High-yield growing tips for cherry radishes: fertilization is key

Cherry radishes look very cute and taste very good, and they are loved by the public. Cherry radishes can be eaten raw, stir-fried, or made into pickled foods. So what high-yield growing tips are there for cherry radishes? Master the fertilization method!

1. Cherry radish growing tips

1. Soil

The fleshy root of cherry radish is relatively small, so its growing period is short, and it does not have high requirements for soil layer thickness. It is only necessary to ensure a soil layer of about 20 cm, but it is best to choose sandy loam, as it is loose and has good watering and drainage. Try not to have debris such as gravel and broken tiles in the soil, so as to avoid damaging the fleshy root. Before planting, plow the soil and expose it to the sun, then break it up fine and level it. There is no need to apply too much base fertilizer; generally, 1000-2000 kg per mu is sufficient. Fertilization should be uniform. If the fertilizer is uneven, it is easy to cause damage from excessive fertilizer in local spots, resulting in uneven sizes of the harvested crop products.

2. Pay attention to watering

During the cherry radish seedling stage, water demand is low; it is only necessary to ensure the water requirement for seed germination and maintain soil moisture, so water less, which helps inhibit excessive aboveground growth. It takes about 15 days from emergence to the formation of the fleshy root. During this period, keep the soil moist and water evenly. The suitable moisture content is 70%-80%. When water is insufficient, the fibrous roots of the fleshy root increase, leading to rough skin, strong spiciness, pithiness, and other conditions, which is detrimental to quality.

3. Pay attention to pest and disease control

The main diseases of cherry radish include damping-off and black spot, and the main pests include aphids and cabbage caterpillars. Disease control should start from the source. When harvesting in autumn and winter, select disease-free seed plants to reduce the virus source for the next year, and also reduce seed-borne virus. Arrange crop rotations reasonably, avoid continuous cropping or adjacent cropping, and reduce sources of virus transmission. Seedlings are weak during the seedling stage, when they are highly susceptible to virus invasion, so spray pesticides in time to prevent and control this, and avoid aphid transmission. In autumn and winter cultivation, sow at the appropriate time so that seedlings avoid the high-temperature and dry season, and sow in the cool season, which can reduce the incidence of disease.

2. High-yield fertilization tips

1. Land preparation and fertilization

Before planting, deep plowing is required, and the soil should be exposed to the sun to use sunlight to kill residual pathogens and insect eggs in the soil, then level it finely and apply fertilizer evenly. At this time, fertilizer should mainly be base fertilizer. Generally, apply 2000 kg per mu of decomposed chicken manure or high-quality barnyard manure. When applying fertilizer, deeply plow, rake fine, level, and make beds, so that direct sowing can be done. Base fertilizer can continuously provide nutrients for the growth and development of cherry radish and has an excellent promoting effect on its growth. Insufficient base fertilizer may affect the normal growth of cherry radish.

2. Seed fertilizer

Excellent varieties with good marketability and strong stress resistance should be selected according to local actual conditions, such as Germany's Early Red and Yangzhou water radish. When sufficient base fertilizer has been applied, apply 5-7 kg of calcium superphosphate per mu as seed fertilizer at sowing, which can promote rapid seed germination and promote uniform and strong seedlings. Before sowing, water enough to wet the bottom soil; after sowing, cover with about 2 cm of soil to increase soil temperature and prevent soil crusting, which is not conducive to seed germination and emergence.

3. Skillful application of topdressing

After the seedlings emerge, thinning can be carried out when the cotyledons unfold, removing weak and diseased seedlings. When 3-4 true leaves grow, final thinning should be done in time, along with intertillage and soil loosening. Water frequently to keep the soil moist. When soil fertilizer and water are insufficient, a small amount of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer can be applied with irrigation, applying urea or diammonium phosphate at 5-10 kg per mu. About 20-30 days after emergence, when the fleshy root diameter of cherry radish reaches 2 cm, harvest and bring to market in succession in time. If harvesting is too late, fiber increases, and the roots are very prone to cracking and pithiness, affecting quality.