Radish is a commonly consumed vegetable with a wide planting area in China. Planting radishes in autumn, when the temperature decreases from high to low, meets the growth requirements of radishes. Below are the key points for planting and managing autumn radishes.
1. Land Preparation and Fertilization
Choose sandy loam soil with good aeration, fertility, and depth. Avoid areas previously planted with cruciferous vegetables. Fine-till the soil to make it loose, well-aerated, and leveled. Apply organic fertilizer as the base fertilizer, such as 3000kg of well-rotted farmyard manure per acre, combined with appropriate amounts of chemical fertilizer.
2. Timely Sowing
Sow seeds from late July to mid-August. Prior to sowing, create high ridges with a height of 15cm and a width of 30cm, with furrows 20cm wide. Thin seedlings when they have two true leaves, keeping the strong and removing the weak. Leave 2-3 seedlings per pit. Transplant seedlings when they have 4-5 true leaves.
3. Field Management
During the early growth stage, which is characterized by high temperatures and abundant rainfall, timely weeding and inter-row cultivation should be conducted. Apply ammonium sulfate at a rate of 15-20kg per mu, 10cm away from the seedlings, and irrigate every 15 days with 1000kg of compost per mu, twice each time. "Breaking the belly" when the seedlings have 4-5 true leaves should be done after reducing watering to promote root penetration. Pay attention to fertilization and irrigation when the top of the fleshy root is exposed, and cease watering 5-6 days before harvest to avoid hollow, hard, or spicy roots, which reduce yield.
4. Pest and Disease Control
For root maggots, use a 500-fold dilution of 90% crystal Dichlorvos for root irrigation. For caterpillars and aphids, use a 1000-fold dilution of 50% thiodicarb emulsion or a 2000-fold dilution of 70% imidacloprid wettable powder, respectively. For downy mildew, use a 500-600-fold dilution of 65% Mancozeb wettable powder.
5. Timely Harvest
The harvesting time of autumn radishes should be determined based on the variety. Generally, when the length is between 25 and 30cm and the diameter at the root is around 8 to 10cm, they can be harvested. Radishes intended for immediate sale should not have their tops removed immediately after being pulled from the ground. To prevent sprouting due to high temperatures during storage, remove the tops of radishes.
Above are the key points for planting and managing autumn radishes. While planting autumn radishes is not difficult, achieving high yield and quality requires mastering some planting techniques.
