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Artichoke is an exotic plant with an unusual name and no less unusual sight. Everyone heard about him, but few had the opportunity to meet him personally, and, moreover, there is. And to grow... This process is completely considered impossible and difficult. In fact, there are no problems with growing artichokes.
A fruit, a vegetable, a hybrid?
Artichoke is a herbaceous plant and belongs to the family of Astrope. The birthplace of this miracle is the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean coast. Also it can be found in America, where for a long time it was considered a weed. Over the years, the plant has conquered North Africa, Europe, South America and California and has become not only grown, but also eaten.
And yet, what does an artichoke look like? Well, have you seen thistles? Here is something similar to it. It is nothing but an unblown kidney of a flower, containing a lot of fleshy petals, which goes to food.
The distinctive features of perennial are: the core root, well tolerated winter, large lobed leaves, straight stem, whose height can to reach more than, m. Also the attention is attracted by huge inflorescences, up to 10-12 cm in diameter, in appearance resembling baskets covered with set scales. If we allow the flowering of the plant, the buds open with the appearance of blue flowers of a tubular shape.
Wonders of Reproduction
Artichoke propagates in two ways: from seeds and root shoots. Cultivation of artichokes in the Moscow region and in the central regions of Russia is best done in a seedling manner. And in the southern regions, you can use a direct method.
Root Lines
If the artichoke is adult, then in the second year of life it is able to produce root shoots. If they are separated, and properly planted and raised in care, full-grown plants will grow from them. For seeding, choose the young that has got three strong leaves, and very carefully separate the process from the mother plant. Further, the shoots are planted in the soil as described above and take care of them.
Cultivation of artichokes from seeds
The plant is very rare in our country, therefore, it is easier to find seed material than adult bushes.
As a rule, artichoke seeds are sold for 15 pcs. in one package. The sowing begins in the first week of March, not forgetting to prepare them in February. For this, the seeds are put in a container, poured with water and left for 10-12 hours, until they swell.
Water take a steady or clean artesian room temperature.
Next, the seeds are laid on a cloth, wrapped in it, wrapped on top and sent for 5 days in a warm place. When the seeds are poured, a bag of seeds is sent for 2 weeks to the refrigerator, located on the bottom shelf.
Such a preparation process is called stratification and allows to significantly increase the chances of flowering and fruit formation right into the planting year.
Substrate preparation and seeding
The next stage of growing the artichoke is the preparation of the container in which the seedlings will be grown. This should be a drawer of a convenient size for you. At the bottom, first drainage is poured, and on top a substrate consisting of sifted sand, turf ground and humus, taken in the same ratio. Thoroughly mixed components should be moistened.
On the surface of the soil, grooves are made with a depth of 1 cm, where the seeds are placed, placing them 3-4 cm apart. On top of the seeds covered with earth thickness of not more than 1 cm. Do a greenhouse or cover with glass and film is not worth it. The main thing that should be monitored is the moisture content of the soil - it should not dry up.
Sprouts will appear in a few days. When the first sheet is formed, it is desirable to increase the illumination and reduce the temperature to 15 degrees. Otherwise, the stems of the plant will stretch. Watering should be moderate, as the artichoke does not like "wet feet".
Picks and care
If the seeds were planted several times in one container, they should be discarded, preferably in peat pots, in l, filled with a mixture of humus, earth and sand.
In order not to injure plants, it is necessary to pour the main container and only then remove the young.
In the soil, make a small hole, take out the first sprout, pinch its central root and plant it in a pot. Watered seedlings are sent to a bright and warm place.
Two weeks after planting, plants are fertilized with mullein, diluted with water in the ratio: 0, and after 2 weeks - fertilizers. From this time, youngsters can be tempered, taking it out for a few minutes to the street and increasing this period to 10 hours, not forgetting to shelter from the sun and rain.
Landing in open ground
Now consider how to grow an artichoke in the open ground. Plant the plant in mid-May on the southern slopes, where there is nutrient and airtight soil.
If the plant goes to feed animals, it is planted in the garden, pre-digging the ground and adding to the her superphosphate, humus and potassium sulfate in an amount of kg, 10 kg and 40 g, respectively, per 1 m2. At the same time, it is necessary to form beds 20 cm high at a distance of one meter from each other. The plants are planted so that there is a distance of 80 cm between them. Planted young growth is watered and mulched with straw or dried grass.
If the artichoke is grown with a decorative purpose, it is planted there, where it is possible to provide proper care, for example, in the garden or on the lawn in front of the house. In doing so, prepare a hole at 50 cm deep and 70 in diameter, make a compost mixture with turf ground and plant the seedlings at a distance, m between the specimens. From above carry out mulching by a grass.
Harvesting and preservation
Basically, the fruits from the plant can be collected only in the second year. Fruiting in the first year is very rare. At the end of summer the plant produces flower stalks, which are ready to be cut in two weeks.
Buds ripen in different ways, so everyone needs a separate control.
Determine whether you need to cut a flower or not on top scales. As they begin to open and bend, the hour has come. If the top of the flower was crowned with blue petals - you missed the time, the bud is overripe and there is already no it.
Cut the artichoke together with the stem, leaving the "tail" 4-5 cm. With regard to storage times, they vary from 2 to 12 weeks, depending on storage conditions.
Despite its exotic origin, the artichoke is absolutely not complicated in cultivation for our kitchen gardens. Now you know where the artichoke grows, how to grow it properly and if you decide to plant this plant, your table will be replenished with a variety of dishes from a tasty and healthy product.
