A Detailed Guide to the Planting Time and Methods of Noodle Vegetable
Noodle vegetable is an annual herbaceous plant that can be eaten as a wild vegetable. In some regions it is called Maihuangcai, lantern grass, wild spinach, or rabbit head, and it is a wild vegetable loved by many people. Nowadays we all know that wild vegetables are actually more popular than cultivated vegetables, and growing noodle vegetable is also a trend in market development. So when is noodle vegetable generally planted? And how should it be grown? Let's take a look together below.
1. Sowing time
Farming is developing rapidly today, and cultivation techniques are constantly improving. If greenhouse cultivation techniques are used, it can basically be grown all year round. But if it is grown in open fields, it is generally in March and April each spring and September and October each autumn. The planting time is related to the planting region as well as factors such as climate and temperature. As for the specific planting time, it can be decided according to the temperature at which the local soil warms back up.
2. Land preparation
Wild vegetables have relatively strong vitality and do not have high requirements for soil, so noodle vegetable can be planted in ordinary soil. However, it is even better if there is plenty of water near the planting site, or if drainage and irrigation are relatively convenient. Land preparation generally involves deep plowing of 30 to 40 cm, then breaking up the clods of soil as finely as possible, and finally spreading sufficient farmyard manure and raking the land level. Water channels should be made well in the field to facilitate later field operations.
3. Sowing methods
The two most commonly used sowing methods for noodle vegetable are broadcast sowing and drill sowing. For broadcast sowing, the land needs to be watered first, then the seeds are evenly scattered on the soil. A stick or broom can be used to gently press the seeds into the soil, and finally a layer of straw is covered for insulation. If the seeds are not pressed in, then fine soil must be used to cover the seeds, and straw must also be covered. For drill sowing, small furrows need to be made one by one, the furrows watered thoroughly, then the seeds evenly scattered in, covered with soil, and plastic film laid over for insulation.
4. Temperature control
Temperature management after sowing is very important, as it affects whether noodle vegetable can emerge and how it grows. After sowing, the field temperature should generally be kept at around 15 to 20 degrees, and in the week or so before emergence, the temperature of the planting site should generally be between 20 and 25 degrees. Such temperatures allow noodle vegetable seeds to sprout and grow quickly. When about 75 percent of the seeds have emerged, the straw or film covering the field should be removed promptly to avoid scorching the seedlings.
5. Scientific management
Fertilizer and water management, weeding, and pest control in the later stage directly affect the yield and quality of noodle vegetable. Before emergence, we should spray water to keep the soil moist, so as to avoid soil crusting, which would affect the growth of the seedlings. When most of the seedlings have pushed out their shoot tips, we need to spray foliar fertilizer to promote the growth of the sprouts and achieve the effect of uniform and strong seedlings. When noodle vegetable has grown three to four true leaves, thin the seedlings appropriately. After thinning, noodle vegetable enters its vigorous growth period and has a very high water requirement, so watering should be done scientifically and combined with weeding and fertilizing to promote rapid growth of the seedlings. The most common diseases and pests of noodle vegetable are downy mildew, aphids, and cabbage caterpillars, which can be treated and killed with metalaxyl wettable powder, imidacloprid wettable powder, and dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate respectively.
That is all the content the editor wants to share with you today. It mainly covers the planting time and planting methods of noodle vegetable. If there are friends who want to grow noodle vegetable, through the above text you can get a rough understanding of how to grow noodle vegetable, and I hope it can also help more friends in need.