Which machines do you need to cultivate white asparagus?

As we said, white asparagus is a multi-year cultivation, which needs a few years to start producing, at least until the moment in which the shoot (the edible part of the plant) reaches the desired dimension. The plant hasn’t any particular climate needs, being sufficiently flexible and resistant to hot and cold temperatures. It’s necessary, anyway, keep attention to the wind, which could break the shoots – thus avoid a too windy climate, or protect plant consequently.

Regarding the soil, white asparagus fears the humidity, thus a well-draining soil is needed – in fact, excessive water stagnation could stop the plants’ growth and even cause asphyxia. For this reason, it’s good to have a loose and not-humid soil, which can be obtained also adding sand or creating efficient drainage channels, or by bedforming. Then, asparagus requires a lot of space to grow and develop.

White asparagus can be cultivated starting from the seed, but in this case the shoots will reach satisfying dimensions in not less than 3-4 years. To obtain harvests in shorter times, also 1-2-years-old rhizomes, called “paws”, can be used. One-year-old paws are the best ones, but don’t produce big-enough asparagus, in cooking dimensions, for at least two years.

Concerning the fertilization, a good fertilization of the bottom that could enrich the soil is essential, in order to resist during the several years of cultivation of white asparagus. In particular, it’s recommended to use compost or ripe manure – and organic fertilizers for bio plantations. Then, to be remembered is the irrigation, crucial to assure a good shoots’ growth. You may start irrigating since the small plant’s first growing steps, and the following irrigations might be carried out at short intervals in time, not after more than 4-5 days in summer.

• First year: in summer period the grooves’ covering is completed gradually, using loam or the same soil previously removed from them, until the sides are reached. During the same season, weeding is carried out to remove infesting herbs;
• Second year: on the one side, first year’s operations go on; on the other side, at the end of autumn the yellowed leaves are cut and then burned;
• Third and following years: in case of cultivation with seed beds (which allows to obtain longer and lighter asparagus), in autumn ridging is carried out. Once the soil has settled, it is also possible to cut the foliage.

Cosmeco perfectly knows white asparagus’ cultivation, its market and farmers’ needs, and knows that to obtain an efficient and profitable production it’s necessary to keep high attention in the bedforming operations. That’s why Cosmeco has projected and manufactured a diversified range of bedformers’ models:

• Adjustable bedformer for horticulture, among which the models B1 and B1 Special, adjustable both in height and width to create seed beds of different dimensions according to the needs;
• Adjustable bedformer for asparagus B70, specifically thought for the realization of seed beds of big dimensions and for tractors of high power. This equipment’s versatility allows it to operate both in open field and greenhouses, in every type of soil previously worked and for several cultivations, among which white asparagus.

Bedforming consists in the creation of a heap of raised soil with trapezoidal shape, essential for asparagus cultivation. It’s an useful operation to realize a functional, clean and healthy seed bed, that, if carried out through suitable and designed-for-the-purpose means, can bring advantages, such as:

• less risk of illnesses for plants growing on seedbed
• consequent increase of productivity
• risks of water stagnation (dangerous for white asparagus) decreases and a better balance between water and oxygen in the soil is created
• supply of water, feeding substances and disinfectant and disinfectant products is optimized
• harvesting operations are facilitated
• environment is safeguarded and a better quality is given to cultivations at lower prices

One of the elements that has always being distinguishing Cosmeco, moreover, is the continuous development and research of new technological solutions able to improve the preparation of the seedbed, therefore of the crops and consequently of the final product. The company, in fact, produces efficient, versatile and specifically designed bedformer machines for the different needs of consumers, so as to best and in personalized way meet their needs.

If you are looking for more information on Cosmeco machines, useful for the preparation of the soil for the cultivation of white asparagus, you will simply need to access to the contact section and fill out the form inside. In the shortest time possible, you will receive all the details you want or, if requested, a customized quotation.