How to grow water chestnuts to achieve high yields?

Ginger, also known as wild ginger and wild ginger, is a perennial herb that combines ornamental, edible and medicinal value and has good planting prospects. So how can we grow water lily to achieve high yield? Let’s learn more about it below.

1. Site selection and land preparation

The water chestnut has a wide adaptability to soil, but deep, fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam or humus soil is most suitable. After selecting a good site, plow the soil 30-40 cm deep and apply an appropriate amount of base fertilizer to improve soil structure and increase soil fertility.

2. Planting time

The planting time of water chestnut is usually in spring or autumn. Spring sowing is generally between March and April, and autumn sowing is between September and October.

3. Reproduction method

There are two main ways of propagation of water chestnuts: seed propagation and underground stem propagation. However, due to the low germination rate and long seedling period of seed propagation, it is generally not recommended. The method of underground stem propagation is: cut the rhizome of Yanghe into multiple pieces, each piece must have at least 2 to 3 young shoots as seed blocks. Dig a 10 cm deep trench in the ground, apply base fertilizer lightly at the bottom of the trench, and then water the soil. One hour after watering, the seed blocks can be arranged in the ditch, one block every 60 cm. After arrangement, cover the seed blocks with wet soil.

4. Field management

(1) Intertillage and weeding: Regular intertillage and weeding are required during the growth period to loosen the soil, reduce nutrient consumption, and promote root development. The tillage depth should not be too deep to avoid damaging the root system.

(2) Fertilizer and water management: Water chestnuts like fertilizer but cannot tolerate concentrated fertilizer. Top dressing should be done in time according to their growth conditions. Nitrogen fertilizer is mainly used in the seedling stage to promote leaf growth; phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are added in the middle and late stages to promote the expansion of underground rhizomes . At the same time, keep the soil moist but avoid waterlogging, and pay attention to drainage and waterlogging prevention during the rainy season.

(3) Pest and disease control: The disease resistance of water chestnut is relatively strong and it is susceptible to relatively few pests and diseases, but it is still necessary to pay attention to the prevention and control of diseases such as leaf spot and root rot. When diseased plants are found, they should be removed and destroyed in time, and fungicides such as carbendazim should be sprayed for prevention and control.

5. Harvesting and processing

Generally, the lotus planted in the same year can be harvested in the summer to autumn of the following year. When harvesting, you should choose a sunny day, pull them out gently with your hands or dig them out with a small shovel to avoid damaging the rhizomes. After harvesting, the water chestnuts can be eaten directly or processed, such as pickled, dried, or made into pickles.

In general, to achieve high-yield cultivation of water chestnuts, comprehensive management is needed from site selection, sowing, management, harvesting and other aspects. At the same time, paying attention to some details can effectively improve the yield and quality of water chestnuts. ‌