When is the best time to plant carrots
The website introduces the best time to plant carrots and the related experience of carrot cultivation methods and timing in flower planting. Next, the editor will explain.
Carrots are annual or biennial herbaceous plants of the Apiaceae family, Daucus genus. Also known as red carrots, clove carrots, foreign carrots, and golden bamboo shoots. Carrots are adaptable, have few diseases and pests, are easy to cultivate, have high yields, and are resistant to storage and transportation, making them one of the main winter vegetables.
Carrots are semi-cold-tolerant vegetables. The carrot root system is well-developed and deeply distributed, capable of utilizing deep soil moisture. The soil moisture requirement is 60-70%, making it the most drought-resistant vegetable among root vegetables. It is best to plant carrots in loose and well-ventilated loamy or sandy loam soil, choosing deep, fertile, and well-water retaining and draining soil. Carrots are divided into red-skinned and yellow-skinned types according to the color of the flesh.
I. Carrot Planting Time
Planting carrots too early can lead to bolting, resulting in lush carrot leaves and flowers but no required thick, tender, crisp, and sweet carrots underground. If planted too late, it will affect yield, with small and poor-quality radishes, which is a serious issue to consider.
The general sowing time for spring carrots is from mid-March to the end of April. The planting time for carrots in summer and autumn is generally from July to August. In southern regions, it is usually sown from early July to late August and harvested in late December. In northern regions, spring sowing is adopted.
II. Carrot Cultivation Techniques
1. Soil Preparation and Fertilization
Select sandy loam soil with deep soil layer, good drainage, few weeds, and loose texture. Deeply plow the land, apply 1000-1500 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer, 100-200 kg of wood ash, and 8-10 kg of general-purpose calcium fertilizer per mu, mixing the fertilizer into the soil, leveling it, and then making ridges. Generally, high ridges are used for cultivation, with ridge width of 100-130 cm and height of 15-20 cm.
2. Sowing
Seed Treatment
Due to the special structure of carrot seeds and the high temperature and heavy rainfall during the sowing season, it is difficult for seeds to germinate and emerge. Therefore, it is necessary to rub off the spines of the seeds before sowing, separating the two halves to make single seeds for even sowing. Carrot seeds absorb water slowly and germinate late. Pre-germination sowing can accelerate seedling emergence. The pre-germination method involves soaking the seeds, which have had their spines rubbed off, in 40℃ water for 2 hours, then removing them and placing them in a room at 20-25℃ to germinate, maintaining appropriate humidity and regularly turning them to keep the temperature and humidity even. When the radicle of most seeds is visible, sowing can take place.
Sowing Method
During the hot season, you can add 2-5% of Pak Choi to provide shade for the emerging carrot seedlings. First, sprinkle diluted animal urine on the prepared sowing bed to increase soil moisture. After the urine has penetrated the soil, you can proceed with broadcast sowing or sowing at a row spacing of 15-20 cm. After sowing, cover with 1.5-2 cm of fine soil or drag the soil several times with bamboo branches, then cover with straw to cool and retain moisture. The Pak Choi will emerge first, providing shade for the carrot seedlings, and can be pulled out during thinning. Broadcast sowing requires 1-1.5 kg of seeds per mu, while row sowing requires about 0.7 kg.
3. Field Management
Thinning and Weeding: Carrot seedlings usually emerge in 7-10 days. After emergence, promptly remove the covering straw. During the hot and rainy season, weeds grow fast, so it is important to remove them in time during thinning. Thinning is generally done 2-3 times, the first time at 1-2 true leaves, thinning out weak and inferior seedlings, leaving a spacing of about 3 cm. The second thinning is done at 3-4 leaves, with a spacing of 12-15 cm if it is the final thinning. If the final thinning is done in the third round, the spacing in the second round should be about 6 cm. When the carrot seedlings have 4-5 leaves, the third thinning and final thinning are carried out.
Water and Fertilizer Management: Since the germination period of carrot seeds coincides with the hot summer, it is necessary to keep the soil moist to ensure even seedling emergence. The soil moisture content should be maintained at 60-80%. When the leaves are growing vigorously, water should be controlled to prevent lodging. During the root expansion period, watering should be increased to promote rapid expansion of the carrot flesh. Fertilization of carrots mainly focuses on base fertilizer, with top dressing applied 2-3 times, preferably with decomposed animal urine or chemical fertilizers. The first application is at 3-4 leaves, and the second is after thinning. Since carrots are very sensitive to fertilizers, avoid using high-concentration fertilizers.
Preventing Early Bolting of Carrots: When the flesh of carrots has not yet reached the maturity for consumption and encounters temperatures of 1-5℃ and long-daylight hours of over 12, it can satisfy the vernalization requirements of carrots, causing them to bolt prematurely and losing their edible value. This is often caused by improper variety selection, mixed varieties, unsuitable sowing dates, and poor field management. The key to preventing early bolting is to avoid conditions that induce vernalization during the vegetative growth period of carrots. Choose pure and suitable varieties, select appropriate sowing dates, and strengthen field management to promote leaf growth.
Preventing Cracking and Forking of Carrot Roots: The main reason for carrot cracking is uneven soil moisture supply during the growth period. The preventive method is to water early in the growth stage, especially during dry weather, and to water evenly during the middle and late stages of flesh expansion. Cracking in carrots is also caused by shallow soil plowing, hard soil, or obstructions such as stones or tree roots in the soil, preventing the growth of the flesh root. The preventive method is to deeply plow the land and remove hard objects during land preparation. Avoid using fresh manure and plant densely.
4. Disease and Pest Control
Carrots have fewer diseases than other vegetables, but they can sometimes suffer from black leaf blight and rot. Black leaf blight is often caused by dry weather, so it is important to strengthen water and fertilizer management in the field to make the plants strong and reduce the incidence of disease. If diseased plants are found, they should be removed and Bordeaux mixture should be sprayed to prevent the spread. Rot occurs mostly in hot and rainy seasons, manifested as root rot and yellowing wilt. It is necessary to practice crop rotation, thoroughly turn the soil, remove diseased plants, and消毒 with lime to prevent the spread.
Pest damage in carrot seedlings includes caterpillars of the cutworm moth. When found, spray with a 90% carbaryl solution (1000 times dilution), 50% dichlorvos solution (800-1000 times dilution), or 50% phoxim solution (2000-2500 times dilution) for control.
5. Harvesting
The harvesting period of carrots varies by variety. Harvesting can take place when the inner leaves of the carrot plant show a yellowish-green color, the outer leaves are slightly wilted, the roots are cracked on the surface, or the root head is slightly exposed above the soil surface.
6. Seed Saving
The method of saving carrot seeds involves selecting carrots with the characteristics of the original variety, few leaves, small root heads, neat shape, no forking, and smooth skin at harvest. Cut off more than one-third of the carrot root and select those with small core columns for seed saving, cutting off the above-ground leaves, leaving only the petioles for planting, with row spacing and plant spacing of 50 cm. To prevent hybridization with other varieties and wild carrots, isolate them by 2000 meters. Before planting, apply 1000 kg of decomposed manure as base fertilizer per mu. Carrots have a strong branching ability and must be pruned, leaving the main stem and 4-5 lateral branches, removing the rest to ensure uniform maturity of the seeds. Generally, mature seeds are harvested from late June. Note that if the carrot roots are not cut off by more than one-third and re-planted, the seeds produced will be difficult to grow flesh roots, will bloom quickly, and will not have flesh roots, which we call "full garden flowers."
The above is a detailed explanation of the best time to plant carrots, carrot cultivation methods, and timing. It is hoped that this article can provide you with help in green plant management!