Growing Watercress at homeit is possible, despite the fact that it is planted only in the open field. Unpretentiousness in care and lack of standard for various dressings allows it to adapt to any conditions, settling even on a small window-sill of an apartment.
There is a great variety of green salad, it is grown in absolutely different ways. Today, experienced gardeners have discovered that planting cress lettuce can be done without adding land to the gauze base. This method of growing is very convenient and inexpensive.
How useful to grow watercress lettuce at home
Home-grown watercress is a simple culture. They strive to plant it in the autumn-winter season in order to satiate their body with useful vitamins and elements. Cress salad copes with the seasonal shortage of nutrients: it contains vitamins A, B, C, PP and D. It is rich in mineral salts and contains mustard oil.
Preparing for the cultivation of cress salad at home
To grow a cress salad home nothing special is required. The plant is unpretentious in care and does not require specially prepared soil. Such a salad is often planted in the vicinity of flowers and even room tomatoes or cucumbers. Its neighborhood can be completely different, the main thing is not to forget about regular watering of the plant.
To properly prepare for planting watercress salad on a windowsill, it is necessary to determine the way in which it will be carried out.
At present, there are three options for planting cress salad at home:
- soil mixture;
- cotton-gauze base;
- combined base.
Any fertile soil can be used to plant the cress of lettuce at home in the soil mix. The most suitable option would be the fertilized soil mix from the garden shop. Experienced gardeners use a simpler version - they take the usual soil from the dacha, or even dig the ground from any other place.
It is worth noting that the soil for planting lettuce should be free from weeds.
To put a cress salad in a cotton-gauze base, ordinary cotton wool is used, which wraps in gauze or a wide bandage. The density of the material should be of medium good quality. Such planting salad greens is carried out without adding land.
Combined planting involves the drainage of sand and gravel, gauze and fertile soil. Drainage is established to get rid of excess moisture, the soil mixture provides the plant with important elements.
The combined way of growing cress salad is great for those who do it for the first time. Thus, you can avoid the hassle of care, and the chances of ruining the plants are reduced to zero.
Any box up to 5 cm in height is suitable for growing lettuce greens. The plant grows small, its root system is rather small.
Planting lettuce cress at home
After preparing a place to grow lettuce on the windowsill, you can proceed to the planting itself. The first thing to do is to moisten the soil in which the seeds will sink.
It should be noted: before planting seeds in the tank, the seed is not pre-processed. Perhaps this is one of the few cultures that does not really require it. For planting in soil or a mixture of mixed, the seeds are immersed in water and then sown. After the seed is evenly distributed in the box, they are sprinkled with soil on top of it.
Using a cotton-gauze method, the seed is sown on cotton wool and covered with gauze.
After the seed has been sown, a wet treatment of the ground is done with a spray bottle. Watering by a jet is prohibited, water should be sprayed on small particles.
Salad watercress seeds watered in moderation. Waterlogging should not be allowed - the ground should be slightly moistened.
After carrying out all the manipulations, the salad box is retracted in a dark cool place 7-8 degrees. Thus, moisture is retained longer, seed rot does not occur, mold and fungus do not appear.
Care for cress salad
In order to properly sprout salad cress at home, it is important to keep the room temperature. Until the first sprouts appear, the temperature in the room cannot be raised. After seed seeding and the formation of the first leaves, gradually increase the degree to room temperature - the optimum is considered to be 18 degrees. It is worth noting that during the growth of cress salad is very important care and strict adherence to the thermal regime.
sawdust What is included in the care of cress salad:
- Timely watering. Watering lettuce should be regular, the plant does not tolerate the drought of the soil. If you forget to moisten the plant, then most likely it will cause its withering. Therefore, special attention should be paid to soil moisture;
- Light Mode. The plant loves shade, but also needs sunlight. A great place to grow watercress salad will be the north side of the balcony. It is better to hide greens from direct sunlight. If planting is carried out for the winter, then the salad must be organized by artificial lighting. Be careful with the lamps: do not move them close to the plant. When lighting the salad with a lamp, it is recommended to turn the container constantly. This is done so that not the stalks are stretched, but the growth of the leaves themselves;
- Temperature. This salad does not like hot rooms, so in summer you should ensure that the plant does not grow in places of high temperatures. The maximum allowable is 20 degrees, better than 18. In winter, lettuce bushes should be kept away from batteries and heaters.
Harvesting greens cress lettuce
Harvesting greens cress lettuce occurs already 15-30 days after the appearance of the first leaves on it. Usually the ripening period depends on the variety of the plant planted.
Salad is cut immediately before it is eaten, it is practically not subject to storage. Cut the plant can lie no more than two days in the refrigerator.
If you store the salad in the refrigerator, the greens gradually change their taste, lose their beneficial properties.
Cut the salad in small bundles with ordinary scissors. The harvesting procedure begins no later than 7 days, as the first leaves appeared on the plant. It is often recommended to do so in order to preserve the pleasant taste of the plant. The longer it is in the ground, the worse its taste qualities change, and its beneficial properties also gradually disappear.
Lettuce Varieties for Regular Collection of Greens
In order to provide yourself with a regular crop of lettuce cress during the winter period, it is necessary to select a plant for the varieties that will bear fruit at a certain interval. Proper planting of watercress salad at home will give a good and regular yield of fortified and healthy product.
Cress lettuce fun
A variety of lettuce cress fun reaches its maturity 25-30 days after seed spitting. This salad is well suited for adding to various dishes, giving it a special piquancy. In the care and cultivation of special rules does not require, the main thing - the implementation of regular watering.
Watercress salad
Watercress salad has the second name - “common woman”.It grows in height from 30 to 60 cm, has pinnate leaves. Great for any meat. First greens can be cut off after 15-25 days after germination. It has very fragile stems and root system, so with watering it is worth being careful not to allow a large jet of water.
Cress Ducat Salad
The variety of Ducat lettuce is growing quite rapidly. After planting seeds, the first shoots quickly spit. The ripeness of green comes 2 weeks after the appearance of the first leaves. Such greens can be safely added to salads, or served with meat dishes.
Cress Salad Danish
Refers to early ripe curly varieties. The ripening period of lettuce is 20-30 days from the moment of seed spitting. Special conditions in growing does not require, the main thing is regular watering and compliance with the temperature regime.
Cress salad openwork
Cress salad openwork refers to curly varieties, undemanding in the care. The ripening period from the first shoots of 20-30 days.
Planting lettuce cress varieties with a correctly calculated interval, you can have tasty and fortified greens on your table every day. In addition, these varieties differ in appearance: from the usual sheet - to curly. Thus, it is possible not only to savor delicious greens every day, but also beautifully decorate her cooked dishes.
Growing the cress of lettuce at home is convenient and non-troublesome. It is possible to carry out planting not only in the soil mixture, but also in a cotton-gauze base. The second method is especially suitable for those who want to obtain vitaminized greens, and there is no possibility to get the soil at all.
Care for cress lettuce does not imply anything supernatural. The plant is quite moisture-loving therefore, in order to successfully grow it, regular watering will be a prerequisite. Also do not forget about compliance with the temperature regime. The plant will not tolerate too dry and hot air.
Following two mandatory rules, success in growing lettuce cress at home is assured. After 15-30 days after the appearance of the first shoots, it will be possible to feast on the first tasty and healthy herbs.
