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A Detailed Guide to the Key Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods for New Zealand Spinach

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1) Cultivation characteristics and features. The New Zealand spinach plant grows in clumps, has strong branching ability and fast growth, and can produce side branches at every leaf axil. After topping, under suitable temperatures, side branches reach harvest standard in about 15 days. The stems grow prostrate and can reach 120 cm in length, and the leaves are triangular and alternate. The leaf flesh is thick, and small yellow flowers are borne at each leaf axil; the flowers are very few and have no petals. The ovary is inferior, and the fruit is a nut, rhombus-shaped, resembling spinach, containing several seeds, with a 1000-seed weight of 83-100 grams. New Zealand spinach prefers warmth and is heat-tolerant, low-temperature-tolerant, drought-resistant, salt-alkali-tolerant, moisture-loving but afraid of waterlogging. Its root regeneration ability is weak. In summer, with high temperature and heavy rain, if plants are too dense, stems rot easily and the plants die. It is not frost-tolerant, but has good low-temperature adaptability. In summer drought and strong light, the leaves become hard, curled and poor for eating. During the seedling stage, drought and strong light can induce viral disease. Under weak light and high humidity, the stems and leaves are tender. New Zealand spinach grows vigorously, and there are very few pests and diseases throughout the entire growing period, making it a natural pollution-free vegetable. One planting of New Zealand spinach can be harvested continuously; sown in spring, it can be harvested after 50 days, until frost, and cultivation is very easy. New Zealand spinach seeds shed easily and are not easy to harvest, so they need to be harvested in batches; seeds that fall to the ground can germinate in autumn or after overwintering in the following spring.

1) Cultivation characteristics and features. The New Zealand spinach plant grows in clumps, has strong branching ability and fast growth, and can produce side branches at every leaf axil. After topping, under suitable temperatures, side branches reach harvest standard in about 15 days. The stems grow prostrate and can reach 120 cm in length, and the leaves are triangular and alternate. The leaf flesh is thick, and small yellow flowers are borne at each leaf axil; the flowers are very few and have no petals. The ovary is inferior, and the fruit is a nut, rhombus-shaped, resembling spinach, containing several seeds, with a 1000-seed weight of 83-100 grams. New Zealand spinach prefers warmth and is heat-tolerant, low-temperature-tolerant, drought-resistant, salt-alkali-tolerant, moisture-loving but afraid of waterlogging. Its root regeneration ability is weak. In summer, with high temperature and heavy rain, if plants are too dense, stems rot easily and the plants die. It is not frost-tolerant, but has good low-temperature adaptability. In summer drought and strong light, the leaves become hard, curled and poor for eating. During the seedling stage, drought and strong light can induce viral disease. Under weak light and high humidity, the stems and leaves are tender. New Zealand spinach grows vigorously, and there are very few pests and diseases throughout the entire growing period, making it a natural pollution-free vegetable. One planting of New Zealand spinach can be harvested continuously; sown in spring, it can be harvested after 50 days, until frost, and cultivation is very easy. New Zealand spinach seeds shed easily and are not easy to harvest, so they need to be harvested in batches; seeds that fall to the ground can germinate in autumn or after overwintering in the following spring.

2) Cultivation methods. In the Beijing area, open-field cultivation can be carried out during the frost-free period, and greenhouse cultivation can advance or delay the season. In summer, protect against strong light, rain and waterlogging; energy-saving solar greenhouses can allow four-season cultivation to ensure year-round supply.

3) Cultivation techniques. (1) Seed preparation. If New Zealand spinach seeds are plentiful, dense sowing or dense planting may be considered, followed by thinning and harvesting, which can increase early yield. New Zealand spinach can be direct-sown or raised as seedlings and transplanted; if seeds are insufficient, it is best to raise seedlings and transplant. Direct sowing requires 30-37.5 kg of seed per 0.1 hectare. For seedling raising, plug trays or nutrition pots can be used to reduce root damage, and 11.25 kg of seed should be prepared. Seedling raising can save seeds and also allow earlier sowing. Although New Zealand spinach is slow to recover after transplanting, the survival rate is very high. (2) Land preparation, fertilization and bed making. Because New Zealand spinach has a long growing period, sufficient base fertilizer should be applied, with 75,000 kg of organic fertilizer per hectare; when making beds, the soil characteristics and the fact that New Zealand spinach loves moisture but fears waterlogging should be considered. Watering should be convenient and drainage should also be good. If sprinkler irrigation facilities are available, flat raised beds may be considered, so both irrigation and drainage can be handled well. (3) Sowing and transplanting period. In the Beijing area, open-field direct sowing can be done at any time from April to May, but early sowing can better exploit its efficiency; seedlings can be raised in mid-March and transplanted in mid-to-late April. Energy-saving solar greenhouses can be sown in all four seasons. (4) Cultivation density. For a 1.33 m bed, set plants in two rows with 30 cm spacing; for a 1.67 m bed, cultivate 3 rows with 40 cm spacing, setting 45,000-60,000 plants per hectare. (5) Field management. Water: New Zealand spinach has a relatively hard fruit coat and emerges slowly, so attention should be paid to watering during spring drought. For seedling transplanting, because New Zealand spinach has weak root regeneration ability and recovers very slowly (it looks as if it has died), water should also be supplied in time to promote recovery. If sowing or transplanting is late, light is strong, and drought occurs, water should be supplied in time to prevent inducing viral disease. When the plants accelerate growth, keep the soil moist; when plants grow luxuriantly and branches are dense, be careful not to let it become too wet, and follow the principle of seeing dry and seeing wet, because excessive moisture easily causes rot; in summer, pay attention to drainage. Fertilizer: Under the condition of sufficient base fertilizer, field management mainly consists of topdressing chemical fertilizer. Apply less at the seedling stage, and during the vigorous growth period, topdress chemical fertilizer as appropriate. Pruning: New Zealand spinach is originally an extensively cultivated crop, but under artificial cultivation, because fertilizer and water conditions are good, it grows even more vigorously; because it grows vigorously, its prostrate vines are sparse and prostrate, and when dense they stand upright, quickly filling the field. If @#@136@#@ is slightly unsmooth, growth will become too dense, encroaching on the harvesting bed ridges, causing poor internal ventilation. Stepping on the stems and vines causes wounds, and poor ventilation leads to rot; therefore, consider cutting off the stems and vines that trail onto the bed ridges, or thinning the stems and vines between beds to improve ventilation and avoid trampling damage.

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