Detailed Explanation of Green-stem Loose-curd Cauliflower Planting Techniques and Cultivation Management Points
Loose-curd cauliflower is a type of cauliflower in the Brassicaceae family, Brassica genus, also known as loose cauliflower, green-stem loose-curd cauliflower, organic cauliflower, white-surface loose cauliflower, organic cauliflower, etc. It gets its name because its curd branches are longer, the curd layer is thinner, and when the curd is fully expanded its form is not compact, appearing loose compared to ordinary cauliflower. Now let us take a look at green-stem loose-curd cauliflower planting techniques!
Cultivation Characteristics
Loose-curd cauliflower has two notable characteristics. First, it has good cooking tolerance and delicious flavor; the vitamin C and soluble sugar content of loose-curd cauliflower is significantly higher than that of tight-curd cauliflower, making it very popular with consumers. Second, early and mid-maturing varieties have strong heat tolerance and broader adaptability; in suburban areas they can be cultivated with "spring delayed" and "autumn advanced" planting, and in high-mountain cultivation they can be brought to market in summer and autumn, broadening the production and marketing period of cauliflower.
Field Selection
1. For loose-curd cauliflower field selection, the soil should be loose and fertile, with good soil stability and strong water retention, water supply and oxygen supply capacity. The field should have complete irrigation facilities and be able to drain and irrigate. For high-mountain cultivation, low-lying land and sticky waterlogged land should not be chosen for planting cauliflower; otherwise the plants grow poorly and are prone to black root disease. For early spring planting in plain areas, because temperatures are lower and rainfall is less, such land may be appropriately selected, but it should be made into wide-furrow high beds and covered with plastic film to prevent moisture and dampness.
2. For continuous cropping land, pest and disease control should be strengthened and trace element fertilizers supplemented. Sloping dry land such as sweet potato land has poor water retention and is prone to drought; it may still be used for high-mountain cultivation in the first half of the year, but for planting in the second half of the year, if there are no watering conditions, it generally cannot be selected in normal years. For high-mountain cultivation, it is advisable to choose an altitude between 600 and 1200 m. For planting high-mountain cauliflower in zones below 800 m altitude, the high-temperature season should be avoided, or more heat-tolerant varieties should be chosen, such as "Qingnong 70-day green-stem loose-curd cauliflower".
Cultivation Season
1. Cultivation in low-mountain areas below 350 m altitude: For spring planting, sow in late December to early January, raise seedlings with insulation in greenhouses plus small arched tunnels, and transplant from late February to early March under plastic film plus small arched tunnels. If sowing from late February to early March, raise seedlings with insulation in greenhouses or small arched tunnels. Open-field transplanting can be done from late March to early April. Harvest and market can be from April or mid-May to early June. For autumn planting, sow from mid-June to July, raise seedlings under shade, transplant from early July to August, and harvest and market from late August to early November.
2. Cultivation in high-mountain areas at 800-1200 m altitude: Sow from mid-February to mid-March, with a seedling age of about 30 days; transplant from mid-March to mid-April; harvest from mid-May to June. Qingnong 65-day: sow from late March to July, with a seedling age of 20-35 days; transplanting can be done from late April to mid-August; harvest from late May to early November. High-mountain seedling raising all uses protected facilities (mostly small arched tunnels); in spring this provides insulation and cold protection, and in summer and autumn it achieves rain protection and moisture retention.
Topdressing Fertilizer
1. During the seedling stage of loose-curd cauliflower, nitrogen fertilizer is mainly used, applying thin fertilizer frequently to promote rosette leaf development. Before and after budding, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are mainly used, with heavy application of bud fertilizer, generally applied by mixing fertilizer with water; this can prolong the bud expansion period and promote curd development and expansion. Under high temperature and drought conditions, soil moisture is often insufficient, which hinders nutrient uptake by the plants, so fertilization must be organically combined with water supply; applying fertilizer mixed with water can improve fertilizer use efficiency and enhance quick effectiveness.
2. During the growth process of loose-curd cauliflower, medium and trace element fertilizers such as boron, molybdenum, magnesium and sulfur should also be added to correct plant nutrient deficiencies. Among these, boron has a very significant effect on curd yield and quality and must be applied as a foliar topdressing 2-3 times, especially indispensably during the curd expansion period. During topdressing in the middle and late stages, ammonium bicarbonate or fertilizers containing ammonium bicarbonate must not be used, to avoid hairy curds.
