Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods for Nymphoides peltata
Nymphoides peltata generally grows in relatively shallow water and is a wild vegetable widely distributed in China. Wild Nymphoides peltata generally grows beside small streams, along rivers, in ponds, on shallow shoals, in rice paddies and other such areas. With the improvement of people's living standards, Nymphoides peltata, once worth little, has become very popular. But wild resources are limited after all, so do you know how to cultivate Nymphoides peltata? Let's learn about it together below.
1. Selection and Preparation of the Planting Site
To grow Nymphoides peltata, the planting site must be chosen well; if the planting site is chosen improperly, Nymphoides peltata will be very difficult to cultivate successfully. It has relatively high requirements for the growing environment: it needs abundant water resources, soil rich in humus, mud that is neutral or slightly acidic, and a deep soil layer with relatively strong aeration. After choosing the planting site, turn the land over, then carry out appropriate disinfection and soil improvement, add farmyard manure to the soil to increase soil fertility, and then first add about 3 cm of shallow water to soak the field.
2. Propagation Methods
The propagation methods of Nymphoides peltata are divided into sexual propagation and asexual propagation. Sexual propagation refers to seed propagation, while asexual propagation refers to division propagation and cutting propagation. For seed propagation, germination is generally promoted in March, and sowing is carried out in early April when the temperature rises back to around 15°C. When sowing, the seeds should be evenly scattered in the field, and then the seeds can be gently patted into the soil. Division propagation is generally carried out in March each year; plants that have grown too densely are divided to form separate plants for planting. Cutting propagation only needs to be carried out when climatic conditions are relatively good; select the stems and leaves of Nymphoides peltata, keep 3 to 4 nodes, and then insert them into the field.
3. Fertilizer and Water Management
After the Nymphoides peltata seedlings emerge and survive, we need to appropriately deepen the water level according to their growth conditions. The growth of Nymphoides peltata requires sufficient water, so there must not be a water shortage. In the early stage of Nymphoides peltata growth, keeping the water level of the planting site at around 5 cm is sufficient; later, the deepest water level should preferably not exceed 30 cm, because too high a water level will also affect the growth of Nymphoides peltata. During the normal growth process of Nymphoides peltata, we generally apply topdressing after each harvest of Nymphoides peltata, or apply topdressing when the leaves of Nymphoides peltata turn yellow. This is mainly based on nitrogen fertilizer, and it must be combined with the use of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Sometimes it is sufficient to directly add manure and urine water or compound fertilizer.
4. Weed Removal
Because Nymphoides peltata is also a kind of wild grass, many weeds usually grow around it, so in order to avoid nutrients being absorbed by other weeds, we must remove the weeds in a timely manner. We can use regular paddy-upland rotation to reduce weeds, and also improve the quality of Nymphoides peltata to achieve the effect of suppressing weeds with the seedlings and reducing weeds. Finally, we can also use chemical agents for weed control or manually pull the weeds.
Cultivating Nymphoides peltata is relatively simple; as long as the growing environment meets the standards, the yield from an extensive cultivation model is also very considerable. When planting, there is one more point: be prepared to prevent aphids, otherwise the impact on the quality of Nymphoides peltata will be relatively great.