How to manage mint cultivation? Key technical points and methods explained
How to manage mint well? Please explain in detail. 1. Mint management methods. 1. Mint seedling preparation: After transplanting in early April, when the seedlings are 10 cm tall, fill in gaps, keeping plant spacing at about 15 cm, that is, leaving 20,000 to 30,000 plants per mu. 2. Cultivation and weeding: Carry out cultivation and weeding 3 times between March and April. Because mint...
How to manage mint well? Please explain in detailI. Mint management methods
1. Mint seedling preparation:After transplanting in early April, when the seedlings are 10 cm tall, fill in gaps, keeping plant spacing at about 15 cm, that is, leaving 20,000 to 30,000 plants per mu.
2. Cultivation and weeding:Carry out cultivation and weeding 3 times between March and April. Because the mint root system is concentrated at a soil depth of 15 cm, and the underground rhizomes are concentrated at a soil depth of 10 cm, cultivation should be shallow rather than deep. After the first harvest, hoe shallowly once more and clear the drainage ditches.
3. Mint topdressing methods:Generally 4 times. The first time is in February when the seedlings are young, applying 1000 kg of manure water per mu to promote seedling growth.
The second time is when the seedlings are about 15 cm tall, applying 1500 kg of manure water or 20 kg of ammonium bicarbonate per mu, applied deeply in furrows between rows, then covered with soil.
The third time is after the first mint harvest, applying 1500 kg of concentrated manure water plus 50 kg of cake fertilizer per mu, to promote early regrowth after cutting and increase yield.
The fourth time is in early September, when the seedlings are 30 cm tall, applying 1000 kg of manure water per mu. In addition to sufficient nitrogen fertilizer, an appropriate amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should also be applied.
4. Mint water management:In July and August, high temperatures, dryness, and summer drought weather occur, so timely irrigation for drought resistance is needed. In spring when there is a lot of rain and in the summer plum rain season, drainage ditches should be cleared and accumulated water removed promptly.
II. Mint pest and disease control methods
1. Harm and control methods of mint rust:The pathogen is a basidiomycete fungus, damaging leaves and stems. The disease is likely to occur during continuous rainy days or excessive drought from May to June. At first, orange-yellow, powdery summer spore piles appear on the underside of leaves, and later dark brown, powdery winter spore piles form. When the disease is severe, the leaves wither and fall off, causing the whole plant to die. Control method: spray with 300-fold diluted disodium edetate or 1:1:200 Bordeaux mixture. Stop spraying 20 days before harvest.
2. Harm and control methods of mint leaf spot disease:Also called white star disease, the pathogen is a deuteromycete fungus, damaging the leaves. It occurs from May to October. Leaf lesions are small and round, dark green, then gradually expand and become grayish dark brown, with a grayish white center, appearing like white stars, with small black dots on top, gradually withering and falling off. Control methods: (1) Remove and burn diseased leaves promptly when found; (2) At the early stage of the disease, spray with 1:1:200 Bordeaux mixture or 65% zineb wettable powder at 500-fold dilution. Stop spraying within 20 days before harvest.
3. Harm and control methods of the black cutworm:It belongs to the family Noctuidae, order Lepidoptera, damaging leaves and flower buds. The larvae bite through leaves, creating holes. Control method: spray with 90% trichlorfon technical powder at 800-fold dilution or 50% fenitrothion at 100-fold dilution. Stop using the pesticide within 20 days before harvest.
III. Mint harvesting and processing methods:
1. Mint seed retention. In late April or late August, select superior seed plants in the field and transplant them at a row spacing of 20 x 10 cm into a previously prepared seed retention plot for cultivation. By early winter, when dug up, 70 to 80 white new rhizomes can be obtained. The seed stems from 1 mu of seed retention plot can supply about 6 mu of planting land.
2. Mint harvesting method: It is best to harvest twice each year. The first time is from late June to early July, no later than mid-July, otherwise the second harvest amount will be affected; the second time is before flowering in early October. Harvesting should be done on sunny days between 12 noon and 2 pm, when the oil and menthol content in the leaves is highest.
3. Mint processing method: After harvesting, spread out in the shade to dry for 2 days, tie into small bundles, and hang them up to dry in the shade or in the sun. When drying in the sun, turn them frequently and prevent rain and nighttime dew, otherwise they are prone to mold and deterioration. For processing at the production site, simple distillation equipment can be used to distill mint oil from mint stems and leaves. After cooling, crystals separate out, and after separation and refining, menthol can be obtained.
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