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Frequently Asked Questions About Fertilizing and Weeding Cotton Under Plastic Mulch

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Recently, Ding Libang, a 75-year-old farmer from Shuqiao Village, Wuluo Town, Yunmeng County, Hubei Province, called me to ask whether he could switch from raising seedlings in nutrient pots and transplanting them to cultivation under plastic mulch this year. Here is my answer. Q: Can chicken manure be used as a base fertilizer for cotton under plastic mulch? A: When using chicken manure as a base fertilizer, several points must be noted: first, the chicken manure must be fully decomposed; second, it must be applied early, before the mulch is laid; third, the application rate must not be less than 1500 kg per mu; fourth, because chicken manure contains a certain amount of weed seeds, attention must be paid

Recently, Ding Libang, a 75-year-old farmer from Shuqiao Village, Wuluo Town, Yunmeng County, Hubei Province, called me to ask whether he could switch from raising seedlings in nutrient pots and transplanting them to cultivation under plastic mulch this year. Here is my answer.

Q: Can chicken manure be used as a base fertilizer for cotton under plastic mulch?

A: When using chicken manure as a base fertilizer, several points must be noted: first, the chicken manure must be fully decomposed; second, it must be applied early, before the mulch is laid; third, the application rate must not be less than 1500 kg per mu; fourth, because chicken manure contains a certain amount of weed seeds, attention must be paid to weed control.

Q: After applying chicken manure, is it still necessary to apply other fertilizers?

A: After applying chicken manure, it is very necessary to also apply inorganic chemical fertilizers. Generally, 30 kg per mu of high-content compound fertilizer or 50-60 kg of compound fertilizer with a content of about 25% should be applied, along with 10-15 kg of potassium fertilizer. Only in this way can organic fertilizer be combined with inorganic fertilizer, and slow-release fertilizer with quick-release fertilizer.

Q: When is the best time to apply herbicide?

A: The application time is generally before cotton sowing or after cotton sowing but before the plastic mulch is laid. However, it should be noted that the soil moisture in the cotton field must be sufficient; only when the soil moisture is sufficient can the herbicide fully penetrate into the soil tillage layer and improve the weeding effect.

Q: Which herbicides should be applied?

A: Lasso and Dual are selective pre-emergence amide herbicides that can be applied before cotton sowing. Fenoxaprop-P-ethyl, Haloxyfop, and similar products are post-emergence systemic translaminar stem-and-leaf treatment agents that can be used after cotton or weeds emerge.

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