How to Grow Mustard Greens? A Detailed Guide to Planting Methods and Management Key Points
How do you grow mustard greens? Here is a detailed introduction to growing mustard greens, you can refer to the following methods: 1. Soil selection and land preparation. The previous crop for land used to cultivate root mustard should generally be cucurbit, legume, or solanaceous crops. It is best not to follow a cruciferous crop or land where mustard was grown in the same year. It can also be rotated with grain land and rice...
How do you grow mustard greens? A detailed introduction
To grow mustard greens, you can refer to the following methods:
1. Soil selection and land preparation
The previous crop for land used to cultivate root mustard should generally be cucurbit, legume, or solanaceous crops. It is best not to follow a cruciferous crop or land where mustard was grown in the same year. It can also be rotated with grain land and rice in a grain-vegetable rotation. Choosing loam or clay loam with deep soil layers and rich organic matter to plant root mustard can achieve high yields. After the previous crop is harvested, generally apply 22,500-30,000 kg of farmyard manure or compost per hectare, along with 300-375 kg of superphosphate, 120-150 kg of potassium sulfate, or 750 kg of plant ash as base fertilizer. The amount of base fertilizer applied per hectare should be adjusted up or down depending on the soil fertility. Incorporate the base fertilizer into the soil by plowing and mix it thoroughly with the soil. The soil plowing depth should reach 25-30 cm. After leveling the land, make high beds 1.2 m wide including furrows. On mountainous land and well-drained land, low beds can be used for cultivation.
2. Sowing and seedling raising
Root mustard can be grown by raising seedlings and transplanting, or by direct sowing. Direct-sown root mustard has very few deformed roots, a more uniform shape, higher yields, and good processing quality. For ease of management and to make full use of the land, many places use the method of raising seedlings and transplanting to grow root mustard.
1. Direct sowing
(1) Suitable sowing time: The sowing period for root mustard is relatively strict. Sowing too early tends to cause premature bolting, while sowing too late results in insufficient vegetative growth in the early stage, greatly affecting yield and quality. Therefore, sowing must be done at the right time. However, the sowing period in each place should be determined according to local climate conditions. In the southern subtropical region, sowing is mostly done from late August to late September. In mountainous areas and places with poor water conditions, sowing can be appropriately earlier; in fields with convenient irrigation and higher soil moisture, sowing can be appropriately later.
(2) Sowing method: For direct sowing of root mustard, the method of digging holes and sowing in spots is mostly used. The depth of the holes is generally 2-3 cm. After sowing, cover with fine soil or fine residue fertilizer mixed with plant ash. If the field is moist at sowing time, no irrigation is needed; if the soil is dry, water thoroughly after sowing and then cover. When sowing, sow 5-6 seeds per hole. The seeds should be spread out within the hole, not sown in a clump. The sowing rate is about 1.5-1.8 kg per hectare.
(3) Sowing density
The fleshy root of root mustard is the raw material for processing pickled and sauced vegetables. If sowing is too dense, the fleshy roots will be too small and not meet processing standards; if sowing is too sparse, the fleshy roots will meet processing standards but the ideal yield cannot be achieved. Therefore, the sowing density should be determined according to the plant size and spread of each mustard variety. Generally, for varieties with smaller plants and limited spread, the plant and row spacing is 40 x 50 cm, with 45,000-50,000 plants per hectare; for varieties with tall plants and a large spread, the plant and row spacing is 50 x 55 cm, with about 37,500 plants per hectare. At the same time, planting should be appropriately sparser or denser according to the soil fertility and light conditions of each area. Areas with poor soil fertility and little light should be planted sparsely, while areas with good soil fertility and good light can be planted appropriately densely.
2. Raising seedlings and transplanting
In many areas, root mustard is cultivated by raising seedlings and transplanting. It is also possible to pull seedlings from a direct-sown field and transplant them into other fields. The seedling-raising method is the same as for other mustards. However, the sowing period for raising seedlings should be about 10 days earlier than for direct sowing. In the southwest and southern subtropical regions, the seedling sowing time generally starts in late August after the Beginning of Autumn and ends in mid-September, with a seedling period of about 40 days. When raising seedlings, pay attention to appropriate sparse sowing and thinning so that the spacing between each seedling is about 7 cm, maintaining a certain nutritional area for each seedling, so that strong seedlings can be cultivated for transplanting. The transplanting period is preferably from late September to mid-October. When transplanting, dig holes according to the plant and row spacing of the variety and transplant one strong seedling per hole. The taproot should be required to be vertical in the center of the hole. Fill with fine soil. After transplanting, be sure to water thoroughly to settle the roots. If there is no soaking rain before the seedlings recover, water 1-2 times until all have survived.
