How to grow shepherd's purse? Detailed guide to planting time and methods

Shepherd's purse is a type of wild vegetable, except that wild shepherd's purse is becoming increasingly rare, so what appears on the market is basically all cultivated shepherd's purse. Due to the influence of different environments in different rugged areas, there will also be certain differences in its varieties and appearance. The planting method of shepherd's purse is relatively simple, and if you have nothing to do, you can also plant a little on your own balcony. So today what Qinnong Net wants to teach everyone is about the timing of shepherd's purse planting and the methods of shepherd's purse planting. Friends who are interested, let's take a look together.

Planting time

General wild vegetables have relatively strong adaptability to the environment. After all, natural selection and survival of the fittest, with the unfit being eliminated, is the unchanging law of growth for all things in time. So shepherd's purse can be sown in three seasons a year. Generally, spring sowing is chosen between February and March, summer sowing is done around the beginning of August, and autumn is best chosen around September to October. Winter weather is relatively harsh, so the yield is not high, and generally no planting is carried out.

Planting methods

1. Land preparation

Shepherd's purse can be planted anywhere. It can be planted in continuous patches, or land resources can be used to plant it in the gaps between other crops, and it can also be planted on field ridges. However, for high yield, continuous patch planting is generally chosen. During land preparation, all weeds in the field need to be removed. Next, when turning the soil, try to turn it deeper to remove possible pathogens carried in the deeper soil. Then try to level the land as much as possible. Where there are depressions, fill the waterlogged spots with soil. Finally, spread a layer of organic rotted fertilizer or plant ash as base fertilizer, and land preparation is finished.

2. Sowing

Sowing at different times may involve some changes. The sowing method is mainly broadcast sowing. When broadcast sowing, it should be spread relatively evenly; there cannot be places that are too thick and places with only a few seeds. So we generally mix the seeds with some fine sand or fine soil to achieve a strength that makes sowing more even. After sowing, we need to make the seeds press closely against the soil, which helps the seeds absorb moisture from the soil and germinate faster. Spring sowing does not require much consideration; direct sowing is fine. For summer sowing, the temperature is relatively high, so before sowing the land needs to be watered wet and then sown. In autumn, the seeds need to be artificially pre-germinated first and then sown.

3. Management

Shepherd's purse plants are not very large and tend to be slender, so weed control management is relatively difficult. We generally need to remove all weeds in the soil before sowing. If later, during the growth period of shepherd's purse, weeds appear in clusters, we can only carry out manual weeding, so it takes a relatively long time. Next, if shepherd's purse is planted in different periods, then fertilizer and water management will also differ to a certain extent. The growth period of spring and summer shepherd's purse is relatively short, so during the entire growth process only two waterings and two fertilizations are needed. The autumn growth period is relatively long, and there may not be much rain, so its growth state must be watched at all times, and watering and fertilizing should be done according to the situation. The fertilizer applied is generally organic fertilizer or farmyard manure, which can make the growth of shepherd's purse closer to natural, pollution-free growth.

4. Disease prevention

Generally speaking, wild vegetables do not have many diseases and have extremely strong disease resistance. If symptoms appear, they are just some beetles, cabbage leaf worms, and leaf roller worms. They mainly live by eating leaves, so the most common control method is chemical control. Generally, trichlorfon or some pesticides with relatively low toxic substances are used for spraying, in order to ensure as much as possible the original, most natural quality of shepherd's purse.

5. Harvesting

Harvesting is carried out in batches. Generally, the growth cycle of shepherd's purse is about 30 to 45 days. Although they are sown at the same time, their later growth speeds vary from fast to slow, so we dig out the larger plants with roots and leave the smaller ones to continue growing. After each harvest batch, an appropriate amount of fertilizer can be applied to promote the growth process. Finally, when harvesting the last batch, remember to keep seeds.