3. Loose-curd cauliflower fertilization is mainly based on decomposed manure and urine water, combined with quick-acting chemical fertilizers for balanced fertilization, and the fertilization amount and number of applications should be determined according to plant growth and target yield. Generally, topdressing is applied once each after transplanting and establishment, at the early stage of rosette leaf formation, at the late stage of rosette leaf formation, and at budding, for a total of 3-4 times; at the same time, medium and trace element fertilizers such as magnesium, boron and molybdenum should be applied in combination. Within 20 days before product harvest, no chemical fertilizer may be applied.
Hilling Soil and Bank-ing Roots
1. The root system of loose-curd cauliflower arises from the main stem and is layered; during growth, deep roots continuously age, new roots continuously form on the stem near the soil surface, and the overall distribution is relatively shallow, with fibrous roots mainly distributed near the main stem. Observations show that in cool seasons the root system is distributed deeper, while in warm-hot seasons it is very shallow, which may be related to root growth tropism toward soil temperature. On the other hand, during farming operations, most base fertilizer and topdressing are applied relatively shallowly, which also promotes root growth toward the soil surface. Therefore, cauliflower production generally requires hilling soil; through hilling, adventitious roots are promoted, the soil environment for root growth is stabilized, and plant vigor and lodging resistance are enhanced.
2. In high-mountain cauliflower, under conditions of waterlogged roots caused by excessive rain and high-temperature drought, the effect of hilling soil is especially obvious, enhancing stress resistance and significantly increasing yield. During the growth process, hilling should generally be carried out 1-3 times in combination with weeding, loosening soil and fertilizing. For cauliflower that is not hilled, at the very least deep planting should be done; in production, cauliflower that is neither hilled nor shallowly planted grows poorly and yields poorly. The method of hilling is to place soil from the furrow and soil previously piled in the middle of the bed onto the planting holes and between plants, ultimately forming an evenly rounded turtle-back bed surface. The practice of forming two small beds on one bed after hilling is incorrect; in the field, this situation often occurs when hilling is done on overly shallow planting holes.
Water Management
1. Loose-curd cauliflower has many and thin leaves, reaching 17-23 leaves in the middle and late growth stages, 6-8 more than ordinary cauliflower varieties, with a large transpiration rate. Wilting due to water loss in the field often occurs, especially when continuous overcast and rainy weather suddenly clears, after heavy waterlogging when it clears, or under high temperature, drought and strong light conditions, when the wilting phenomenon is particularly obvious. Therefore, the soil of loose-curd cauliflower fields must neither be too wet, causing root waterlogging, nor too dry, causing water shortage.
2. In general production, methods and measures such as clearing ditches for drainage, timely watering, hilling soil and bank-ing roots, cutting grass for mulching, and plastic film mulching are used to adjust soil moisture conditions in a timely manner, striving for balanced water supply and maintaining soil moisture and looseness. During drought, irrigate with running-horse water and water; flood irrigation is prohibited. After rain, drain promptly; standing water in the field is prohibited. Before transplanting and establishment in summer, if drought occurs, water once every evening; under high temperature and strong light, shading is best.
Tying Leaves to Protect the Curd
1. Whether in spring or midsummer, the curd of loose-curd cauliflower turns yellow when exposed to sunlight, and under strong light in summer and autumn the discoloration is deeper. This change not only affects the commercial appearance but also affects the tender quality of the curd, so curd care is an important part of high-mountain loose-curd cauliflower production. Unlike curd care for ordinary cauliflower, loose-curd cauliflower mostly uses the method of tying leaves to protect the curd rather than folding leaves over the curd, especially in production aimed at cultivating large curds with sparse planting, because its curd is fluffy and large, the inner leaves have poor overlapping and clasping ability, and it has the characteristic that curd development and leaf emergence proceed simultaneously; folded leaves covering the curd are often displaced by curd expansion and inner leaf growth, so the shading effect is poor.
