How to Grow Chayote? Detailed Guide to Planting Time and Methods
Chayote is a vegetable variety that has emerged in recent years. Because it looks somewhat like the hand of Buddha, it was named chayote (Buddha's hand melon); it also has another name, longevity melon, because of its relatively high medicinal value. Nowadays many people really like chayote, but its planting area and annual yield still cannot meet consumer demand, so many people have started growing chayote. However, growing chayote is not that easy, so now Qinnongwang will tell everyone when to plant chayote and its planting methods.
Planting Time
Chayote has weak cold resistance, which means the planting time must be chosen correctly, otherwise the yield and survival rate of chayote will certainly not be high. But today's greenhouse technology is really very practical, so we can also grow it in greenhouses. For greenhouse cultivation, March is generally chosen, but normal planting time is around April to May each year. The specific situation still depends on the local climate conditions when making the choice.
Planting Methods
1. Site Selection and Land Preparation
Chayote's resistance is not particularly strong, and it is more suitable for planting in relatively warm areas, so it also has certain requirements for soil selection. It is best to choose sandy soil with relatively sufficient sunlight, good soil permeability, moderate drainage and water retention capacity, and sufficient soil fertility, or neutral soil with relatively weak soil viscosity is also acceptable. When preparing the land, we need to first evenly spread farmyard manure over the land rows, then deep-plow the soil, so that nutrients can penetrate deep into the land and increase soil fertility. Try to make the soil clods as fine as possible and the land as level as possible. Next, a small ditch needs to be made in the field about every 1.5 m to facilitate drainage and irrigation.
2. Sowing and Raising Seedlings
Because chayote's growth cycle is relatively long and the seed seedling-raising period is also relatively long, before sowing we need to first soak the seeds in warm water for about a moment, then remove them and put them into a chemical agent and stir evenly, then remove them and rinse with water, drain the water, and then sow. There are two sowing methods. The first is hole sowing: sow in holes in the field at a spacing of 40 to 50 cm between rows and 30 to 40 cm between plants, then cover with soil. The second is to first cultivate chayote seedlings on a seedbed, then wait until the appropriate time, generally around May, to transplant. The transplanting spacing is the same as for hole sowing. At the same time, whether by hole sowing or transplanting, we need to water the land first, then plant.
3. Field Management
Proper field management of chayote determines its yield and quality. During the entire growth period of chayote, at least three fertilizations are generally required. Many crops need fertilization after planting, but chayote cannot be fertilized during this period; just water it, otherwise the chayote seedlings will wither. When the plants enter the rapid growth period, the first fertilization is needed, mainly with urea. The second fertilization is during the peak flowering period of chayote; at this time we need to spray a certain dose of foliar fertilizer and apply some decomposed farmyard manure to promote flowering and preserve fruit. Finally, after the fruit has set successfully, in order to promote the growth and ripening of chayote, we can spray an appropriate amount of boron fertilizer on it.
4. Branch and Leaf Management
When chayote grows to 40 cm long, we need to set up a trellis for it. Although it can be allowed to crawl and grow directly on the ground, setting up a trellis can not only improve the yield and quality of chayote but also avoid many pests and diseases. Next, during its growth process, we need to prune part of the branches and leaves, which can reduce nutrient consumption and also increase the success rate of fruit setting.