When to plant spinach in spring?

Spinach has a long history of cultivation and is known as the "nutritional model student" for its tenderness, juiciness and rich nutritional value. Spinach is a common guest on the dining table. How to ensure that the spinach seedlings are complete and strong, and cultivate spinach with thick leaves. Let’s learn together when to plant spinach in spring?

When to plant spinach in spring?

Spinach is a cold-resistant vegetable. Its seeds can begin to germinate at temperatures above 4°C. The most suitable temperature for growth is 15-22°C. Its growth will be hindered if the temperature exceeds 25°C. Spinach also has certain requirements for light. It is easy to sprout under high temperature and long day conditions, affecting the quality.

Spinach is best grown in the cooler spring or fall. Seed germination does not require high temperature, as long as the daily average temperature is stable above 5℃, it can be sown. During the Jingzhe season, the average daily temperature in most parts of China is stable at above 5℃, above 8℃ in the Jiangnan region, and above 10℃ in the southwest and south China. Therefore, March is the suitable sowing period for spring spinach, while mid-August to mid-September is the suitable sowing period for autumn spinach.

Spinach is not heat-resistant and is afraid of high temperature and strong light. If you want to sow spinach in the summer (May to July), you can use a shade net to provide shade to prevent the spinach from sprouting and flowering. When planting spinach in the summer, you can also intercrop it with tall crops (such as sunflowers and corn), using the stems and leaves of the tall crops to provide shade and cool down, protecting the spinach from damage by high temperatures.

How to ensure that the spinach seedlings are uniform, complete and strong?

The shell of spinach seeds is hard, not easy to absorb water, and difficult to germinate. Therefore, germination treatment is required before sowing to ensure that the seedlings emerge quickly and evenly after sowing.

1. Germination method

Soak the seeds in clean water for 12 hours a week in advance, then refrigerate them in the refrigerator for 24 hours (refrigeration can break the thermal dormancy mechanism of spinach seeds and promote germination), then germinate them at about 18°C. After 3 to 4 days, when 60% of the seeds turn white, they can be sown.

When the temperature exceeds 25℃, the germination rate of spinach seeds will drop significantly, so germination must be carried out when planting spinach in summer. When spinach is sown in spring, after germination treatment, the germination speed is faster and the germination rate is higher.

Choose fertile, well-drained soil for growing spinach. Before sowing, apply 3,000 kg of fully decomposed farmyard manure and 30 kg of triple compound fertilizer per mu. After the soil is raked flat, make 1.5-meter-wide ridges to facilitate later management.

2. Sowing techniques

"Sow spinach densely and cover shallowly with soil." Spinach is usually planted by broadcasting, with a sowing rate of about 5 grams per square meter (appropriately dense sowing helps maintain soil moisture and makes the spinach leaves thicker). Water the soil thoroughly before sowing, cover the soil with a thickness of 1 cm after sowing, and then sprinkle a layer of wood ash on the soil surface.

The vegetable is not acid-tolerant and prefers slightly alkaline soil (pH 7.3-8.2). Wood ash is alkaline and can increase the alkalinity of the soil, which is beneficial to the growth of spinach; at the same time, wood ash can increase soil temperature, loosen the soil, promote rooting, and is beneficial to the cultivation of strong seedlings.

Spinach field management methods

1. Moisture management

Spinach likes moist soil. Drought will accelerate the reproductive growth of spinach and cause premature bolting. Water every 3 to 5 days during the growing season. Keeping the soil moist will help the spinach grow tender, the leaves thick, and improve yield and quality.

2. Fertilization management

Spinach likes fertilizer, especially nitrogen fertilizer. Top dressing during the growing season can effectively increase yield and quality. It takes about 50 days from sowing to harvesting. Water with decomposed manure 7 days after emergence to promote healthy growth of seedlings. As the seedlings grow, gradually increase the concentration of manure water. Apply urea 20 days after emergence, 15 kg per mu, and water after topdressing to improve fertilizer efficiency.

If spinach is deficient in nutrients 10 days before harvest, you can spray 0.5% urea foliar fertilizer (150 grams of urea mixed with 30 kilograms of water) to quickly replenish nutrients. Foliar fertilizer spraying should be carried out on cloudy or sunny evenings to improve fertilizer efficiency.

Spinach has a short growing season and can be harvested when the plant reaches 20 cm in height. Harvesting too late will result in bolting, and harvesting as early as possible can ensure its commercial quality. If you use it for yourself, you can pick the big ones and leave the small ones, and separate the dense ones and leave the sparse ones, so as to extend the supply time.

In summary, spinach is a vegetable that many people like to grow. When sowing, grasp the appropriate sowing period, germinate the seeds before sowing, and strengthen water and fertilizer management after sowing, you can cultivate fat and tender spinach.