2. The specific method of tying leaves to protect the curd in loose-curd cauliflower is: when the curd grows to the size of a fist, pull 4-5 large alternate leaves near the curd together and overlap them without breaking them, then use 1-2 small bamboo skewers, small grass stalks or small wood sticks 2-3 mm thick and 7-10 cm long as fixing connectors, piercing and stringing the overlapping leaf tips and fixing them at the main vein. The leaves that are strung and fixed are tied up in a lantern shape, covering the entire curd, so that the curd is protected from direct sunlight during subsequent growth and still has enough space for development and expansion.
3. The stricter the shading and protection of the curd in loose-curd cauliflower, the better. Tight leaf tying to protect the curd can completely prevent sunlight from reaching the curd, and even in midsummer it can still keep the entire curd white and tender. Compared with the usual method of folding leaves over the curd, tying leaves to protect the curd is completed in one go, avoiding the trouble of repeatedly folding leaves over the curd, saving labor and time, with better results.
Pest and Disease Control
The main insect pests of loose-curd cauliflower include aphids, diamondback moth, leafminers, green caterpillars, imported cabbageworm, tobacco cutworm, beet armyworm, mole crickets, striped flea beetles, tobacco whitefly, etc. Control should implement the plant protection policy of "prevention first, integrated control", give priority to agricultural control, physical control and biological control, scientifically and coordinately use chemical control, strictly control the number of pesticide applications, observe the safety interval, keep pests and diseases below the allowable economic threshold, and keep pesticide residues within the green food standards stipulated by the state, so as to achieve the goals of safety, high quality and harmlessness.
Key Points for Replanting and Changing Crops of Vegetables After Disasters
[Common Questions] Since the beginning of summer, China has experienced several consecutive heavy rainfalls, causing certain impacts in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The floods and waterlogging disasters caused by heavy rainfall have left most vegetable growers with total losses. Below, the editor takes you through the key points for replanting and changing crops of vegetables after disasters:
Figure: Vegetable replanting
[Expert Answer]
● Promptly repair salvageable melons and vegetables
After heavy rain, temperatures often rise quickly. Even for vegetable fields that were not submerged, long-term standing water and a high-temperature, high-humidity environment are very unfavorable to standing vegetables and worsen diseases. For fields with less severe damage, attention should be paid to the following issues: promptly clear ditches to remove standing water in the field and inside sheds; for areas with low-lying terrain and high inland river water levels, organize electric pump drainage to speed up drainage and lower the groundwater level.
Promptly harvest damaged melons and vegetables to increase market supply and stabilize vegetable prices. For vegetable fields with heavier waterlogging, speed up harvesting varieties that have not completely died from flooding, to make up for losses caused by disaster-related poor harvests.
Promptly right the plants, hill soil to stabilize roots, press vines and tie plants securely; when necessary, water along the roots. Promptly prune broken and damaged branches, vines, rotten fruit and rotten leaves to avoid disease spread.
After rain, the soil becomes compacted; when the soil is slightly dry, promptly carry out intertillage and loosening to improve soil structure and increase root vitality; after heavy rain, artificial spraying should be carried out promptly to wash the leaves.
If it suddenly clears after heavy rain, when temperature rises sharply, promptly shade and cool protected vegetables to prevent intensified leaf transpiration and acute plant wilting caused by insufficient water supply to damaged roots.
After heavy rain, field temperatures are high and humidity is high, plant resistance is weak, and diseases and pests such as root rot, fusarium wilt and downy mildew are easily triggered. Diseased plants should be promptly removed and taken out of the field for deep burial; after the rain stops and the sky clears, pesticide control should be carried out: for root rot and fusarium wilt, thiophanate-methyl 700 times solution can be used as a root drench; for downy mildew and phytophthora blight, propamocarb 800 times solution or Kelu 500 times solution can be sprayed; for anthracnose and powdery mildew, difenoconazole 1500 times solution, thiophanate-methyl 700 times solution, or kresoxim-methyl 1500 times solution can be sprayed; for tobacco whitefly, 4% abamectin-acetamiprid or bifenthrin 2000 times solution or 0.3 matrine 1000-1500 times solution can be sprayed; for bean pod borer, diamondback moth, beet armyworm and tobacco cutworm, spinosad 1500 times solution or teflubenzuron 1500 times solution or 1% emamectin benzoate 2500 times solution can be sprayed.
