain Explained in Detail

Plantain, also known as Plantago depressa, is considered by many people to be the same plant as the common plantain, but in fact it is not. The two differ not only in growing environment and morphology but also in medicinal value. However, today the editor is not here to explain the differences between them; today's focus is on learning the planting techniques for plantain. Let's take a look at the content below.

1. Soil and fertilizer improvement

Plantain has extremely strong adaptability to the environment, so it does not have strict requirements for the choice of planting site, but it grows better in warm, moist, sunny, and fertile sandy soil. The soil pH value is best slightly acidic, so that plantain grows more vigorously. After choosing the planting site, if the soil conditions are not up to standard, we can improve the soil structure by preparing the land and applying fertilizer. But in general, we appropriately add quicklime to the soil to neutralize alkalinity while applying sufficient organic decomposed fertilizer.

2. Sowing at the right time

Plantain can be planted in two seasons, namely from the end of March to mid-April in spring and at the end of October in autumn. In order to improve the germination rate of plantain seeds, before sowing we need to rub the seeds with fine sand to remove the oil on the outside of the seeds, then dress the seeds with carbendazim, and then use the drill sowing method to evenly scatter the seeds in shallow furrows. The distance between each row should be kept at 20 to 30 cm, then cover with soil to hide the seeds and water once. Of course, a layer of pesticide for controlling underground pests can also be spread on the soil to improve the seedling emergence rate of the seeds.

3. Field management

Plantain will emerge about ten days after sowing. During the seedling period, we must keep the soil moist and must not let drought occur. Plantain grows relatively slowly, and weeds also have a relatively large impact on it, so we need to carry out intertillage and weeding frequently, generally at least three or four times a year. When plantain grows to about 5 cm, carry out thinning and final planting, with the distance between each plant controlled at about 15 cm. In order to increase the yield of plantain and at the same time speed up its growth rate, we need to apply fertilizer scientifically, generally in three to four applications. The first is mainly watering with manure and urine water; the second requires appropriately supplementing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, boron, and other trace elements; the third is supplementary fertilization according to the nutrient elements that plantain lacks. Finally, we also need to pay attention to field water management to avoid water accumulation in the field, which can cause root rot.

4. Pest and disease control

Plantain has quite a few diseases, such as powdery mildew, ear blight, brown spot, and southern blight, all of which are very common diseases for it. Before the disease occurs, we can play a preventive role by strengthening field management, but after the disease occurs, we must suppress the spread of the disease at the early stage, so carbendazim can be used for control, generally spraying once every five days, and about four consecutive sprays are enough.

The survival rate of plantain planting is actually very high, but it is still inevitably damaged by pests and diseases, affecting the yield and quality of plantain. This means that doing a good job in field management is very necessary. That is all the content the editor wants to introduce to you today. If you are interested in planting plantain, you can follow us.