Detailed Explanation of New Zealand Spinach Cultivation Techniques and Management Points

(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-stage yield. New Zealand spinach can be direct-sown or raised as seedlings and transplanted. If New Zealand spinach seeds are insufficient, it is best to raise seedlings and transplant. Direct sowing requires 4-5 jin of seeds. For raising seedlings, plug trays or nutrition pots should be used to reduce root damage, requiring 1.5 kg of seeds. Raising seedlings can save seeds and also allow earlier sowing. Although New Zealand spinach is slow to recover after transplanting, its 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 10,000 jin of organic fertilizer per mu. When making beds, the characteristics of the soil and the fact that New Zealand spinach likes 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 that both irrigation and drainage can be better handled.

(3) Sowing and transplanting periods: Open-field direct sowing can be done at any time from April to May, but earlier sowing can bring greater benefits. Seedling raising can be done in mid-March, and transplanting in mid-to-late April.

(4) Cultivation density: For a 4-chi bed, set seedlings in two rows with a plant spacing of 30 cm; for a 5-chi bed, cultivate in 3 rows with a plant spacing of 40 cm; set 3,000-4,000 seedlings per mu.

(5) Field management:

1) Water: New Zealand spinach has a relatively hard seed coat and emerges slowly, so pay attention to watering during spring drought. When raising seedlings and transplanting, because New Zealand spinach has weak root regeneration ability and is very slow to recover (it looks as if it has died), water should also be replenished in time to promote recovery. If sowing or transplanting is late, light is strong, and drought occurs, water in time to prevent viral disease. To accelerate plant growth, keep the soil moist. When plants grow luxuriantly and branches and leaves are dense, be careful not to make conditions too wet; it should be dry at times and wet at times. Excessive moisture easily causes rot, and in summer pay attention to preventing waterlogging.

2) Fertilizer: Under the condition of sufficient base fertilizer, field management mainly involves topdressing chemical fertilizer. Apply less at the seedling stage, and during vigorous growth, topdress chemical fertilizer as appropriate.

3) Pruning: New Zealand spinach is originally a rough cultivation crop, but under artificial cultivation, because fertilizer and water conditions are good, it grows even more vigorously. However, because it grows vigorously, creeping vines are sparse and creeping, or dense and upright, and quickly fill the field. If harvesting is not timely, growth becomes too dense, invading the harvesting bed ridges and causing poor internal ventilation. Stepping on stems and vines causes wounds, and poor ventilation causes rot. Therefore, consideration may be given to cutting off stems and vines creeping onto the bed ridges, or thinning stems and vines between beds, to facilitate ventilation and avoid trampling damage.

(6) Harvesting: After the plants recover, they enter vigorous growth. When the plant height is 20 cm, the tender tips can be harvested, and side branches will grow out in 10-15 days. In open-field cultivation, the old leaves of New Zealand spinach are especially rough and do not have a smooth, tender feel, so special attention should be paid during harvesting. In protected cultivation, because light is weaker, the quality is more tender, and tender stem tips can be harvested somewhat longer. Because New Zealand spinach leaves are very thick, grow quickly, and have a long harvest period, New Zealand spinach is a high-yielding vegetable. Open-field cultivation can be harvested for 5 months, with a yield of 3,000-5,000 kg.