Leek planting time and method: When is the best time to transplant the old roots of southern leeks?

More and more friends are starting to plant chives in pots at home or in the fields. The chives you grow yourself are indeed delicious, and if you plant chives well, you can sow them once and they will grow for five or six years without any problems.

Leek planting time

The planting time of leek is relatively wide. Generally, it can be planted in spring, summer and autumn . However, due to the high temperature in summer, leek has poor heat resistance and does not grow well. Therefore , it is generally planted in spring, around early March to early May each year .

Why do chives need to be replanted every three years?

Chives usually need to be replanted after 1-2 years of growth. This is because they need to be cut off several times during their growth each year, and they keep growing again.

If the planting time is too long, the growth rate and quality of leeks will decrease . Due to different environmental climates and soils in different regions, in order to ensure that you can eat fresh and tasty leeks, it is best to replant them on time.

Leek planting method

Plot Selection

When planting leeks, choose a place with fertile soil, convenient drainage and irrigation, and semi-shaded areas. If there is no semi-shaded area, choose a sunny area, and build a sunscreen above the leeks in hot weather.

Seed treatment

Before sowing chives, the seeds need to be processed and dried for one or two days. Then the seeds are washed in 40℃ water and soaked in 30℃ water for half a day. Finally, they are placed at room temperature for germination. When 85% of the chive seeds germinate, they can be sown .

Water and fertilizer management

When the leek seedlings grow to 4-5 cm, you should start watering and loosening the soil in time. When they grow to 10 cm, you need to apply urea fertilizer 2-3 times. And you should also use chemical agents to prevent the harm of pests such as leek maggots.

Transplantation can be carried out in June or July , and the ends of the leek roots should be cut off during transplantation. When planting, we must maintain a reasonable row spacing and water in time to increase the survival rate of leek seedlings.

Harvesting leeks

Generally, it is best to harvest about 4 times a year . In summer, leeks are older and less tasty, so you can reduce the number of harvests.

When harvesting, the leek rhizome should be harvested about 4 cm from the ground. This can prevent the manure from contaminating the harvesting blade during topdressing, thus causing root rot.

Topdressing after harvest

After harvesting the leeks, you need to apply harvest fertilizer, but don’t apply it immediately. Instead, apply it 2-3 days after the harvest when the leeks’ wounds have healed to avoid infection by diseases.

In addition, during the growth period of leeks, wood ash can be applied to not only meet the potassium required for the growth of leeks, but also improve soil compaction and reduce the occurrence of maggots.