Radish. Cultivation and care

Radish - early-ripening cold-resistant light-loving vegetable crop with succulent root crops. It grows both in the open ground and under the film. The motherland of radish is China. Growing vegetables in Russia became on the personal order of Peter I.

The maturity period is 18-25 days. This is the earliest spring vegetable, so it is grown everywhere, it helps the human body to regain strength after the winter. In radishes, there are many vitamins (B, C), enzymes, organic acids, microelements (potassium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium). It cleanses the body of toxins, splits fat.

How to grow a radish

The optimum temperature for radish growth is 16-20 ° C. He gives a good harvest on fertile drained, weakly acidic soils, loves open sunlit areas. Seeds in the open ground can be done from the second half of April, in hotbeds - from the end of February. When planting a vegetable in the summer it is better to choose a place with a slight shade. Root crops can withstand frosts up to -5 ° C.

The selected site is heated by watering hot water at a temperature of 50 ° C, dumped to the depth of the shovel. Then make nutrients (peat, mineral fertilizers) and again dig in forks. On the grove prepared in this way, grooves are made about 12 cm wide, 2 cm deep. Pre-soaked seeds for several hours are sown at intervals of 3 cm.

After a week, shoots are thinned, the weakest and deformed shoots are removed with an interval of 5 cm. After that, watering from a shallow watering can be carried out. When the bed will dry up a little, loosen and top the row to the cotyledonous leaves of the plants.

As can be seen from the foregoing description, the radish cultivation assumes uncomplicated. At the initial stages of growth, the vegetable should be watered often at a rate of 3 l / m square. When root crops begin to be poured, watering is reduced by half.

Collected root crops are released from the tops and stored in plastic bags in a cold place (2-3 ° C) or a refrigerator. After harvesting in a vacant place, you can plant tomatoes. After a radish they grow well.

Radish - growing. Basic errors:

- Strong thickening of crops;

- low temperature;

Excessive watering;

- introduction of fresh manure, ash or potassium fertilizers;

- dryness of the soil;

- untimely harvesting.

This all leads to the fact that the vegetable goes into arrows, blooms, root crops become shallow, cracked, leaves grow.

Radish - growing. Pest Control

The most common diseases are:

1. Cruciferous fleas

Dry mustard or ground pepper (black and red) helps to cope with them. They need to be scattered between rows before loosening in the amount of 1 teaspoon per square meter. On top of the leaves can be sprayed with tobacco dust, ash, infusion of garlic.

2. Kila

This is a viral disease, appears on acidic soils. On the roots of the fruits are formed outgrowths. It is better to immediately destroy such radish.

Radish - growing. Advice

It is undesirable to grow a vegetable in the middle of summer. Under the influence of a long light day, it becomes bitter, shallow, and shoots arrows. To prevent this, a screen of black film will help for several hours a day.

In order not to injure the root crops by thinning, you can immediately sow one healthy seed at intervals of 5 cm.

In droughty weather, you can not leave the vegetable without irrigation for more than 3 hours, otherwise it will develop incorrectly, become hard and bitter.

Excellent neighbors for radishes - onions and carrots. He does not like the place after cultivation of cabbage, radish, daikon.

Thus, the cultivation of radishes is not a troublesome business, the main thing is timely weeding and watering. If desired, the root crop can be planted on the balcony. Protect the harvest from pests will help cover any non-woven material.