Detailed Explanation of Key Points for High-Quality and High-Yield Cultivation Techniques of Chinese Chives

I. Variety Selection:
1. Thin-leaf Chinese chives: Early maturing, about 280 days from sowing to harvest, strong tillering ability, tolerant of heat, drought, rain, and cold, resistant to wind, pests, and diseases. Softening into yellow chives is relatively fast, and bolting is early; flower stems (chive flowers) can be harvested in June. The quality is tender, but the yield is relatively low.
2. Large-leaf Chinese chives (Fujian large-leaf chives): Late maturing, about 360 days from sowing to harvest, moderate tillering, strong cold tolerance, rain tolerance, and insect resistance. Bolting is relatively late; chives are harvested from June to August. The quality is crisp, and the yield is relatively high. It is an ideal variety for producing green chives and yellow chives.
II. Sowing and Seedling Raising: Select new seeds of the current year and soak them in warm water at 35°C for one day. Remove the seeds, wash them clean with fresh water, and germinate them at 15-20°C. Once white tips appear in 2-3 days, they can be broadcast sown. Choose semi-sandy loam soil for the seedling plot. Prepare the land finely, level it and break up the soil, and apply sufficient base fertilizer. Apply 150-250 kg of decomposed pig manure ash per mu. Level the seedling plot and mix it evenly with the soil before broadcast sowing. After sowing, cover with a layer of plant ash, spread a thin layer of rice straw, and water evenly. Do not water after sowing until seedlings emerge. From full emergence until the seedlings are about 15 cm tall, water once a day, keep the soil moist, and remove weeds in time. The seeding rate is 2.5-3.5 kg per mu, and sowing in January (during the period from "Minor Cold" to "Major Cold") is preferable. When the seedlings are fully emerged and have 2 leaves, apply a light application of decomposed human manure and urine once. When they reach 3.5-4 leaves, topdress 2 times, applying 2.5-3.5 kg of urea and 2.5 kg of potassium chloride per mu, or broadcast 2500 kg of pig manure ash and 2000 kg of decomposed chicken manure. The seedling raising period is generally 90-100 days or 110 days. When the chive stems (stalks) reach the thickness of a chopstick, they can be transplanted.
III. Applying Sufficient Base Fertilizer: Chinese chives have a strong tolerance for fertilizer and are suitable for cultivation in deep, fertile clay soil or semi-sandy loam soil. For field planting, the bed width including the ditch is 2.1-2.4 m, the ditch width is 40 cm, the ditch bottom depth is 30 cm, and the bed surface height is 30 cm. Before planting, prepare the beds, deeply turn the soil, level and break it up finely, and apply sufficient base fertilizer. The base fertilizer should mainly be barnyard manure with organic matter and long-lasting fertilizer effect. Apply 3000 kg of barnyard manure, 1500-2000 kg of pig manure ash or garbage and miscellaneous soil manure, 50-60 kg of phosphate fertilizer, 30-40 kg of potassium chloride, or 40-50 kg of compound fertilizer per mu as base fertilizer. After leveling the bed soil and mixing it evenly with the fertilizer, open ditches or holes for planting.
IV. Timely Planting: The best transplanting period for Chinese chives is from mid-to-late February to early March. It is preferable when the seedlings are 20-25 cm tall, the stems and stalks are as thick as a chopstick, the leaves are thick, hard, and upright, the leaf color is green, and there are no diseased or pest-infested plants. Water the seedling bed 2 days before transplanting. When lifting the seedlings, retain roots 10 cm long and cut off the remaining fibrous roots and part of the leaf tips. For transplanting, first select chive plants at the "three-fork" stem and align them uniformly. The transplanting depth should be such that the junction of the leaf blade and leaf tip is level with the bed surface. Do not plant too deep or too shallow; a depth of 5-6 cm is suitable. Use bed soil to support the seedlings upright, with 6-8 seedlings per hole. A plant spacing of 20 cm × 35 cm is generally suitable. Plant seedlings by opening ditches or holes.
V. Water and Fertilizer Management: Chinese chives are semi-moisture-loving vegetables and have strict requirements for soil moisture. They cannot lack water throughout the entire growth period, and the soil must be kept moist. After planting, spread a layer of rice straw between the rows to keep warm, retain moisture, insulate against heat, and prevent weeds from growing. After planting, water thoroughly to settle the roots. Afterward, water lightly once each morning and evening. After they survive, control water appropriately to slow seedling recovery and strengthen the seedlings. During dry weather, water frequently and loosen the soil by cultivating. Generally, new roots develop in 4-5 days, at which time a light fertilizer application can be made: apply 1000-1250 kg of human manure and urine per mu, or 3.5-4 kg of urea and 2-2.5 kg of potassium chloride, diluted in 350-400 kg of water and applied as a liquid. This helps strengthen the seedlings and promote root development. In the early stage, topdress the young seedlings 2-3 times, mainly with quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer, combined with phosphate fertilizer, to promote green leaf color and hard, upright stems. Before the middle growth stage, topdress 2-3 times, each time broadcasting 8-10 kg of urea per mu, mixed with 6-8 kg of potassium chloride or potassium sulfate, or 25-30 kg of compound fertilizer. After application, sprinkle lightly with water once to promote fertilizer decomposition and absorption. Alternatively, apply 8 kg of urea and 30 kg of compound fertilizer diluted in 750-800 kg of water as a liquid. When temperatures are high and growth is poor, apply fertilizer another 1-2 times, applying 750-1000 kg of decomposed pig manure ash or 200-250 kg of plant ash, or 40-50 kg of compound fertilizer, to promote broad leaves and thick, sturdy stems (stalks). Also apply 1 application of burnt soil or humus soil, and at the same time cultivate and earth up 1-2 times to promote well-developed roots and thick stems. Throughout the growth period, keep the soil alternately dry and moist. Watering can be combined with topdressing. Do not overwater; it should depend on weather conditions. Excessive fertilizer and water will cause plants to grow excessively, become leggy, and lodge, making them prone to disease.
