How do radish seeds germinate? Planting methods and sowing time

Radish is a biennial or annual herbaceous plant of the genus Raphanus in the Brassicaceae family. It is mainly divided into Chinese radish and four-season radish, and is cultivated in all regions. So how do its seeds germinate? How do you plant it? When do you plant it? It is understood that different types of radish have different sowing times. Autumn-winter radish type: the commonly cultivated type in China. Sown in late summer and early autumn, harvested in late autumn and early winter; winter-spring radish type: grown in areas south of the Yangtze River in China and in Sichuan Province and other regions where winters are not too cold. In northern Guangdong and western Guangdong, the most suitable winter sowing time is early November, in central Guangdong mid-November, in the Pearl River Delta late November, and in coastal areas it can be sown at the end of November, no later than late December; spring-summer radish type: commonly planted in China. Relatively cold-tolerant, with strong winter habit, and a relatively short growing period, generally 45-60 days, sown in February to March, harvested from April to early June. In the Huang-Huai-Hai region, sown in March to April, harvested from early May to June. In high-latitude and high-altitude areas such as Northeast China, Northwest China and northern North China, sown in April to May, harvested in June to July; summer-autumn radish type: more commonly cultivated south of the Yellow River basin in China, often grown as an off-season vegetable in summer and autumn. Sown in May-June, harvested in July-August.

How do radish seeds germinate?

Carrot seeds are different from ordinary vegetable seeds. Their surface is covered with a layer of bristles, so soaking the seeds in hydrogen peroxide solution gives better results.

1. Soaking time: Put the prepared 25% hydrogen peroxide solution into a container, pour in carrot seeds whose bristles have been rubbed off, stir with a wooden stick while pouring, and soak for 30-50 minutes.

2. Seed germination: After soaking, remove the seeds from the hydrogen peroxide solution, then rinse them with clean water 3-4 times, draining the water while rinsing. After draining, put them in a container and cover with a wet cloth to germinate. If the seeds are moderately mature and plump, generally 85% or more of the seeds will germinate in 7-8 days, and complete emergence can be achieved 5 days after sowing.

3. Precautions: First, before soaking the seeds, choose a sunny day to sun-dry the seeds.

Second, use a chlorothalonil solution to sterilize the seeds that have already been soaked and germinated. Third, seeds that have undergone soaking, germination and sterilization should be sown promptly, and the soil is required to be moist. Fourth, after sowing, cover with 0.5-1 cm of soil and press lightly, then use a cover to shade the sun. When 10%-15% of the seedlings emerge, remove the cover.

How do you plant radish seeds?

1. Land preparation and fertilization: Choose the cultivation plot according to different varieties. Generally, large varieties of radish with deep roots need relatively deep soil, while small and medium-sized varieties can use plots with shallower soil. The land for planting radish must be deeply plowed and turned multiple times early on, with clods broken up and raked level. The plowing depth should be more than 26—40 cm. For bed formation, use deep furrows and high beds to facilitate drainage.

While preparing the land, apply base fertilizer containing Jinbaobei microbial fertilizer. Radish fertilization should be mainly base fertilizer, with topdressing as a supplement. Base fertilizer should be mainly organic fertilizer. Apply 3000-4000 kg of decomposed barnyard manure per mu, or use 150 kg of rapeseed cake plus 25 kg of compound fertilizer per mu, crushed and mixed, then applied in strips in the center of the bed.

2. Sowing: Use dibbling for large varieties, drilling for medium varieties, and broadcasting for small varieties. For dibbling, the hole spacing is 15-30 cm square, sow 5-10 seeds per hole, with a sowing rate of 250-500 g per mu; for drilling, the sowing rate is 500-750 g per mu; for broadcasting, the sowing rate is about 1000-1500 g per mu. After sowing, cover the seeds with decomposed residue fertilizer thoroughly mixed with garden soil at 1:1. If the soil is dry, irrigate promptly to facilitate emergence. Check for seedlings and replant 4-5 d after sowing to ensure a full stand.

3. Thinning (that is, removing inferior, mixed and weak seedlings): Thinning is carried out 2-3 times to gradually expand the nutritional area of the seedlings, and finally thin to the required spacing according to the row and plant spacing of different varieties.

4. Cultivation and weeding: During the seedling stage, cultivation should not be too deep. During the peak growth period of the fleshy root, loosen the soil as little as possible, and strictly avoid damaging the root crown and true root, which can cause branched roots, cracked roots and rot. For autumn-winter radish, cultivate and weed in a timely manner so that the soil remains soft, clean and weed-free, preventing soil compaction.

5. Irrigation: For autumn-winter radish, the temperature is high before and after emergence, so water lightly and frequently, watering lightly once every evening. Before final thinning, control irrigation to promote straight root elongation.