Snow pea cultivation methods and key technical points
The snow pea is a twining herbaceous plant in the Fabaceae (Papilionaceae) family, native to Southeast Asia. It is called the snow pea (literally "Dutch pea") in Chinese because the Dutch brought it to China. Snow peas have relatively high nutritional value, containing high levels of protein and amino acids needed by the human body. They are widely cultivated in China and are a crop with good economic value. So how do you grow snow peas? Below, the editor brings you the cultivation methods for snow peas. Let's take a look!
1. Site selection and land preparation
Snow peas have strong growth ability and no great demands on soil, able to grow normally in various soils. However, pay attention to the soil pH; snow peas cannot grow in acidic soil. If the soil is strongly acidic, lime needs to be sprinkled into the soil to neutralize the acidity and alkalinity. In addition, snow peas must be rotated for at least 4 years or more, otherwise pests and diseases will occur severely. After selecting the site, prepare the land in time, deep-plow to loosen the soil, improve soil permeability, and then apply an appropriate amount of base fertilizer, mainly farmyard manure, with an appropriate amount of superphosphate and potassium chloride added. Make flat beds to facilitate sowing and later management and harvesting.
2. Seed selection and soaking
Before sowing, do a good job of seed selection. Put the seeds into salt water and remove the shriveled seeds and pest- or disease-damaged seeds that float up. Then carry out sprouting. Soak the seeds in water for 5 hours, place them in a suitable environment to sprout, and after the seeds show white and sprout, place them in a low-temperature environment of 1°C for about half a month. Then mix the seeds with rhizobia to increase the number of root nodules on the plants, improve the growth rate of stems and leaves and the rate of flowering and fruiting, and achieve the goal of increasing yield. After this series of measures, sow at the right time, reasonably control water and fertilizer, and promote seed germination and seedling emergence.
3. Field management
After sowing, shallow plowing and loosening of the soil should be done in time to raise soil temperature, promote seed rooting and germination, and ensure robust seedling growth. If sowing in autumn, carry out hilling measures before winter to do a good job of keeping warm for overwintering. Before snow peas flower, apply a topdressing of nitrogen fertilizer once to promote plant growth, together with loosening the soil and preserving moisture. When pod formation begins, increase the frequency of watering and the proportion of potassium and phosphorus in the fertilizer. Keep the soil in a moist state to provide sufficient water for pod development. When the plants grow to about 35 cm, set up trellises and train the vines to ensure healthy plant growth.
4. Timely harvesting
The growing season of snow peas differs considerably from that of other leguminous vegetables, so the harvesting time also differs to a certain extent. For example, when planted in June, because the temperature is relatively high, the growth ability of snow peas is enhanced, and their growing period needs only about two weeks. On the contrary, in winter, the low-temperature environment is not suitable for the growth of snow peas, so the growing period needs about one month. Therefore, our harvesting time should be determined according to the planting time, and also according to the planting direction and so on. There is no specific harvesting time; everyone needs to judge as appropriate.
The above is a brief introduction to how to grow snow peas. The growing period of snow peas is not very long, so the incidence of pests and diseases is relatively low. However, management cannot be neglected; improper management will increase the incidence of pests and diseases. So we must not only do a good job of field management, but pest and disease control work is also indispensable. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you all for reading and supporting.