When to plant Chinese artichoke? Detailed explanation of planting time and methods
Chinese artichoke, also known as "fugui cai", "pagoda cauliflower" and "di can", is a variety of cauliflower. It has a crisp, tender texture and is rich in nutrients, containing many vitamins, and is one of the world-famous "eight treasure" vegetables. Many people want to grow it, but they do not know when to plant it or how to grow it. Below, the editor brings you the planting time and methods for Chinese artichoke.
1. Planting time
Chinese artichoke has strong cold resistance, and pests and diseases are few with watering. Generally, it is sown in spring and harvested in autumn. You can choose to sow it in late April, when the temperature is suitable for its growth, and it will generally sprout after one month. In summer, when the temperature is higher, the stems and leaves of Chinese artichoke grow very quickly, while in autumn the stems and leaves grow slowly and the underground tubers begin to swell. In winter, the aboveground stems and leaves begin to turn bitter, and the tubers have finished developing. This is the time for harvesting and selling. If it is not sown in spring, Chinese artichoke will miss the best time for stem and leaf growth in summer, the tubers will not swell in time in autumn, and the benefit of harvesting and selling in winter will be extremely low.
2. Sowing
Chinese artichoke is sown in spring and harvested in autumn, and once planted it can be harvested for many years. When planting, first prepare the soil finely, and apply fully decomposed farmyard manure or organic matter per mu as base fertilizer. In addition, some nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer should be properly added, generally about 40-50 kg each. Then plow deeply, mix the fertilizer and soil evenly, and then make ridges and open beds. Generally, sow before Grain Rain, control the row spacing at about 25-30 cm when sowing, and the plant spacing at about 10-15 cm, using about 30 kg of seed per mu.
3. Field management
After sowing, it should not be watered, so as not to cause soil compaction and affect normal emergence. It generally emerges within one week after sowing. When watering during the seedling stage, apply a small amount of nitrogen fertilizer to promote seedling growth. At the same time, do a good job of intertillage and weeding. Intertillage should be shallow to avoid damaging the roots; weeding should be frequent to prevent weeds from competing with seedlings for water and fertilizer, which is unfavorable to seedling growth. When the seedlings grow to about 10 cm, they will bloom with purplish-red flowers, and the flowering period is long, lasting until autumn, and at the same time they begin to branch and form roots. When they grow to about 30 cm, underground tubers will form, and swollen spiral-shaped tubers will form at the tips of the fibrous roots.
4. Harvesting and seed saving
In winter, when the temperature is low and cold, the aboveground stems and leaves gradually wither, and then the tubers can be dug. After digging, dig a pit 30 cm deep, place the tubers inside for storage, and cover the pit with sandy soil. You can also leave some tubers in the ground and dig them out before germination the following year, to use as seed or for eating; the taste is likewise fresh, tender, crisp and delicious.
The above is an introduction to the planting time and methods for Chinese artichoke. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.