How to cultivate white radish for high quality? Practical growing tips shared
When planting radish, choose a preceding crop that consumes little fertilizer, leaves behind plenty of organic matter, and shares no common pests or diseases. Cruciferous vegetables must be avoided as the preceding crop, otherwise diseases are easily triggered. Radish adapts fairly widely to sandy soil, but to obtain high yields and quality produce, a deep, loose, well-drained and fairly fertile sandy loam is still best. Grown in suitable soil, the fleshy root can fully swell, take on a proper shape, and develop a smooth skin and attractive color, giving it market appeal.
???? Plot requirements: deep plowing
Level it and apply fertilizer evenly; only then can the available nutrients and beneficial microorganisms in the soil increase, and the soil become loose and airy, which helps the absorbing roots take up nutrients and water, so the leaf area expands rapidly and the fleshy root swells faster. Apply 75 kg of NPK compound fertilizer per mu as a base fertilizer. Then disinfect and sterilize the soil and control underground pests. Sowing
The quality of radish seed greatly affects the growth and yield of the radish plants. To achieve uniform emergence and full, strong seedlings, select the seed carefully, using only plump, sound seed and discarding shriveled, broken and moldy seed. The sowing rate depends on the seed; autumn radish is mostly sown in hills or drills. The amount of seed used is determined by how densely the seedlings are to be left; for hill sowing, the hill spacing is 25-30 cm, with 4-5 seeds per hill, and the seeds should be spread apart within the hill so they do not crowd after emergence and affect seedling quality.
???? Field management
After the seedlings emerge they grow quickly, so thinning must be done in time to prevent crowding, shading and spindly growth. Final thinning should be done early, with thinning carried out in stages and final spacing set at the right time, to ensure uniform, strong seedlings. Generally thin 2-3 times, removing weak, deformed and pest- or disease-damaged seedlings. Reasonable watering
Watering is mainly decided by the growth characteristics of radish, the water requirements at each growth stage, and the climate and soil conditions. After sowing, if the weather is dry, water immediately once, and water again when emergence begins, keeping the soil surface moist, ensuring uniform emergence and reducing the incidence of viral disease. If it is rainy, drain promptly to prevent seedling death.
Scientific topdressing
Winter radish belongs to the medium-to-large radish varieties and has a relatively long growing period. On the basis of applying enough base fertilizer before sowing, topdressing should be done appropriately; especially on plots with low soil fertility and insufficient base fertilizer, topdressing can noticeably increase yield. Fertilizer should be nitrogen fertilizer mixed with water or diluted manure water. After the radish "breaks its belly," it enters the peak leaf growth stage, that is, the rosette stage; to promote leaf area expansion, a quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer should also be applied once. When it enters the peak fleshy root swelling stage, apply a compound fertilizer once to help the fleshy root swell. Then 20 days before harvest, spray 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate as a foliar topdressing once a week for 2 consecutive sprays, which has a good effect on increasing yield and improving fleshy root quality.