Key points of carrot cultivation technology

Carrots are a favorite food of many of our friends. They are rich in nutritional value. Choosing the right planting time and mastering comprehensive planting techniques are crucial to the growth cycle and final yield of carrots. Let’s learn the key points of carrot cultivation technology.

1. Improve the germination rate

Because carrot seeds are small and have burrs, germination and emergence may be affected. Before sowing, you can remove burrs by hand-rubbing the seeds, or choose treated seeds to promote germination.

2. Fine Land Preparation

Choose deep, loose and fertile soil for planting carrots. Before planting, deep plowing and fine tillage are carried out to ensure that there are no large lumps of soil. At the same time, sufficient high-quality organic fertilizer and triple compound fertilizer are applied as base fertilizer to lay the foundation for high carrot yields.

3. Choose good varieties

Choose carrot varieties that are suitable for local climatic conditions, have strong disease resistance, high yield and good taste, such as Super Five-Inch Ginseng, Red Ginseng, Kuroda Five-Inch, etc.

4. Sowing

Choose the appropriate sowing time according to the climatic conditions in different regions. The Northeast and Northwest regions are from late June to early July, other areas in the North are from mid-July to early August, and the South is from mid to late August. Before sowing, decide whether to water based on soil moisture. The sowing method can be row sowing or spot sowing, covering the soil with 0.5-1 cm thickness and tapping the soil surface to ensure that the seeds are tightly combined with the soil. To prevent the soil from becoming compacted and drying out, cover the fields with straw mats or weeds after sowing and water the covering.

5. Management after germination

After germination, start thinning out the carrots when they have two true leaves, and complete it in three steps until the seedlings are established. When watering the seedlings, the principle of "don't water unless the soil is dry" should be followed to avoid excessive watering. In the early stages of carrot growth, water less to encourage the roots to penetrate deeper into the soil. When the fleshy roots begin to develop, control the water supply appropriately to promote the elongation of the fleshy roots. During the period of fleshy root expansion, pay attention to even watering to avoid drastic changes in soil moisture to prevent the fleshy roots from cracking.

6. Field Management

1. Thinning and finalizing seedlings

The first thinning is done when the seedlings have 1 to 2 true leaves. The second thinning is when the seedlings have grown 3 to 4 true leaves, mainly to remove the weaker seedlings. When thinning out seedlings, combine tillage and weeding to improve soil structure and reduce competition for nutrients by weeds.

2. Moderately dense planting

Maintain appropriate row and plant spacing to avoid competition between plants. The row spacing should be controlled at 15 to 20 cm and the plant spacing at 3 to 5 cm.

3. Regular weeding

Weed regularly to reduce weeds' competition for carrot nutrients and water and keep the soil clean.

4. Water and fertilizer management

Apply appropriate amount of organic fertilizer or phosphorus and potassium fertilizer before planting to promote root and plant development. Use furrow irrigation to keep the bed surface moist, and ensure sufficient water during the germination period. Reduce watering moderately during the seedling stage to avoid obstruction of root respiration. Strengthen water supplementation during the growing period and irrigate in time according to soil moisture. During the growth period of fleshy roots, reduce watering appropriately and keep the soil moderately dry. Pay attention to drainage during the rainy season to avoid waterlogging. From seedling emergence to harvest, apply top dressing 2 to 3 times using well-rotted farmyard manure or urea, and combine it with watering to improve fertilizer efficiency.

7. Pest and disease control

Reasonable crop rotation: avoid continuous cropping and reduce the accumulation of diseases and pests in the soil. Rotate carrots with crops that have different pest and disease cycles to reduce the risk of pest and disease.

Regular inspections: Regularly inspect the fields to detect signs of pests and diseases at an early stage and take preventive measures in a timely manner.

Biological control: Using natural enemies and beneficial insects to control pest populations, such as introducing predatory insects or using insect traps.

Reasonable use of chemical control: When pests and diseases seriously affect the yield, use pesticides reasonably according to the instructions of the product.

Disease control:

Black rot: It is easily induced by hot and rainy weather. When diseased plants are found, they should be dug out in time, sprinkled with quicklime to disinfect them, and sprayed with phytocomycin or agricultural streptomycin for prevention and control.

Black spot disease: In the early stage of the disease, spray with carbendazim, thiophanate-methyl or thiophanate-methyl for 2-3 times.

Powdery mildew: In the early stage of the disease, spray with thiophanate-methyl, prochloraz or chlorpyrifos for 2-3 times in a row, and stop using the medicine 15 days before harvest.

Pest Control:

Yellow striped flea beetle: Use chlorpyrifos or phoxim to irrigate the roots during the larval stage, and spray with dimethoate or malathion during the adult stage, spray 2-3 times in a row.

Root-knot nematodes: Apply avermectin or fluopyram by hole application or root irrigation, or use biological agents such as Paecilomyces lilacinus and Bacillus subtilis for soil or root treatment.

8. Timely harvesting and storage

The harvest time is determined according to the variety and planting time. Generally, it is harvested when the root diameter is moderate and the color is full. After harvesting, store in an environment with moderate humidity, good ventilation and low temperature, avoid mixing with odorous foods to extend the shelf life.

The above is an introduction to the key points of carrot cultivation technology. As long as everyone does a good job from seed selection to every subsequent link, including disease and pest control, we can achieve high yield and high quality carrot production.