Horseshoe is a specialty vegetable, belongs to the aquatic plants, usually grows in shallow fields or marshes, more suitable for growing in the cultivated layer of soft, solid soil in the subsoil, the planting place of the average annual temperature should be above 16 ℃, the annual rainfall should be in the 1000-1500 millimeters or so, China's main production areas are Taiwan, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Hainan and other provinces.

Horseshoe grows in what place

Horseshoe, also known as water chestnut, mainly grows in the tropics and subtropics, like to grow in low-lying areas. The place of origin is in India. Distributed in more areas in China, mainly in Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Hebei, Zhejiang and other places, it originated in the Indian region, more suitable for growth in paddy fields, ponds and swamps, like wet but very afraid of cold.

Horseshoe planting method and time

1. Planting time

The planting time of water chestnut needs to be determined according to the climatic conditions of the planting area. The sprouting temperature of water chestnut needs to be maintained at about 10 to 15 degrees, and after the temperature stabilizes in this range, the planting of water chestnut can be carried out. Southern regions usually start planting water chestnuts around the time of the Qingming Festival.

2. Selection of varieties

Water chestnut planting will generally save seeds, save the time in the previous year when the water chestnut is ripe, select the good quality, large, no disease, the terminal buds of the water chestnut thick and strong, there is no trauma to the seed. After collecting the seeds, they need to be sand-hidden, placed in fine sand and dug out before sowing in the following year.

3. Germination

Water chestnut needs to be properly germinated before planting, which can save seedling time and improve the germination rate of seeds. Remove the seeds from the fine sand, clean them with water, and select water chestnuts of good quality for seeds. Soak the cleaned water chestnuts in 1000 diluted carbendazim solution for one day, which can play a certain role in sterilizing and preventing the seeds from carrying disease-causing bacteria. The seeds will be neatly discharged in the moist fine sand, the bud eye exposed to the sand, covered with mulch, generally about a week will be able to see the water chestnut germination, germination and timely removal of the film, in the water chestnut seedling height of 10 centimeters or so will be able to carry out the pseudo-planting.

4. Transplanting

Transplanting is done when the water chestnut seedlings are about 30 centimeters high. Before transplanting, you need to plow and fertilize the planting field to ensure that the growth environment of water chestnut is suitable. According to the situation of the planting site, can carry out ploughing work, ploughing depth needs to be in about 20 centimeters, per mu of subsidiary organic fertilizer 3000 kg or so, with the use of phosphate fertilizer 30 kg. Transplanting row spacing plant spacing control in about 50 centimeters. If the transplanting time is too late, the planting density can be increased.

5. Daily management

First of all, water condition management, water chestnut a moment to keep the water depth of about 3 to 5 centimeters. After the water chestnut transplantation has been activated, keep the water level in the paddy field at about 8 centimeters, not more than 10 centimeters, to avoid the water chestnut seedling growing in vain. After each fertilizer application, pay attention to give the field a water break, and then continue to irrigate. During the period of water chestnut balling the water level is controlled at 4 to 5 centimeters. After entering the late growth period, the water chestnut field needs to stop irrigation and prepare for harvesting. Next is the fertilization work, water chestnut field is the most important of the use of fertilizer, late fertilizer should be based on seedling conditions and field fertility. In the water chestnut about a week after planting, you can fertilize once, about 10 kg of urea per mu, to promote seedling growth. In the water chestnut growth to August or so, the pursuit of seed fertilizer, per mu can be applied to the water chestnut special compound fertilizer 20 kg. After the water chestnut leafy stem blooming, apply compound fertilizer once, the dosage per mu is about 20 to 25 kg. Further, pay attention to the prevention and control of pests and diseases, water chestnut is prone to powdery mildew, rust, gray mold, aphids, thrips and other pests and diseases. Pay attention to keep the field well ventilated and breathable to reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases. Pay attention to the timely use of chemicals for prevention and control to avoid aggravation of disease conditions.

6. Harvesting in time

Water chestnut starts to ripen around October with early-maturing varieties, but the sugar of water chestnut accumulates less in this period, the sweetness is not enough, and the taste is not good, but water chestnut is less in the market, and the price is with certain advantage. Generally, the accumulation of sugar in the bulb of water chestnut starts to increase around December, and the water chestnut harvested from this time to around January of the following year has a higher sugar content, and the color of the water chestnut's outer skin is more beautiful. The latest harvesting time for water chestnuts should not be later than February, otherwise the quality of water chestnuts will be reduced.