● Replant and change crops in severely affected fields
For fields that suffered relatively severe damage, Yan Congsheng stated that farmers should, after the water recedes, pull up seedlings and clear sheds as early as possible for direct seeding and rush planting or autumn seedling raising.
Arrange replanting and crop changing as early as possible according to the time when standing water is removed. At present, direct seeding should be grasped quickly to sow some fast-growing vegetables and early-maturing fresh-eating varieties. Such as yardlong bean without trellis, vegetable soybean, common bean, baby bok choy, water spinach, amaranth, Malabar spinach, Chinese cabbage, pak choi, radish, carrot, spinach, coriander, potherb mustard, garland chrysanthemum, Malabar spinach, shepherd's purse, flowering Chinese cabbage, garden cress, spicy mustard, red amaranth, fresh-eating corn, etc.
For low-lying fields where standing water cannot be removed in time, watercress and water dropwort production can be arranged, and planting can be done before the end of September. Watercress is planted one plant per hole; water dropwort is planted 3-4 stems per clump, with a spacing of 20×25cm. Before establishment, maintain a 2-3cm water layer on the bed surface; as the plants grow, the water layer can gradually deepen, but watercress should not exceed 6cm and water dropwort should not exceed 30cm. Watercress is harvested in November, and water dropwort begins harvest in late February of the following year.
Carry out corresponding autumn protected vegetable sowing and seedling raising work in a timely manner according to the time of water recession. In early July, melons and vegetables enter the autumn sowing and seedling raising stage. At this time, suitable melons and vegetables for sowing include: tomato, pepper, eggplant, watermelon, melon, cucumber, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, loose-curd cauliflower, etc. After sowing, methods such as floating surface cover, small arched tunnels and greenhouse covering should be promptly used to add shade nets and other coverings, cooling and retaining moisture, and avoiding damage caused by heavy rain washing. If water recedes in early August, suitable vegetable types include pepper, tomato, eggplant, watermelon and melon, cucumber, common bean, celery, autumn Chinese cabbage, autumn radish, etc.; if water recedes before the end of August, crops can be changed to greenhouse vegetables, such as broccoli, loose-curd cauliflower, cucumber, summer squash, lettuce, celery, garlic sprouts, etc. Those with conditions should as much as possible use net and film covered protected rain-shelter cultivation. Optional varieties include: Tomato: Wanfen No. 5, Wanza 20, Wanhong No. 7, Wanza 21, Zhongza 105; Pepper: Xinwanjiao No. 1, Wanjiao No. 4, Ziyan No. 1, Wanjiao 18, Dingjian Dajiao, Sujiao No. 5, Zhongjiao 106; Eggplant: Yuanza 16, Baijia No. 2, Wanjia No. 2; Cucumber: Jinbi Chunqiu, Jinyou No. 4, Zhongnong No. 16; Cabbage: Zhonggan No. 9, Zhonggan No. 11, Zhonggan No. 19, Zhonggan No. 22; Yardlong bean: Wanjian No. 1, Jianbawang, Texuan Wujiajiang, Texuan Zhijiang 28-2; Vegetable soybean: Dali Zao; Pak choi: heat-tolerant cabbage; Radish: Wanyaoqing, Duanye Shisan, Xinbaiyuchun, Korean Dagen, Jingyan Qiubai, Jinghong No. 3, Zhengyan Daqing Luobo; Carrot: Xinheitian Wucun Can; Fresh-eating corn: Huyunuo No. 1, Xiangzinuo, Dabang Yunuo, etc.
[Editor's Summary]
Flood and waterlogging disasters have a great impact on vegetable growers, but after flood and waterlogging disasters, methods of replanting and changing vegetable crops can be adopted, planting some fast-growing vegetables with shorter growth periods, which helps recover part of the growers' losses.
The editor of First Agricultural Economics reminds growers that replanting and changing crops require attention to three points: first, sow early, the earlier the better; replant wherever the water recedes; second, increase density, compensating for lateness with density; third, when choosing varieties, fully consider market demand.
The above is "Key Points for Replanting and Changing Crops of Vegetables After Disasters" introduced to you by the editor of First Agricultural Economics. We hope it is helpful to you.