3. Field management
(1) Thinning and replanting
After sowing root mustard, seedlings generally emerge uniformly after 3-5 days. When the seedlings are about 20 days old, two leaves and one heart can be seen, and thinning should be carried out. For direct-sown plants, leave 3 strong seedlings per hole and keep a certain distance between them. After another 10-15 days, final thinning should be carried out, leaving only 1 intact and strong seedling per hole. When final thinning, pay attention to the characteristics of the variety, remove impurities and inferior plants, and keep the true ones. Use the strong seedlings pulled out during thinning to replant missing holes. The seedlings used for replanting must be transplanted with soil, without damaging the roots, to ensure survival in one replanting. For seedling-raised and transplanted plants, thin 1-2 times when the seedlings in the seedbed are about 20 days old, pull out seedlings in overly dense areas, and keep the seedlings in the seedbed uniform and strong. Before transplanting, water the seedbed thoroughly first, then lift the seedlings with soil and transplant them into the field at a certain plant and row spacing.
2. Topdressing, irrigation, and intertillage weeding
For direct-sown plants, when the seedlings have two leaves and one heart, while thinning and after intertillage weeding, apply the first fertilizer. This topdressing is mainly to promote seedling growth and should be applied lightly. Per hectare, use 15,000 kg of clear farmyard manure water mixed with 45-60 kg of urea, and mix in clean water when applying. After final thinning, carry out the second intertillage weeding and the second topdressing. This topdressing is to lay the nutritional foundation for the next expansion of the fleshy root, so it can be applied slightly more concentrated. Per hectare, use 22,500 kg of farmyard manure water, mixed with 60-25 kg of urea and 75-90 kg of potassium sulfate, and apply together. About 15 days after final thinning, carry out the third intertillage weeding, followed by the third topdressing. Per hectare, use 22,500 kg of farmyard manure water, mixed with 75-90 kg of urea and 90-120 kg of potassium sulfate. At this time, the rainy season has ended, and irrigation should be carried out in combination with fertilization. Afterward, apply topdressing 2-3 more times according to seedling conditions, especially during the fleshy root expansion period, where heavy topdressing should be applied. The fertilization principle throughout the growing period is light first and heavy later, dilute first and concentrated later. Irrigation should be done with small amounts and frequent watering. Never use flood irrigation. Irrigation must also be based on weather and soil drought conditions. Intertillage weeding is generally carried out 3-4 times. The first is shallow intertillage, the second can be deep intertillage of 10-15 cm, the third is shallow intertillage, and the fourth should be light intertillage according to seedling conditions, pulling out weeds.
(3) Pinching
In the main production areas for root mustard, from late October to December, premature bolting is often found, and the reason is not yet fully understood. If this phenomenon occurs, the bolt can be picked off at any time. After picking, the fleshy root of root mustard can still expand, but it should be picked as early as possible. Therefore, during the period from October to December, the field should be checked frequently. If one plant is found, pick off its bolt, which is beneficial for the uniform expansion of the fleshy root of root mustard.
(4) Pest and disease control
The main insect pests of root mustard are cabbage caterpillars and aphids, and the main disease is viral disease. These pests and diseases are common pests and diseases of cruciferous vegetables. Just refer to the pest and disease control methods for cruciferous crops.
3. Harvesting
For root mustard, from sowing to harvesting the fleshy root, depending on the variety and local climate conditions, harvesting is generally done when the fleshy root has fully expanded and before the flower stalk is about to appear. The signs of maturity are: the basal leaves have withered and turned yellow, and the root head has changed from green to yellow. When harvesting, use a hoe to dig up the root mustard, then use a sharp knife to trim off the stems, leaves, and lateral roots, and it can be transported to the market or processing factory for sale.
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