How to Grow Plantain? A Detailed Explanation of Planting Methods and Key Technical Points
Plantain is also called Plantago depressa. Many people think plantain and Plantago asiatica are the same plant, but they actually are not. The two differ not only in growing environment and morphology, but also in medicinal value. However, today the editor is not here to introduce their differences. Today's focus is on learning the cultivation techniques for plantain. Let's take a look at the content below.
1. Soil and Fertilizer Improvement
Plantain has extremely strong adaptability to the environment, so it does not have strict requirements for the choice of planting site, but it grows better in warm, moist, sunny, and fertile sandy soil. The soil pH is best slightly acidic, so that plantain grows more vigorously. After choosing the planting site, if the soil conditions are not standard, we can improve the soil structure by preparing the land and applying fertilizer. But under normal circumstances, we appropriately add quicklime to the soil to neutralize alkalinity, while applying enough organic decomposed fertilizer.
2. Sowing at the Right Time
Plantain can be planted in two seasons, namely from the end of March to mid-April in spring and at the end of October in autumn. In order to increase the germination rate of plantain seeds, before sowing we need to rub the seeds with fine sand to remove the oil on the outside of the seeds, then mix the seeds with carbendazim, and then use the drill sowing method to evenly scatter the seeds into shallow furrows. The distance between each row should be kept at 20 to 30 cm, then cover with soil to hide the seeds and water once. Of course, you can also scatter a layer of pesticide on the soil to control underground pests and increase the seedling emergence rate of the seeds.
3. Field Management
Plantain will emerge about ten days after sowing. During the seedling stage, we must keep the soil moist and must not let drought occur. Plantain grows relatively slowly, and weeds also have a relatively large impact on it, so we must frequently carry out intertillage and weeding, generally at least three or four times a year. When plantain grows to about 5 cm, carry out thinning and final planting, with the distance between each plant controlled at about 15 cm. In order to increase the yield of plantain and at the same time speed up its growth rate, we need to carry out scientific fertilization, generally in three to four applications. The first is mainly watering with manure and urine water; the second requires appropriately supplementing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, as well as boron and other trace elements; the third is supplemental fertilization according to the elemental fertilizers that plantain lacks. Finally, we also need to pay attention to field water management to avoid water accumulation in the field, which can cause root rot.
4. Pest and Disease Control
Plantain has quite a few diseases, such as powdery mildew, ear blight, brown spot, and southern blight. These are all very common diseases for it. Before the disease occurs, we can strengthen field management to play a preventive role, but after the disease occurs, we must suppress the spread of the disease in the early stage of onset, so carbendazim can be used for control, generally spraying once every five days, and about four consecutive sprays are enough.
The survival rate of plantain cultivation is actually very high, but it is still inevitably damaged by pests and diseases, affecting the yield and quality of plantain. This also means that doing a good job in field management is very necessary. That is all the content the editor wants to introduce to everyone today. If everyone is interested in plantain cultivation, you can follow us.