Cress is mostly cultivated in central and southern my country, with Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Yunnan and Guizhou having the largest cultivation areas.

High-yielding cultivation of cress:

1. Site selection and land preparation. In view of cress’s growth habit of loving water and fearing drought, fields with lower terrain, fertile soil, and convenient drainage and irrigation should be selected. , deep plowing the broken and mature soil multiple times, combined with land preparation, and applying 1500kg (kg) of organic fertilizers such as pig manure and 50kg of rapeseed cake per 667m2 (acre) in mid-July. The height of the soil ridge around the vegetable field is 12m (meters). The field surface is 10 centimeters, and the soil layer within the depth needs to be blended with the fertile soil and the soil layer is fine and soft to adapt to the growth of the cress root system.

2. Plant cress at the appropriate time for vegetative propagation and seedling cultivation. Cut the mother stem and use the characteristics of the long internodes of the mother stem to produce adventitious roots. Then cultivate and plant in another location. When the height of the seedlings reaches 10cm, that is It can be transplanted to the field. The best transplant period for the field is August 20-25, when the average daily temperature is stable at 25-30°C. Use 900 to 950kg of seedlings per 667m2, and plant the seedlings evenly in the field on sunny evenings or cloudy days. During transplantation, the field surface remains water-free, which is conducive to the rooting of the seedlings.

3. 20 days after the seedlings of cress are planted, they should be thinned and replenished in time, and the roots should be pressed manually to make the roots penetrate into the soil and make the top height of the cress consistent. In the future, the cress will grow neatly, every 4m in the field. Leave a 20 cm wide operation row to facilitate field operations.

4. Topdressing fertilizer: 3 days after cress planting, apply 30-40kg of vegetable special fertilizer per 667m2 to meet the phosphorus demand of cress in the seedling stage; on days 7-10, spread 25-25% of urea 30kg to meet the needs of rapid growth of stems and branches; on the 30th day, apply 40-50kg of cake fertilizer as relay fertilizer to improve the quality of cress.

5. Water slurry management: Establish a 3 cm water layer 3 days after the cress is planted. The field cannot be dehydrated in the future, and water will be added as the cress continues to grow taller, keeping the top of the cress above the water surface for about 10 minutes. However, when frost occurs or the temperature drops below 0°C, the seedlings should be protected in deep water and the temperature should be adjusted with water so that the top of the cress is 3 cm above the water surface. This way the cress can survive the winter safely and extend the time to market.

6. Weed removal 20 days after cress planting is the period when aquatic weeds grow rapidly. Therefore, manual weeding should be carried out promptly and effectively to prevent weeds from competing with cress for fertilizer.

7. Pest control During the growth period of cress, the main pests are aphids and cabbage caterpillars. Generally, pay attention to pest inspection and control before the end of September. Use 30 ml of 25% Kusalin EC per 667m2, and mix with 30-30% water. 40kg spray can be used for control.

8. Harvesting Autumn cress has a long harvesting period, usually starting from mid-to-late November and continuing until early February of the following year. The harvesting period lasts about 70 days. The yield per 667m2 is about 5000-5500kg, and the output value is 7000 yuan. Harvesting too early or too late will affect the yield and quality of cress.