How to grow artichokes? The latest planting methods and key technical points

Artichoke is also called cardoon and French lily, it is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family, and it is also a plant used both as medicine and food. At present in our country it is mainly distributed in Taiwan, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Hunan and Yunnan and other places. The market demand for artichoke is very large, but due to the scale of planting, it is in a market environment where supply falls short of demand. So do you know how artichoke should be planted? Today let's follow the editor to learn about the planting method of artichoke.

1. Land selection and land preparation

Artichoke is suitable for growing in a relatively mild environment, and has the characteristics of tolerating light frost, fearing drought, and fearing heat. When choosing a planting site, we usually choose loam or clay soil with loose soil texture, sufficient soil fertility, abundant water resources, good soil permeability, good drainage, and open terrain. Sandy soil and heavy clay soil are not suitable for planting artichoke. Deeply plow the soil, and apply sufficient base fertilizer, finally level the land and break the soil clods into fine pieces, then sowing can be carried out.

2. Planting method

Artichoke is generally propagated by seeds, of course some regions also use division propagation or rhizome propagation. The optimal temperature for artichoke seed germination is 20 degrees, and the optimal temperature for plant growth is about 15 degrees, plus the seed coat is relatively hard and thick, so before planting it is necessary to soak the seeds in warm water to promote germination. After the seeds sprout white, sowing can be carried out; when sowing, the sowing density should be controlled, generally the distance between each plant should be kept at about 1 meter. Finally cover with soil to bury the seeds, cover with a layer of black plastic film, and wait until seedlings emerge.

3. Field management

After the seedlings emerge, check the growth of the seedlings in the field, replant in time, and ensure full stands. Secondly, during the seedling growth period, control the amount of watering; the humidity in the field should not be too high, generally keeping it at about 20 percent. Also control the temperature in the field; generally the maximum temperature should not exceed 34 degrees, and the minimum temperature should not be lower than 4 degrees, otherwise artichoke stops growing, affecting yield and quality. Also apply additional fertilizer reasonably: when the seedlings grow to about 15 cm, apply organic compound fertilizer once; when it just begins to flower, we can use an appropriate amount of manure and urine water to irrigate to promote the growth of flower buds; finally, after each harvest of buds, we had best apply additional fertilizer once, which can ensure the yield of artichoke, generally mainly urea. Of course, we also need to note that after each additional fertilization, water reasonably, and at the same time drain in time when there is too much water, so as to avoid unnecessary losses.

4. Overwintering techniques

Since artichoke is a perennial herbaceous plant, every time it overwinters it is necessary to prepare well for overwintering and cold protection, so as not to affect the yield of the coming year. If it is a region where it is relatively mild all year round, then the same management as usual is sufficient. But some regions have four distinct seasons, so in order to avoid artichoke suffering freezing damage, in winter we all cut off the flower stem stubble at 10 cm below the soil surface, then level the soil, and finally cover the cut stems and leaves on top, which can effectively prevent artichoke from freezing.

5. Pest and disease control

The main disease of artichoke is root rot, which usually occurs in seasons with more rain; of course, if we can manage water well during the planting process, this disease can also be avoided. At the early stage of root rot, we can also use agricultural streptomycin sulfate to control it. During the growth process of artichoke, aphids run through its entire growth period, so control measures should be taken well; generally dimethoate can be used for control. Finally there is the harm of cutworms, which most often occurs around April; we can spray trichlorfon in advance, which can effectively prevent it.

Artichoke is a very scarce vegetable and medicinal material on the market, so many people do not know much about it, which also shows that its planting prospects are relatively large, and fellow growers can also consider it.