A Detailed Guide to Seed Selection, Germination and Seedling Raising of Water Dropwort

Water dropwort, also called wild celery, is an aquatic vegetable that grows along ponds, rivers and paddy fields, and it is delicious and highly nutritious. It is mainly distributed in the central and southern regions of our country, with relatively large cultivation areas in Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Yunnan and Guizhou. So how do you select seeds and germinate water dropwort? What seedling raising methods are there? Let's take a look together below.

1. How do you select seeds and germinate water dropwort?

Before sowing water dropwort, we need to select good seed stems and carry out germination treatment on the seed stems. For seed stems, we generally choose relatively robust stems free of pests and diseases with relatively strong vitality as the seed stems. Then tie the selected seed stems together in bundles, each bundle about 20 to 30 cm thick. After tying them, pile them in a place without sunlight and cover them with a layer of rice straw. Finally, water them once each in the morning and in the evening every day; generally they will root in about a week, and the rooted seed stems can then be used for planting.

2. What seedling raising methods are there for water dropwort?

1. Seedling raising time

The suitable planting and insertion period for water dropwort is from mid-to-late August to early September. To prevent the scorching sun from wilting the sprouts, planting and insertion should preferably be carried out on cloudy days or in the evening of sunny days.

2. Seedling raising preparation

Before planting and insertion, drain the water first, leaving only a thin water layer of about 1 cm; usually the method of planting and insertion at the field edges and broadcasting seeds in the middle of the field is adopted. The method is: face the base of the germinated seed stems toward the field ridge and the tips toward the middle of the field, keep a distance of 3-4 cm between seed plants, and neatly plant and insert them in a ring around the paddy field. In the middle part of the field, carry out strip broadcasting, with a distance of 5-6 cm between seed plants. When broadcasting, try to reduce crossing and overlapping between seed plants; it is best to broadcast while using a bamboo pole or your hands to move seed plants from denser places to sparser places, so that the seed plants are evenly distributed across the whole field. After planting and insertion is finished, let water into the paddy field; the standard is to keep more than half a furrow of water in the field furrows and keep the furrow surface fully moist without standing water, avoiding scalding the sprouts due to a rise in water temperature.

3. Seedling raising methods

(1) Laying sponge

Soak a sponge the same size as the seedling tray full of water, put it into the seedling tray, continue adding water to the seedling tray, and while adding water gently pat the sponge with your hands so that it absorbs enough water.

(2) Sowing

Place the seedling tray flat inside a greenhouse covered with greenhouse film or in another place with ample sunlight that can protect against wind and rain, birds and animals. Evenly broadcast the treated water dropwort seeds on the water-saturated sponge, so that the surface of each small piece of sponge has about 10 seeds; too many or too few are both unsuitable.

After sowing, spray water with a sprayer so that the seeds absorb enough water and avoid seed piling.

(3) Management

After sowing, spray water more than 2 times a day; when the temperature is high, spray water 4 times a day to keep the sponge and water dropwort seeds moist. After 15 d, when each small piece of sponge has 3~4 water dropwort sprouts, an appropriate amount of potassium dihydrogen phosphate foliar fertilizer can be added to the sprayed water; the initial concentration should not exceed 0.5‰, and after 20 d the concentration can be increased to 1‰. After about 30 d, when water dropwort has 3~4 true leaves, transplant it.

The above is an introduction to water dropwort. If water dropwort is to achieve high yields, seedling raising is a very key link. Water dropwort is an important aquatic vegetable supplied in winter and spring, mainly eaten for its tender stems and leaves; it is rich in nutrients and has a certain effect on stopping bleeding, lowering blood pressure and lowering blood lipids.

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