How to Grow Crown Daisy? Detailed Explanation of Key Cultivation Techniques
Crown daisy is generally grown in flat beds, and can be sown in drills or broadcast. Spring sowing mostly uses seed soaking and sprouting before sowing. Sowing uses the wet sowing method: water the base first, sow after the water seeps down, and cover with 1 cm of soil. Below, the editors of Qiannong Network will introduce the crown daisy planting techniques and management methods for everyone!
Land Selection and Preparation
Sandy loam soil is suitable for crown daisy cultivation, and convenient irrigation conditions are required. After selecting the land, plow it and apply high-quality farmyard manure, applying more than 1000 kg per 0.1 hectare, along with 25 kg of diammonium phosphate as base fertilizer. Make flat beds 1.2-1.4 m wide and 10-20 m long, ready for sowing.
Sowing and Seedling Raising
1. Seed treatment: 3-4 days before sowing, soak the seeds in hot water at 50-55 for 15 minutes, then soak for 12-24 hours, and place them in a warm place at about 25°C to sprout. During sprouting, rinse once a day with clean water. If they are new seeds, place them in a low-temperature treatment at 0-5°C in advance, and dormancy will be broken in about 7 days.
2. Sowing timing: For protected cultivation in spring, sow and raise seedlings in a hotbed in late March or April; for open-field cultivation in spring, sow and raise seedlings in a hotbed in mid-April; for direct seeding in open fields in spring, sow under small arch tunnels or plastic film in early May; for summer and autumn cultivation, sow in batches and stages in cold beds or open fields, with one sowing period every 7-10 days.
3. Sowing method: Depending on the cultivation method (direct seeding or seedling transplanting), use broadcast sowing or drill sowing. For broadcast sowing, the seeding rate is 60-70 kg per hectare; for drill sowing, sow at a row spacing of about 10 cm, with a seeding rate of 30-37.5 kg per hectare. For seedling bed sowing in early spring, cover with medicated soil to prevent damping-off disease. The seedling age should preferably be 20-0 days, and 3-4 true leaves is the suitable time for planting out.
Planting Out and Field Management
From sowing to germination and emergence generally takes 5-7 days. During germination, pay attention to keeping moisture and preventing the soil from drying out. When the seedlings are 2-3 cm tall and have 1-2 true leaves, thin them and pull seedlings in the field so that the plant spacing remains 1-2 cm. Also carry out shallow intertillage. When the seedlings reach the 3-4 true leaf stage, plant them out; the outside or greenhouse temperature at planting out must stably pass 10°C. The plant spacing for planting out or final thinning should be 4-6 cm. Water once during the first thinning, and water again after final thinning, applying quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer with the water. After that, thinning and harvesting can be done in stages.
Harvesting
Crown daisy generally has a growth period of 40-50 days. When the plants reach about 20 cm tall and have 12-13 true leaves, they can be harvested. To keep the product fresh and tender, harvesting should be done in the morning. If harvesting is delayed and the temperature is high, the stems and leaves will age, quality will be poor, or the internodes will elongate and the plants will bolt and flower. If multiple harvests are desired, use a knife to cut at 2-3 cm above the base of the main stem, and tie the cut tender stems and leaves into 0.5 kg small bundles for market. After cutting, water the plants, and they can be harvested again after one month.