VI. Cutting Green Chives and Forcing Yellow Chives: For chives planted in spring of the same year, harvest chives once by the end of the year. If there is no intercropping and fertilizer and water are sufficient, two harvests are also possible. The second year is the peak production period, mainly for harvesting chives and chive flowers, and green chives can also be harvested throughout the year. After each cutting of green chives, cultivate and loosen the soil, apply fertilizer, and earth up. Generally, in winter, green chives are harvested once every 60-70 days. When the stems (stalks) are as thick as the head of a chopstick, the first crop of "green chives" can be cut. In spring, green chives are harvested once every 30-40 days. Apply a heavy final topdressing 5-6 days before harvest, applying 7.5-10 kg of urea and 4-5 kg of potassium chloride per mu, diluted in water and applied as a liquid. In spring, forcing yellow chives generally takes 12 days; in summer, generally 7-8 days; in winter, about 15-18 days. The softening of Chinese chives mainly uses the stored nutrients in the rhizomes. Under dark, light-blocking conditions, the chives grow leaves that lack chlorophyll and are yellow-white and tender. In Guangzhou, Foshan, Jiangmen, Huizhou, and other places, the following methods are generally used to soften yellow chives:
1. Tile-cylinder softening method: Use specially made cylindrical tile cylinders, with the opening smaller at the top and larger at the bottom, 30 cm high, with an inner diameter of 15 cm, and with a cover piece on top that can block light. Open it at night to allow ventilation and cooling. Cutting chives is mostly done in the evening, and the chives are generally cut level with the bed surface. Then cover the chive stubble with the yellow-chive tile cylinder and seal the cylinder with mud to keep it sealed and prevent light from leaking in. After covering with the cylinder, keep the bed soil moist. Do not water too much and do not apply fertilizer. Let it force yellow. The soil should be alternately dry and moist. The night before cutting the yellow chives, open the cylinder cover to let them elongate. Only before dawn fully remove the tile cylinders and cut the yellow chives. Note that softening yellow chives and harvesting green chives should be alternated; yellow chives cannot be continuously softened (forced), as this weakens the plants and lowers the yield.
2. Black film softening method: After cutting green chives, when green seedlings grow, loosen the soil, topdress, and earth up and apply compost or garbage sludge fertilizer. After cutting green chives again, insert bamboo strips into arches 40-50 cm high, then cover the entire row of bed soil with black film, pressing both sides tightly with mud. Do not press down the two ends of the bed; leave them for ventilation and air exchange to reduce humidity. Because black film has poor air permeability and high humidity, the growth of yellow chives is relatively weak. Especially in summer, it easily causes yellow chives to rot, resulting in low yield.
3. Asphalt paper covering softening method: After cutting green chives, build a wooden frame 40-45 cm high with bamboo poles and wooden strips, then cover it with asphalt paper to seal and darken, which can maintain darkness and prevent light from leaking in. Set ventilation openings for air exchange, cooling, and moisture removal. Yellow chives grow relatively vigorously, and this method is suitable for spring, summer, autumn, and winter, with high yellow chive yield.
After harvesting yellow chives, when Chinese chives grow new leaves, shallowly loosen the soil once and topdress 1-2 times to promote normal growth. After 10-12 days, manage fertilizer and water again according to the above method. In winter, with alternating green and yellow growth, green chives can be cut after 50-60 days, and then yellow chives can be forced again according to the above method. Generally, after 3 years of planting, Chinese chives must be replanted once to maintain high yield.
VII. Pest and Disease Control: During the growth period, Chinese chives may suffer from Fusarium wilt, gray mold, rust, and Phytophthora blight, which cause root rot and dead seedlings. For Fusarium wilt, gray mold, and rust, use 50% procymidone wettable powder at 1000-1500 times dilution, or 50% iprodione wettable powder at 1500 times dilution, or 70% carbendazim wettable powder and 50% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder at 500 times dilution, or 70% mancozeb wettable powder at 500 times dilution, spraying in the morning at the early stage of disease onset. Once gray mold is found, drain standing water, reduce soil moisture so that no dew forms on leaf surfaces, and spread plant ash or cultivate and earth up to reduce humidity, and increase the application of phosphate and potassium fertilizers. For Phytophthora blight, spray at the early stage of disease onset. Use 25% metalaxyl wettable powder at 500-800 times dilution, or 58% ridomil mancozeb wettable powder at 500 times dilution, or 64% oxadixyl mancozeb wettable powder at 500-800 times dilution to spray leaves or drench roots, which has a certain control effect.