Key Cultivation Techniques for Chicory (Bitter Chicory)

Chicory, also known as wild bitter chicory, French bitter chicory, etc., is a biennial to perennial plant of the Asteraceae family. It is currently cultivated worldwide, especially in France and Italy in Europe, where it is most widely grown, and is an important salad vegetable in Europe. It is divided into the loose-leaf type used exclusively for blanching, and the red heading type and the bell-shaped heading type that do not require blanching and are used for consumption. Among them, more than half are grown for blanching; the creamy white tender buds formed by blanching, also known as French bitter chicory, have an excellent flavor; while the red heading chicory that does not require blanching has red-marbled leaf flesh and veins, and is unique as a salad vegetable. With the rise of the Western cuisine industry in our country, chicory cultivation will attract increasing attention in China and will achieve good social and economic benefits.

I. Land Preparation and Fertilization

Choose sandy loam and loam soil with deep soil layers, good drainage, and rich organic matter for cultivation. Deep plow the soil 20-30 cm, apply 1000-1500 kg of decomposed compost per mu, and apply another 40-50 kg of compound fertilizer per mu at sowing time. After fine cultivation, make deep-furrow high beds, with a bed width (including furrow) of 0.7 m, furrow width of 20-30 cm, and depth of 15-20 cm.

II. Sowing and Post-Sowing Management

In early to mid-August, carry out dry-seed drilling, sowing 2 rows per bed, with a seeding rate of 150-200 g per mu. The sowing method is the same as that for Chinese cabbage. If no rainfall occurs after sowing, water continuously 3-5 times before the seedlings emerge fully and before final thinning. After that, water appropriately to keep the soil alternated between dry and moist; after the fleshy roots rapidly expand, increase the frequency of watering. Thin seedlings at the 2-3 leaf stage and 5-6 leaf stage, cultivate and weed, and water promptly. Chicory has relatively few pests and diseases; the main problems are commonly cabbage caterpillars, underground pests, and aphids, which can be controlled by measures such as freezing and sunning the soil, along with high-efficiency, low-toxicity pesticides. About 100 days after sowing, before the temperature reaches -2 degrees C, when the main root is thick and strong, 25-30 cm long, and 4 cm thick at the top of the root, dig out the fleshy roots. Stack them on site in small round mounds about 1 m in diameter with leaves facing outward and roots facing inward, to prevent freezing and dehydration. When it is about to freeze in late November, cut off the leaf rosette, leaving only 2 cm at the base, and dig a storage cellar 1.5 m wide, 1.2 m deep, and extended east-west in a shaded spot on the north side of a greenhouse or building. Stack the roots in batches with heads and tails alternating, with each batch 70-90 cm high and 10 cm spacing between batches. Cover the cellar opening with agricultural film and straw curtains to keep the temperature stable at 0-2 degrees C; they can be stored for up to the following April.

III. Blanching Cultivation

For the cultivation site, choose a greenhouse, conservatory, or idle building where the temperature can be kept stable at 8-12 degrees C. Use clean river sand or sandy soil as the substrate, or cultivate hydroponically in pools or barrels. In the shed or room, dig cultivation pools 1.2 m wide, 0.4 m deep, and 6-8 m long, with 60 cm wide walkways between pools. Use a sharp knife to trim off any remaining leaf stalks from the fleshy roots, then grade and stack them, with roots 2-3 cm apart and 100-150 roots per sq m. The upper parts should be aligned evenly. After stacking, cover with clean sandy soil up to the neck, and immediately water heavily once. After the water infiltrates, cover again with sandy soil. After 2-3 days, set up small arch frames and cover with black agricultural film to create completely dark conditions for blanching the leaf heads. Control the temperature in the bed, preferably 12-20 degrees C. At 18-20 degrees C, harvest can be done in 20-30 days; at 10-12 degrees C, it takes 30-40 days to harvest. During the day, absolutely no light should be allowed, otherwise the buds will turn green and lose their commercial value. If humidity is high, uncover the film at night for ventilation; generally no watering is needed.

IV. Timely Harvest

After the chicory buds have grown for 20-30 days, when the buds reach 10-15 cm in height and 3.5-5 cm in thickness, with a single bud weighing about 100 g, they can be harvested. Cut from the base of the bud with a sharp knife; the cutting position should not be too high, otherwise the head easily falls apart. At this time, the buds are tender yellow, clean, compact, and attractive. After trimming, they can be marketed in plastic bags or small fresh-keeping film packages, or stored in a refrigerator for 1-2 weeks. Note that they should be kept out of light when marketed, otherwise the buds will gradually turn green and their quality will decline.