The content of the article:
The seedling method of growing beets is used mainly in the middle band, which is characterized by a cooler climate and late spring. The garden beds warm up to the desired temperature only in the middle of May, so you will not be able to get an early harvest of a delicious root crop sown directly into the open ground. In addition, there is a risk of damage to the shoots by recurrent frosts, and beets are very fond of heat and can be reacted by the flower arrows to lower the temperature.
Planting beets through seedlings allows you to bring the time of harvesting the first harvest almost for a month. As a result, roots are ripening already in the middle of summer, while seeds sown to the bed will sit there until August. Separately it is worth noting that the seedling method frees truck farmers from such a procedure as thinning out shoots.
However, it is not always possible to obtain quality seedlings. Sometimes it happens that the beet seedlings are stretched. What can be done with filamentous shoots, what is the reason for this phenomenon and how do experienced gardeners know how to avoid it?
How to save beet seedlings?
If weather conditions allow, the best solution to the problem will be picking seedlings on the bed. There sprouts quickly get stronger and will get a normal appearance, although at first it is desirable to cover the landing with a spindhead.
Some truck farmers during the picks shorten seedlings roots to obtain large roots.
In the case when the ground has not yet warmed up, you can simply pour the soil into the container. Seedlings will begin to form new roots, which will provide the seedlings with the necessary nutrition.
Thickened plantings should be thinned or planted, and if the process is completely neglected, the young tops can always be slightly grown and used for salad or soup. Only here sow beets for the second time will have already immediately to the garden.
Reasons for stretching seedlings
Young beet shoots are most often pulled out when growing them in apartment conditions on the windowsill. This happens as a result:
- high temperature of air;
- lack of lighting;
- thickening of plantings.
To ensure that seedlings are not stretched, the seeds should not be sown very densely and provide good lighting, if possible, install additional lighting. On the other hand, it should be taken into account that the bright spring sun strongly heats the glass unit. If the container with the seedlings is directly at the glass on the south window sill, it will be hot there, and the beet does not like it.
To avoid stretching the seedlings 5-7 days after picking, it must be transferred to a greenhouse.
