. Contentsthan to feed carrots?
- How to grow a good crop of carrots in the garden plot - video
Carrots are a tasty and healthy crop brought to our region from the Mediterranean coast more than 4,000 years ago. The only vegetable that arrived from Europe to America, and not vice versa.
Much has changed since the beginning of the cultivation of carrots: the root crop “repainted” from violet to the usual orange one, it became sweeter and, unfortunately, “capricious”.Now, in order to harvest a good harvest, gardeners should not only work hard, but also carefully study the basic rules of carrot care!
Basic rules for irrigating carrots in open ground
Carrots are a sun-loving plant that is traditionally planted in sunny areas, darkened no more than two hours a day. It is not surprising that it needs to be watered often and abundantly:
Watering equipment
In order to prevent seed leaching( heaving) of seeds, delayed germination of seedlings and a sharp decrease in soil temperature during watering, its strength is controlled using special equipment:
- Garden watering can be considered the most suitable tool for watering carrots: with a long and thin pipe and a divider of average diameter. It is better that the divider be removable - this can be cleaned or replaced from time to time with a new one.
- If the crops occupy a very large area, but there is no time to “mess around” with a watering can, you will need a high-quality hose: durable, flexible, resistant to creases, with a spray nozzle at the end.
Buckets - absolutely not suitable equipment for watering carrots. You should not use them on your bed, especially if we are talking about young shoots.
Watering seeds and first shoots of
Carrot seeds absorb a lot of water during germination - up to 100% of its own weight. Therefore, the bed prepared for them is moistened both before and after sowing. It is thanks to the careful irrigation of the soil that it is possible to avoid excessive surface evaporation of moisture and the accompanying burning of young carrot tops.
Watering frequency and water consumption
Watering young, immature shoots of carrots is carried out quite often - every 3-4 days in hot weather. As the bushes grow, the rate of irrigation is reduced: water is watered as the soil dries out, every 5-7 days( or so).Water consumption is, on average, 15 liters per 1 square meter.
Considering how intensively and how often to water carrots, consider the climatic conditions of your region, the type and quality of the soil, the proximity of groundwater, as well as other factors of this kind. An exemplary irrigation schedule is not the ultimate truth - it can increase or decrease.
Watering time
Watering carrots is best in the early morning. Evening watering also does not harm the plants( if the night is warm).Daytime irrigation is recommended. However, if such is unavoidable, it is necessary to water the carrots very carefully, so that splashes of water and dirt do not fall on the stems and leaves.
Water Temperature
The carrot water temperature also has certain requirements. Best of all, in hot weather, it is slightly cooler( 18-22 ° C), on cloudy days - slightly warmer( 25-30 ° C).Watering carrots in open ground with water whose temperature is less than 10 ° C is recommended to be discarded.
Spraying
A good effect is spraying carrots with salt water( or salt water with lime) at night. It helps get rid of slugs, as well as some other pests.
Consequences of improper irrigation
Weak irrigation leads to the growth of side shoots and other deformations of carrots. In fact, it does not grow inland, but in breadth, and therefore does not receive enough nutrients from the soil.
Excessive watering contributes to the spread of the fungus that causes various diseases of carrots. Especially dangerous is the overmoistening of the soil in the "combination" with its insufficient fertilizer nutrients.
Basic rules for feeding carrots in open ground
In addition to watering, the basic care of carrots involves the timely application of fertilizer to the soil. Fertilizer is necessary for the plant for full growth, nutrition, strengthen the immune system and increase vitality. The health, taste, appearance and duration of storage of the crop will depend on how correct and timely the feeding is.
So, how to feed carrots?
- Nitrogen. At the beginning of the summer of carrots, nitrogen is vital, a substance that is responsible for the growth of green mass and the formation of the ground part of plants. With a lack of nitrogen tops to stop growth, the leaves become shallow, lose their color intensity, turn yellow and die. Fruits grow small and dry.
- Potassium. During intensive growth, carrots are extremely in need of potassium. Potash fertilizers not only provide normal photosynthesis of plants, but also protect roots from damage by all sorts of fungal and viral diseases. Potassium deficiency can be determined by the shrub height, bronze color, brown leaf tips and too much development of the above-ground part of the carrot( developing to the detriment of the root).
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Phosphorus. On the hottest days, carrots need a sufficient amount of phosphorus - a substance responsible for reducing properties and tissue development. The lack of phosphorus can be easily identified by the appearance of the “patient”: first, reddish or purple stripes appear on the leaves, then they completely change color, curl and dry out( this picture resembles the picture of a carrot fly).The whole plant is stunted. Fruits form dwarf, weak, thin, with pointed( rather than rounded) ends. Not happy and their taste. - Manganese and Barium. Manganese and barium is better than feeding carrots and beets at the time of the growth of root crops. The lack of these elements is easily identified by the white or red spots on the upper leaves and the dark( almost black) core of the root crop.
- Bor. In the middle of summer, feeding carrots in the open field consists in adding boron. Boron - one of the most important trace elements for crops, which is responsible for the regulation of pollination, fertilization, protein and carbohydrate metabolism and, of course, the taste of the fruit( increases the amount of sugars).Boron deficiency can be determined by marginal and apical leaf necrosis, yellowing of veins, inhibition of plant development and some other external features.
Which fertilizer to choose?
Natural biostimulants suitable for feeding carrots are ash, mullein, compost, lime, nettle, burdock and chamomile decoctions. However, the use of organic matter has a lot of minuses: the complexity of storage, preparation, calculation of the dosage of the solution and so on. Often does more harm than good. To resort to organic fertilizers is only those who fear all kinds of "chemistry", does not want to recognize it and loves to experiment.
Prepared complex fertilizers, liquid fraction or in granules, in turn, are very simple to use. Yes, and in composition often significantly superior to organics. The choice of drugs suitable for carrots is enormous: Fitosporin-M, Trichodermin, Hamair, Glyocladin, Uniflor-Bud and so on.
Important nuances of
- In order to increase the "immunity" of carrots, it must be fed with potassium sulphate 10-14 days before harvesting.
- Before feeding plants, the soil should be moistened with simple clean water.
- Carrot feeding is applied individually to each plant.
- The site must be lime once every few years. Lime is paid at the rate of 0.4 kg / 1 square meter.
- Boric solution is applied at the rate of 2-3 liters of mixture / 1 linear meter.
- A solution of manganese and barium is prepared in the proportion of 1 tsp. / 10 liters of water.
- Salt solution is prepared in proportion 1 tablespoon of table salt / 10 liters of water.
- The clay composition of the soil is watered less frequently, and sandy - more often.
- Garden beds along the wall or fence are watered more often, less often in the shade of trees.
- In the dry season, the beds are watered more often, on cloudy days - less often.
