Planting Methods and Key Technical Points for Foxtail Grass

Foxtail grass, also known as green foxtail, is an annual herbaceous plant of the grass family (Poaceae) and the genus Setaria. Its roots are fibrous, and tall plants develop prop roots. The culms are erect or knee-bent at the base, 10-100 cm tall, with a basal diameter of up to 3-7 mm. The leaf sheaths are loose, hairless or sparsely covered with soft hairs or papillose hairs, with longer densely cottony cilia along the margins; it has the effects of dispelling wind and improving eyesight, and clearing heat and promoting diuresis. It grows in wild fields and along roadsides below 4000 m altitude, and is a common weed of dryland crops.

Cultivation Techniques

1. Land Preparation

Good soil preparation is required before sowing. First remove weeds with herbicide or by hand, prepare the soil finely, and apply 1000-1500 kg of organic fertilizer and 15-20 kg of phosphate fertilizer per mu as base fertilizer.

2. Planting Methods

(1) Sowing and raising seedlings: Generally propagated by seed, sown in mid-to-late June, either in rows or by broadcasting. For row sowing, the row spacing is 30-35 cm, the depth is 1-2 cm, and the seeding rate is 0.5 kg per mu. After sowing, cover the seed and press it down. During the seedling stage, pay attention to cultivating and weeding, and after each cutting, apply a suitable topdressing of nitrogen fertilizer, 8-10 kg of urea per mu, to promote regrowth.

(2) Division propagation: For division propagation, select plants that have grown for more than 2 years, dig them up with the roots, and plant the divisions at a row spacing of 40 cm x 40 cm and a planting depth of 8-10 cm, then water after planting to settle the roots. They resume growth 10 days after planting.

3. Field Management

(1) Irrigation and fertilization management: Applying a suitable topdressing of nitrogen fertilizer after each use or cutting will noticeably promote regrowth and improve forage quality; topdressing 5-7 days after cutting is safest.

(2) Field weed management: Because the seedlings grow slowly and are rather fragile, while weeds in the sown plot grow vigorously, timely cultivating and weeding should be carried out 1-2 times in the early stage.

(3) Pest and disease control: This grass has strong resistance to pests and diseases, and pests and diseases rarely occur.