How to Grow Malabar Spinach? A Detailed Guide to Malabar Spinach Cultivation Techniques

Malabar spinach, also known as tofu vegetable, rouge vegetable, fence vegetable, etc., is an annual twining herbaceous plant of the genus Basella in the family Basellaceae. It is rarely cultivated and has long been listed as a rare specialty vegetable. Its seedlings, tender stems, young leaves and shoot tips are used for food. The edible taste is fresh, tender and soft-smooth. It can be stir-fried, blanched or served cold. It has a delicate fragrance, is crisp and refreshing, and is somewhat like wood ear mushroom, with a distinctive flavor. Now let us take a look at the cultivation techniques for Malabar spinach!

Growth Habits of Malabar Spinach

Malabar spinach originates from tropical Asia. It is grown in many places in both northern and southern China, and in the south some have escaped into the wild. It tolerates high temperature and high humidity, and generally grows in loose, fertile sandy loam. The suitable germination temperature for seeds is generally around 25°C, and the suitable growth temperature for the plant is 25-30°C. Throughout the entire growth period, the soil needs to be moist. A few varieties have strict requirements for high temperature and short-day conditions, while most varieties do not have strict requirements for sunlight. It grows in areas below 2000 m above sea level.

Cultivated Varieties of Malabar Spinach

1. Red Malabar Spinach: Red Malabar spinach is also known as red-leaf Malabar spinach and red-stem Malabar spinach. The stem is light purple to pink, the leaves are dark green, and the areas near the veins and leaf margins are purplish red. The leaves are ovate to nearly round, relatively small in leaf type, about 6 cm in both length and width. The peduncle of the spike is 3-4.5 cm long. It is native to India, Myanmar and other places.

2. Green-stem Malabar Spinach: Green-stem Malabar spinach is a variety of red-stem Malabar spinach. Apart from the stem being green, the leaves are dark green, and the areas near the veins and leaf margins are purplish red. The leaves are ovate to nearly round, relatively small in leaf type, about 6 cm in both length and width. The peduncle of the spike is 3-4.5 cm long.

3. Leaf Malabar Spinach: Leaf Malabar spinach is also known as large-leaf Malabar spinach. The stem is green, the leaves are dark green, and the apex is acute. The leaves are heart-shaped, the petiole has a groove, and the leaf type is relatively broad and large, 15 cm long and 8-12 cm wide. It has a spike inflorescence, and the peduncle is 8-14 cm long. It is native to southern China.

4. White-flower Malabar Spinach: White-flower Malabar spinach is also known as white Malabar spinach and fine-leaf Malabar spinach. The stem is light green, the leaves are green, and the leaf blades are ovate to long ovate-lanceolate, with a rounded or acuminate base, an acute or slightly sharp apex, and slightly wavy margins. The leaves are relatively small, on average 2.5-3 cm long and 1.5-2 cm wide. It is rarely cultivated.

Propagation Techniques for Malabar Spinach

1. Sowing Time: Malabar spinach can generally be sown and cultivated in the open field when the temperature is above 20°C. Malabar spinach grown mainly for harvesting tender stems and leaves enters the harvest period about 50 days after sowing. It is generally sown in April and can be harvested in June.

2. Land Preparation and Fertilization: Before sowing Malabar spinach, prepare the land and apply fertilizer first. Apply about 5000 kg of thoroughly decomposed high-quality coarse manure per mu. After broadcasting, plow and make beds 1-1.2 m wide. When sowing in spring, in order to increase soil temperature, film can also be laid 1 week before sowing to warm the soil. Sowing can be done only when the soil temperature is stable above 15°C.

3. Seed Soaking and Germination Promotion: The seed shell of Malabar spinach is thick and hard, so seeds should be soaked before sowing to promote germination. Seeds can be soaked in 50°C water with stirring for 30 minutes, then soaked in warm water at 28-30°C for 4-6 hours. After rubbing clean, keep them moist at 30°C to promote germination. When the seeds show white, they can be sown.

