How to plant chives

Chives and leek greens are two popular tender vegetables . Although leek greens are usually more expensive than leeks and the economic benefits of growing leek greens are relatively high, leek greens are actually transformed from leeks through special cultivation. Chinese chives are also known as leek yellow, yellow leek, white leek, and yellow leek sprouts. Let’s learn how to grow leek together.

1. Sowing time

Regarding the planting time of spring leek and autumn leek, it is generally more suitable to plant them in spring from mid-March to mid-April, while it is generally more suitable to plant them in autumn from mid-August to the end of September. The time to plant leek greens mainly depends on the local temperature conditions, because the most suitable temperature for leek seeds to germinate is 15-18 degrees, and the most suitable temperature for the growth of leek stems and leaves is 16-24 degrees, and the temperature difference between day and night is about 10 degrees.

2. Transplanting and planting time

For sowing and seedling raising of leek, when the leek seeds we sow germinate and grow 4-5 leaves (3-4 leaves and 1 heart) and the seedling height reaches about 16-18 cm, it is time to transplant and plant the seedlings.

3. Sowing method

There are many ways to sow leek seeds, such as direct seeding and row sowing. On the basis of preparing the land, making ridges and applying sufficient base fertilizer in advance, open sowing furrows on the planting beds in advance and water them thoroughly. After all the moisture on the ground has penetrated into the ground after watering, sow the seeds into the "concave" furrows by rows and along the furrows. After sowing the seeds, cover them with a layer of fine sand about 1.5 cm thick, and finally cover them with plastic film (or cover them with straw) to keep warm and moisturize to promote rapid germination and emergence of the seeds. The plastic film or straw covering the seeds should be removed in time after the seeds emerge.

Generally speaking, the amount of leek seeds sown per acre is about 2 kilograms.

4. Transplanting and planting methods

When the chive seedlings grow to 4-5 leaves or the plant height is 16-18, it is time to transplant them (the soil temperature must be above 12 degrees). Water in advance to protect the roots and dig up the seedlings. Cut the leaves that are too long into 1/3 and cut off the fibrous roots at the end of the roots. Then plant them in holes with a spacing of about 15-20 cm. Plant 3-5 seedlings in each hole.

When planting leek seedlings, the depth of soil covering and planting is generally about 10 centimeters. The specific planting depth should be based on the standard of "no leaves buried on the top, and leek roots exposed at the bottom" (based on the junction of leaves and leaf sheaths). After planting the leek seedlings, water them thoroughly once (hoveling after 2-3 days to break up the compacted topsoil layer), then keep the temperature at 25-28 degrees during the day and 18-20 degrees at night. When the seedlings are acclimatized and begin to grow stems and leaves, lower the temperature to about 18-22 degrees.

5. Water and fertilizer management

After completing the transplanting and planting of the leek seedlings, wait until the seedlings begin to sprout new buds and leaves, then you can water them in time to help the seedlings grow (if the seedlings are weak, you can apply some urea or other nitrogen fertilizers to promote their growth). After that, it is recommended to water according to the principle of "watering when the ground is dry and watering when wet", keeping the underground soil moist but not wet.

When watering leek, you can combine it with topdressing and water frequently with small amounts of water every 10-15 days, but be sure not to water too much. Once watering causes water accumulation in the field, it will easily cause the leek to fall over, rot, and die.

After the leek is planted and before it is harvested, it is generally necessary to apply top dressing once when the plant height is 25 cm and again when the plant height is 35-40 cm. This will promote the rapid and strong growth of the leek, make the leek stems thicker, and the leaves thicker and tenderer. The type of top dressing is mainly urea, and the amount of top dressing per mu should be controlled at 10-12 kg (can also be combined with 4-6 kg of potassium sulfate). If necessary, dihydrogen phosphate can be combined with chelated calcium potassium for spraying 2-3 times.

6. Cutting green light shielding and softening treatment

When planting leek greens, cutting means cutting off the green leaves that grow out of the leek greens in the early stage, shading means keeping the new leek leaves in a dark environment and turning them yellow-white, and softening means that the leek stems become soft. The so-called green cutting of leek means cutting off all the green leek leaves above the sprouting new leaves of the leek seedlings, and then transforming the newly grown leaves of the leek seedlings into yellow-white or light yellow leek leaves by adding soil or covering with black mulch. The green cutting of leek is usually done 10-15 days after the first soil cultivation or before covering with black film in the greenhouse. Generally, the second soiling or black film covering can be carried out 2-3 days after the leek is cut.

