How to manage leeks in winter?

Chives are grown in all parts of China. As the temperature drops in winter, the management of chives is a critical period to ensure their safe wintering and growth next year. So how should chives be managed in winter? Let’s take a look with the editor below.

1. Insulation

In the cold winter, the chives need to be kept warm under a covered shed. Choose a plastic greenhouse film with good light transmittance and air permeability for covering the greenhouse. Start from the middle of the planting area, then cover the surrounding areas, and finally fix the greenhouse film. If it is grown in a greenhouse , you can also build a small arch shed inside the greenhouse to enhance the insulation effect.

2. Soil management

After the shed is covered with insulation, new seedlings of chives will grow in about a month. At this time, the new seedlings need to be soiled, which is usually done when the new seedlings grow to more than 5 cm. The method of adding soil is to do it around the new seedlings, and the height of the soil should be about half of the height of the new seedlings. Depending on the growth rate of the new seedlings, it is generally necessary to add soil two or three times to eventually form a mound.

3. Coverage protection

For leeks planted in the open air, in order to prevent leeks from frost damage, it is necessary to apply anti-freezing water in time, and then cover them with a layer of straw, wheat husks , wood ash or farm organic fertilizer to play a role in heat preservation. At the same time, a 46 cm thick layer of mud and sand can be covered on the ridge for insulation.

4. Temperature management

After covering the greenhouse, the temperature inside is higher than outside, but it is still not enough to reach the suitable growth temperature of leeks. Therefore, it is necessary to artificially increase the temperature of the greenhouse, such as using warm light lamps for supplementary heating. At the same time, lift the shed on warm afternoons to increase sunlight and thus increase soil temperature. Leeks have different temperature requirements at different growth stages. For example, the temperature required when growing new seedlings is between 12-18°C, and the temperature required when growing leaves is between 15-25°C.

5. Reasonable fertilization

Reasonable fertilization in winter can provide leeks with the nutrients they need to survive the winter, improve their resistance to cold and disease, enhance soil fertility, and enable them to survive the winter safely. The best winter fertilizer to use is "wood ash" containing a large amount of potassium fertilizer, which can promote the growth of crops, especially roots.

The above is an introduction to how to manage leeks in winter. The first batch of leek leaves should be harvested when they grow to more than 20 cm. The harvesting time of the second batch of leek leaves will be longer than the first batch, and they should be harvested about one and a half months later. The height should also be harvested when they grow to more than 20 cm. The growth rate of chives slows down in winter and they need more time to grow.