Edamame plant care (Thinning and ridging for edamame bean plant) – Edamame bean growing in garden
Grow edamame in mulch culture. This time, I will handle edamame plant care. The edamame grown from seeds have been through some time since germination, and it’s about time for thinning. When edamame bean plants are densely packed, it becomes more prone to diseases and pests. So, I’d like to thin edamame plants out to improve air circulation. After thinning, we will ridge the soil around the base of the edamame bean plants.
The cultivation plot for edamame. Until now, I have been growing edamame in plots with approximately 60×60cm (2 feet x 2 feet), making six holes. However, as there was a bit of extra space in the neighboring strawberry plot, I transplanted edamame equivalent to two holes. (Overcrowding is not beneficial for the growth of edamame bean plant.)
Edamame thinning (How to thin green soybeans)
Edamame has been approximately 15 days since the late April seeding. Thinning of edamame will be done now that the primary leaves have emerged. The primary leaves (unifoliolate leaves) refer to the leaves that appear after the cotyledons. For edamame bean plant, when the primary leaves are fully out, it’s time for thinning.
https://www.vege-try.net/en/seed-green-soybeans-2021-enEdamame thinning involves thinning so that one hole in the mulch has two plants. When thinning, be careful not to damage the remaining edamame bean plants. If the edamame bean plants are densely packed and difficult to pull out, use scissors to cut the base of the edamame plants.
Leaving two plants during thinning is to make edamame less prone to lodging. Leaving 2 edamame bean plants allows them to support each other as they grow, making them less likely to topple even in strong winds.
Ridging soil for edamame (Promoting the growth of edamame bean plant)
After thinning, we perform ridging for the edamame bean plants. Ridging is the process of mounding soil around the base of the plants. (Cover the base of edamame bean plants with soil.) Ridging around the base of edamame plants strengthens the roots, making them more resistant to falling, and enhances root development.
Soil is piled up until the cotyledons of edamame are covered. Edamame bean plants grow extra roots from the buried portion of the stem. Ridging the soil increases the root volume, promoting the growth of edamame bean plants.
With this, the thinning and ridging for edamame bean plants is complete.
Following is the video for how-to. English subtitles are available.