Detailed Explanation of Broccoli Planting Techniques and Management Methods

  I. Sowing and Seedling Raising 

1. Preparing the Seedbed The seedbed should preferably be selected as sandy loam soil with high, well-drained terrain, fertility, and good drainage. The previous crop should not be cabbage or Chinese cabbage type vegetables. Before sowing, apply 15-20 kg of decomposed compost per square meter, open furrows with a net bed surface of 1.5 m, with a furrow width of 40 cm, and level the bed surface. 

2. Sowing Sow from late July to early August. Before sowing, use carbaryl or chlorpyrifos to control underground pests, and water thoroughly. 22.2 sq m can raise more than 3,000 seedlings, enough to transplant to 1 mu of field. When sowing, mix 20 g of 25% carbendazim with 1.5-2 kg of fine soil per square meter. After sowing and covering with soil, set up a frame and cover with a shade net. 

3. Seedbed Management Broccoli still needs shading from full germination to the three-leaf stage. If the bed soil is too dry, water thoroughly in the evening. After three leaves and one heart, gradually remove the shade net to harden the seedlings, and transplant to the field at the 4-5 leaf stage. 

II. Field Management 

1. Pre-planting Preparation The field should preferably be selected as a plot with high, well-drained terrain, fertile soil, and sandy loam or sandy soil texture: before transplanting, apply 2000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer, 40-45 kg of high-concentration compound fertilizer, and 1-1.5 kg of borax per mu as base fertilizer. At the same time, broadcast 90% crystalline trichlorfon over the whole field per mu to control underground pests such as white grubs. Before transplanting, dig a set of furrows deeply, and open furrows to make beds with a bed width of 1.5 m and a furrow width of 30-40 cm. 

2. Reasonable Close Planting Transplant according to a 60 cm X 40 cm spacing, with a density of 2700-3000 plants per mu. After transplanting, water thoroughly to settle the soil, and cover with soil in time to preserve moisture. Generally, water once 7-10 days before the rows close. 

3. Cultivation and Fertilization Before the rows close, cultivate and loosen the soil 2 times while weeding. Drain and reduce waterlogging promptly before and after heavy rain, and loosen the soil for aeration after the rain clears to prevent black root disease. Broccoli has a large fertilizer requirement, with a total pure nitrogen use of 20-25 kg over its life. In addition to sufficient base fertilizer, the field also needs three topdressings: the first is applied 5-7 days after planting as a seedling-promoting fertilizer, with 10 kg of urea per mu; the second is applied when the plant has 12-13 leaves as a leaf cluster fertilizer, with 15 kg of urea per mu; the third is applied at the budding stage, with 25 kg of high-concentration compound fertilizer and 10 kg of urea per mu.

4. Disease and Pest Control After transplanting, broccoli should focus on preventing and controlling black root disease. Field management requires no obvious hidden waterlogging, suitable soil moisture, and good drainage and aeration. When disease occurs, use 25% carbendazim or 70% thiophanate-methyl for root drenching. The main pest is the cabbage caterpillar, which is relatively easy to control; use 500 times dilution of 160 million unit Ruixing wettable powder per mu to control first and second instar larvae. For beet armyworm and tobacco cutworm, choose highly effective and low-toxicity pesticides such as Chujin and Meiman, which have very good control effects. 

5. Timely Pruning Before and after budding, promptly remove side branches below the main stem. When planted sparsely, 1-2 robust branches can be retained on the upper part, and fertilizer should be applied immediately after harvesting the main curd to harvest side curds. 

Cauliflower planting techniques are as follows: 

Cauliflower is commonly known as caihua or huacai. Broccoli, also known as xilanhua or green cauliflower, are both varieties of cabbage, and their growth cycles and requirements for external environmental conditions are basically the same. 

I. Growth Cycle 

1. Vegetative Growth Stage: During the vegetative growth of cauliflower and broccoli, the germination stage, seedling stage, and rosette stage are similar to those of head cabbage, but cauliflower and broccoli undergo flower bud differentiation at the top of the main stem at the end of the rosette stage, then produce a curd and enter the reproductive growth stage, whereas the heading stage of head cabbage is still a vegetative growth stage. 

The difference between broccoli and cauliflower is that what is produced at the top of the cauliflower main stem is a curd composed of malformed flower branches, while what is produced at the top of broccoli is a green flat spherical flower bud cluster composed of fully differentiated flower buds. At the same time, the buds in the leaf axils of broccoli are more active than those of cauliflower; after the flower stems and flower bud clusters at the top of the main stem are harvested, they continue to branch and produce flower bud clusters, so they can be harvested multiple times. 

II. Requirements for External Environmental Conditions 

1. Temperature 

The minimum temperature for cauliflower germination is 2-3°C, but it is very slow. When the temperature is 15-18°C, germination is relatively fast, and when the temperature reaches 25°C, germination is fastest, and seedlings can emerge 2-3 days after sowing. 

Seedlings have relatively strong cold and heat tolerance, with 15-20°C being the best. If the temperature exceeds 25, seedlings tend to grow leggy, and cooling measures should be taken.