Leek cultivation technology and key points

Leeks are a common vegetable that can be grown almost anywhere. It’s known as the “lazy man’s vegetable” because once planted, it doesn’t need to be reseeded every year. Although chives are easy to grow and manage, they can be planted directly or transplanted. Below we will learn about the leek cultivation techniques and key points.

1. Sowing time

Chives adapt to mild and humid environments, so sowing is usually done in spring and autumn. Spring sowing is usually carried out in March or April, when the temperature is stable above 15 degrees Celsius, and transplanting is carried out in June or July; autumn sowing is carried out in September or October. If the winter climate is mild, transplanting can be appropriately postponed to March or April of the following year.

2. Soil conditions

Chives have strong adaptability to soil. Since they can grow for many years after being sown once, the cultivation site should be well-drained and fertile sandy loam or loam to ensure high yield.

3. Sowing and raising seedlings

Chives are usually propagated by seeds, but can also be propagated by division. Although division propagation can achieve a certain yield in the current year or the next year, the plants are aged, have a short growth lifespan, and it is not easy to obtain a large number of propagated plants. Although seed propagation can be done by direct seeding, it is inconvenient to manage during the seedling stage and the risk of diseases and pests is high. Therefore, seedling transplanting is usually adopted to facilitate centralized management, cultivate strong seedlings, and select seedlings with higher purity and quality when planting. The nursery site should be well-drained, fertile sandy loam or loam to avoid continuous cropping with lily vegetables. Before sowing, the soil should be deeply plowed and dried, and well-rotted farmyard manure and compound fertilizer should be applied as base fertilizer. Then the soil should be leveled to make low or flat ridges with a width of about 1 to 1.2 meters.

4. Seedling management

During the seedling stage, the soil should be kept loose and moist to ensure uniform emergence of seedlings. When 70% of the seedlings have emerged, remove the mulch. Water at the right time to keep the soil moist, weed and thin out the seedlings in time to avoid overcrowding of the seedlings. Combine top dressing with watering. When the seedlings have 3 to 4 leaves, apply 8 kg of urea per 667 square meters, and apply top dressing again when they have 5 to 6 leaves. When the seedlings are more than 15 cm tall, they are ready for transplanting.

5. Planting

After 100 to 120 days of seedling stage, when the seedlings have 7 to 9 leaves and the plant height is 18 to 20 cm, they are transplanted. If sowing is done in autumn, the seedlings should be allowed to overwinter and transplanted around Qingming Festival next year. The cultivation site should be fertile sandy loam or loam. Before planting, the soil should be deeply plowed and dried, and well-rotted farmyard manure and compound fertilizer should be applied as base fertilizer. Planting density varies depending on the type of product desired. When planting, choose a rainy or cloudy afternoon to avoid high temperature and high humidity environments. Water thoroughly before transplanting, cut off the tips of the fibrous roots, leaving 2 to 3 cm, and cut off some leaves to reduce evaporation and maintain a balance between root absorption and leaf evaporation. The planting depth should be such that the leaf sheath is 2 to 3 cm above the ground. Water the plants immediately after planting to ensure that they can take root.

6. Field management

Water twice in a row for 3 days after planting, keeping the soil half dry and half wet. Waterlogging should be drained promptly during the rainy season. In the year of transplanting, fertilization is the main focus. Apply fertilizer lightly but frequently according to the growth, weather, and soil moisture conditions, combined with watering and topdressing. From late autumn to before severe cold, the leaves grow rapidly and the tillering ability is strong, so topdressing should be applied heavily. It can be harvested several times a year, and topdressing should be applied heavily after harvesting, mainly with decomposed farmyard manure, appropriately combined with chemical fertilizers . After each harvest, cultivate for a period of time to promote the recovery of leaf growth, accumulate nutrients in underground rhizomes, maintain plant growth potential, and prevent aging. During the cultivation process, old roots, old leaves and diseased leaves should be removed in time to reduce the occurrence of diseases and pests and facilitate ventilation and light transmission. If root jumping is discovered, soil and fertilizer should be added in time to delay aging. During the growth period, inter-row cultivation and weeding should be carried out to increase soil temperature and facilitate root growth and plant development. Intertillage and weeding should be done frequently and shallowly to avoid damaging the plant roots.

The above is an introduction to the cultivation techniques and key points of leek. Leek is actually a very easy to grow vegetable. Now many city dwellers use their own balconies to grow it and pick it whenever they want to eat it.