4. Sowing Methods

① Drilling: For drilling, first open furrows in the bed, 2-3 cm deep, 10-15 cm wide, with 20 cm between furrows, and sow in rows along the furrows. After sowing, rake the bed level, press lightly, and then water along the bed, just enough for the water to soak the bed surface.

② Broadcasting: For broadcasting, first water the bed thoroughly, then after the water seeps down, scatter 0.5 cm of fine soil, then sow, and after sowing cover with 1.5-2 cm of fine soil, then cover with plastic film to keep warm and moist. Generally, seedlings emerge after 3-5 days.

Cultivation Techniques for Malabar Spinach

1. Thinning and Final Spacing: When growing Malabar spinach for leaf harvesting, the row spacing is 40 cm, the plant spacing is 30 cm, and 1-5 plants per hole. When growing it for tender shoot harvesting, the plant and row spacing is 15-20 cm × 30-40 cm, with 1-3 plants per hole.

2. Water and Fertilizer Management: After Malabar spinach emerges, keep the soil moist and water in a timely manner. After each harvest, apply human manure and urine once in a timely manner, 50 kg per mu, or 10 kg of urea. In the rainy season, drain water promptly to prevent waterlogging.

3. Timely Harvesting

① Tender Shoots: To harvest tender shoots, when the seedlings are 30-35 cm tall, leave 3-4 leaves and cut the top shoot. After that, select and retain 2 strong, vigorous lateral buds to become shoots, and remove the rest. After harvesting 2 rounds of shoots, retain 2-4 strong lateral buds to become shoots, and remove the rest. During the vigorous growth period, 5-8 strong lateral buds can be selected and retained to become shoots. In the middle and late stages, flower buds should be removed at any time. By the end of the harvest period, 1-2 strong lateral buds can be retained to become shoots.

② Leaves: When growing for leaf harvesting, set up a trellis for the vines to climb, and also select and retain main vines. Generally, strong lateral buds at the base should be selected to become vines. When the main vine grows to the top of the trellis, pinch off the growing tip. After pinching, select and retain strong lateral buds from the base of the main vine to become vines. 40-50 days after sowing, tender leaves are harvested. Generally, in the early stage, harvest once every 15-20 days; in the middle growth stage, every 10-15 days; and in the late stage, every 10-17 days.

4. Pest and Disease Control

① Brown Spot: Brown spot mainly damages leaves. In the early stage, the affected leaves have small reddish water-soaked round spots, which gradually expand, with the center becoming grayish white to brown and the nearby margins dark purplish brown. They are relatively thin but not easy to perforate, and in severe cases cause the leaves to dry up early. The control methods are crop rotation, deep plowing and chemical control. Treat seeds with 100-fold formalin solution for 30 minutes to 1 hour for sterilization. In the early stage of the disease, spray with 65% zineb 600-fold solution every 7-10 days for 2-3 applications. During the high-temperature vigorous growth period, spray Bordeaux mixture at 1:3:200 (or 300) for protection.

② Purple Spot: Malabar spinach purple spot disease damages leaves. The margins of diseased leaves have purple round yellow-brown spots. The center of the spots is sunken and thin, easily perforated, resembling a snake's eye. In severe cases, purple spots cover the entire leaf. Control measures are to strengthen field management, promptly prevent waterlogging and drain water, and spray 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder 800-fold solution or 50% procymidone wettable powder 1800-fold solution. To improve plant disease resistance, increase the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers.

③ Gray Mold: Malabar spinach gray mold damages leaves and stems. Diseased leaves have water-soaked spots, which gradually develop and cause the leaves to wilt and rot, and gray mold grows. When the stem is infected, there are water-soaked light green spots, and the diseased stem easily breaks, collapses and rots, with gray mold growing. Control measures are to strengthen field management, apply more high-quality coarse manure, strengthen intertillage and loosening of the soil, cover with plastic film or set up small arched sheds, strengthen insulation, and prevent high humidity. In the early stage of the disease, 5% chlorothalonil dust can be sprayed in the greenhouse, or 5% procymidone wettable powder 1200-1400-fold solution can be sprayed.