Planting Methods and Cultivation Technique Points for Water Pepper
Water pepper is also called smartweed, and in some places it is also known as red knotweed, spicy grass, and so on. It is very common in rural areas, and its vitality is extremely tenacious. Older generations in rural areas generally use it to make an essential material for brewing wine. In fact, it also has many other uses, such as treating rheumatism, reducing swelling, stopping abdominal pain, athlete's foot, and detoxifying. Nowadays, water pepper also sells fairly well on the market, so how should water pepper be planted? Today, let's learn together with the editor about the planting methods for water pepper.
1. Site Selection and Land Preparation
The reason water pepper is also called smartweed is that it has a very strong preference for water, so the water source at the planting site is generally relatively abundant, and at the same time both the soil and the water source are free of pollution. The soil fertility at the planting site is generally relatively abundant, and the soil's moisture-retention capacity must be strong, because it is extremely intolerant of drought. When preparing the land, we only need to deep plow, then spread sufficient base fertilizer, and finally open the ditches well and wait for sowing.
2. Timely Sowing
Water pepper is generally sown around March or April each spring, when the soil temperature has basically risen back to around 10 to 15 degrees, which is suitable for the germination and growth of water pepper seeds. When sowing, we generally use the drill sowing method, or broadcast sowing. However, field operations later are more convenient with drill sowing. Generally, ditches are opened at a row spacing of about 25 cm, then the seeds are evenly scattered in the field, and finally covered with soil to bury the seeds. What should be noted here is that when sowing, the field moisture must be relatively sufficient, as this can speed up seed germination.
3. Density Management
The row spacing for water pepper planting is generally already determined at sowing time, but water pepper within each row also needs a certain interval, otherwise when they grow to a certain height, the field will become overcrowded, leading to sudden disease outbreaks. When water pepper grows to 10 to 15 cm tall, we need to thin the seedlings, even out the seedlings, and fill in gaps. Generally, about 7 to 8 water pepper plants are retained per hole, with a spacing of about 20 to 25 cm.
4. Field Management
When thinning and filling in seedlings, we need to carry out intertillage and weeding as well as reasonable topdressing. The first topdressing is mainly urea or manure and urine water. When the water pepper seedlings grow to a height of about 20 to 25 cm, a second intertillage, weeding, and topdressing are needed. Since water pepper is mainly grown to promote the growth of its branches and leaves, we can still use urea, but generally speaking, farmyard manure has a better effect, as it will not affect the quality of water pepper. Finally, field moisture is the most critical condition for the growth of water pepper. Field moisture generally needs to be maintained at about 75 to 85 percent, so that water pepper can grow more vigorously.
The above is all the content the editor wants to share with everyone today, mainly discussing a relatively moderate and very common planting method for water pepper. I believe many growers are very familiar with it, so the editor will not introduce it in too much detail. If everyone still wants to learn more about water pepper, remember to follow us.