How to Grow Lentils? Detailed Explanation of Planting Methods and Technical Key Points
Lentil is a leguminous plant, also known as the lentil or small lentil, and is a plant used both as medicine and food. At present, lentils in China are mainly distributed in Hebei, Shaanxi, as well as Shaanxi and Sichuan, with a small planting scale, and have not yet been popularized in China. So for this plant that has not yet been popularized, how much do we know about it? And how should it be planted? Let's take a look below.
1. Land preparation
The growth cycle of lentils is relatively short compared to the cultivation of many crops, and it is also often used as a catch crop for planting. The soil pH for lentil planting should be moderate, or weakly alkaline soil, and it cannot be planted in soil where the previous crop was legumes, nightshades, or other such plants. Before planting, deep plow the soil; there is no need for excessive fertilization, as too many nutrients will instead result in lower yield; and promptly break up the soil clods finely and rake them level to retain moisture, and finally open furrows and make beds, ready for sowing.
2. Sowing
Lentils can be planted in two seasons, namely between late March and early April in spring and at the end of September in autumn. Because the growth of lentils is rather special, before sowing the seeds need to be inoculated with rhizobia, and then drilled in rows with a row spacing of 25 cm. The sowing depth is generally about 4 to 5 cm, and no more than 6 cm at the deepest. Under normal conditions, about 60,000 lentil plants are planted per mu, and no more than 67,000 at most, otherwise it will affect the yield of lentils.
3. Fertilization
Although the symbiotic rhizobia of lentils fix nitrogen and can meet the nitrogen needed for their growth and development, this only occurs under the condition that lentil rhizobia nitrogen fixation has formed. When lentils are still at the seedling stage, they also need to rely on artificial fertilization. At this time, we usually apply nitrogen fertilizer, and at the same time, in order to promote plant growth, we can scientifically use phosphate fertilizer, which is beneficial to the formation of rhizobia nitrogen fixation. When fertilizing, it is usually done in combination with deep plowing, mainly applying organic fertilizer, zinc sulfate, and potassium fertilizer deeply, and spraying boron fertilizer and ammonium fertilizer on the leaves.
4. Watering
Lentils have extremely strong drought tolerance. Generally speaking, when there is rainfall, basically no watering is needed throughout their entire growth process. But if it is shortly after lentils have emerged, or if there is no rainfall for a long time during their flowering and pod-setting stages, then timely watering is needed. Of course, continuous rainfall is not ruled out either. If that happens, we must also be prepared to prevent waterlogging and promptly drain excess water from the field.
5. Weeding
During the entire growth process of lentils, generally only two rounds of intertillage and weeding are needed. The first is after the plants have become established and survived; if weeds appear in the field, weed promptly. The second is about two months after sowing; if the weeds in the field are growing too aggressively and seriously affecting the growth of lentils, carry out a second weeding. Of course, if special circumstances arise, the number of weedings should also be appropriately increased according to the specific situation.
Lentils have very strong vitality, and they are also very simple to plant, with field operations that are not complicated, so generally anyone with even a little planting experience can learn how to do it. That is all for today's sharing from the editor. If you still have other questions to consult, you can leave a message for the editor.