How to grow Chinese artichoke? Detailed explanation of planting methods and technical key points
Chinese artichoke is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family. The shape of Chinese artichoke is rather peculiar, with a great deal of fuzz on its leaves, and the plant resembles the Jerusalem artichoke plant. Chinese artichoke contains a great deal of fructo-oligosaccharides, the highest content among all plants, has a certain effect on treating diabetes, and is also the main raw material for fructose and alcohol. So how should Chinese artichoke be grown? Below, the editor brings you the planting methods for Chinese artichoke. Let's take a look!
1. Land preparation and ridging
For planting Chinese artichoke, try to choose sandy soil with good drainage and irrigation and strong permeability, then carry out land preparation. During land preparation, deep plowing should be done, together with fertilization work. For the base fertilizer, avoid using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, then control the planting density well and dig the planting holes. Before planting, ridges should also be made on the soil, and the Chinese artichoke seeds should be planted on the ridges. Also, during land preparation, an appropriate amount of quicklime powder should be sprinkled, using the heat generated by the exothermic reaction of quicklime powder to kill underground insect eggs. This prevents pest damage during the planting process, which would harm plant growth and reduce yield.
2. Timely planting
The planting time of Chinese artichoke varies according to the growing region, but generally the best planting time is after the Start of Spring when the temperature gradually rises and the surface temperature rises to about 15°C. If protected cultivation is used, then the planting time can be appropriately advanced. The planting method is direct cultivation, and the seedling-raising bed method of raising seedlings and transplanting can also be used for planting. For propagation, cuttings can be used for planting, and cutting planting usually uses branches and underground lateral branches for cuttings in summer. The specific planting method depends on the techniques and habits one has mastered. No matter what method is used, the survival rate should be increased as much as possible.
3. Field management
After planting, observe the growth of the seedlings. When the seedlings grow to about 18-22 cm, do the watering work well, improve the soil moisture, and appropriately weed and earth up. If the base fertilizer was insufficient before planting, then at this stage an appropriate amount of fertilizer should also be applied as a top dressing, but substances such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides that would also harm the plants must not be used. When the soil moisture content is insufficient, water in time, but the amount of water should not be too much either, and attention should also be paid to drainage in rainy weather. Appropriately remove the tillers at the base; plants with weaker growth can keep 2 tillers to promote growth. If you want to expand the planting area and increase yield, the removed tillers can be used for cuttings.
4. Harvesting and seed saving
Harvesting can begin after the Chinese artichoke plants start to fade and the leaves gradually turn yellow. In the south, the harvest time can be appropriately delayed, allowing them to remain in the field to overwinter, and then harvesting according to market demand. In the north, they need to be harvested and stored in time before winter; the stems can be used as poultry feed, and the leaves and flowers can be dried in the sun to be used as tea. After harvesting, save seeds in time: cut off the seed balls on the fruit, disinfect and dry the cut surfaces, then soak them in potassium permanganate solution for 2-4 minutes, take them out and wrap them in a damp cloth for storage, and they can be sown in the spring of the following year.
The above is the editor's brief introduction to the planting methods of Chinese artichoke. When planting Chinese artichoke, seedling raising work should be done well, the seedling environment should be managed well, the growth of seedlings should be promoted, the survival rate after planting should be improved, and the yield should be ensured. Pest and disease control work should also be done well to prevent a relatively large impact on planting benefits. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and I hope it can help everyone!