(1) Continuous soil softening

Chives generally need to be continuously cultivated for about 3-4 times (cultivated until about one month before harvest). Before the first cultivation, top dressing and watering are required. Generally speaking, the first soiling is carried out when the seedlings are 40-50 cm tall, and the second soiling is carried out 10-15 days after the first soiling (before the second soiling, cut off the green leaves on the garlic greens on the basis of retaining a 4-5 cm stubble on the ground, and wait until the wound heals before soiling). The thickness of each soiling should be controlled at about 20 cm, and the height of each soiling should not exceed the core leaves or stubble of the seedlings. It is recommended that the height of each soiling be controlled at 1-2 cm below the bifurcation of the seedlings. If the soiling is too deep, it will seriously reduce the yield of garlic greens in the later stage or cause the garlic greens to rot on a large scale due to lack of air permeability under the soil. Generally, leeks can be harvested normally after being continuously cultivated for one month.

(2) Softening of the black film of the arch shed

Clean up all kinds of dead leaves, weeds, etc. in the leek planting area in advance, then cut off the green leaves on the ground with a 4-5 cm stubble left on the reserved ground, water it once in time, and build a small black arch shed with black plastic film 2-3 days after watering. Use black plastic film to cover tightly and leave only the leek rhizomes at the stubble (let the leek grow in a dark environment, and pay attention to leaving a ventilation and moisture dissipation hole at each end, otherwise it will easily cause the leek to be airtight and rot). After that, after each leek harvest, remove the black film, water, fertilize and loosen the soil in time to promote growth. Wait until the leek plant grows to about 25-30 cm in height, then cover it with black plastic film in time to promote softening, and repeat this cycle.

(3) Softening of covering straw mats

After the leek seedlings are mowed on the ground, wait until the new leaves grow to 12-15 cm high, then cover the leek ridges with straw mats woven from rice straw. When covering the straw mats, be sure to ensure that the area underneath the straw mats is completely lightproof and in a dark environment. After covering the straw mats, spray the straw mats with clean water in time (moist but not dripping) to prevent excessive humidity under the straw mats from causing disease or rot in the leek.

Note: During the shading and softening process of the leek, it should be kept in a dark environment without sunlight for a long time, but it should not be kept in an environment without light and wind for a long time, otherwise the leek will not only fail to grow well, but also easily rot and deteriorate. Generally speaking, for the leek that has been softened by covering and shading, it should not be exposed to light for the first 2-3 days. However, after 3-5 days, it is generally necessary to lift the cover in the morning and evening to let it breathe and see scattered light for 1-2 hours. One is to allow it to absorb some scattered light for better growth, and the other is to let it breathe to avoid suffocation due to excessive humidity.

7. Reasonable harvesting

20-40 days after the leek greens have been cut and shaded to soften (early in summer and autumn, late in winter and spring), they can be harvested. Generally, leek greens can be harvested continuously, 3-4 times a year is enough. If leek greens are harvested too frequently and excessively, it will easily cause the root system to weaken and the stems and leaves to grow weakly, which is not conducive to subsequent high yields and good harvests.

When harvesting leek greens, you generally need to wait until the leek greens grow to about 40-60 cm and the top of the seedlings begins to wilt; the best temperature conditions for harvesting leek greens are around 18-25 degrees. You should choose a sunny day to lift the covering or dig out the roots of the leek greens, and then cut them flatly at a position about 1-2 cm above the ground at the roots of the leek greens.

After each harvest of leek, let it cool in the wind for 2-3 days until the wound heals. It is necessary to apply fertilizer and water in time (10-12 kg of urea per mu) and cover it with fine sand to promote the leek to regrow stems and leaves faster after harvest. For the relatively fresh and tender leeks that have just been harvested, it is recommended that you first clean up the rotten stems and leaves, then tie them into bundles and store them in the cellar for freshness.

The above is an introduction to the planting methods of leek greens. In fact, leek greens are a kind of vegetable that needs special treatment. If you want to plant it, you can first master the planting techniques.