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How to grow horseradish correctly

Horseradish country

Horseradish is very unpretentious and hardy. Many gardeners do not allow it on their plots, considering it a malicious weed. But in fairness, it should be noted that this healthy vegetable becomes such only if it is improperly looked after.

Temperature... Horseradish is a frost-resistant plant that overwinters well in the open field. Horseradish tolerates frosts down to -25 ° С and spring frosts after regrowth of leaves up to -10 ° С. Such cold resistance makes it possible to grow this crop even in the most northern regions of Russia. Horseradish can withstand temperature extremes in winter and early winter thaws. Of course, this applies to mature, rooted plants. For seedlings, lowering the temperature to -6 ... -7 ° C can be fatal. Favorable temperature for horseradish growth is + 17 ... + 20 ° С. Temperatures above + 25 ° С have a negative effect on plant development, reducing the growth rate and increasing the risk of diseases. Temperatures above + 30 ° C are destructive for this culture: the growth of leaves stops, they become rough and dry out.

The soil... The culture is demanding on soil fertility and sensitive to soil salinity. Neutral or slightly acidic areas work best. A wet area with a deep arable layer, loamy or sandy loam soil, sufficiently permeable subsoil and low-standing groundwater (no closer than 1.5 m from the soil surface) is well suited for growing horseradish.

Predecessors and crop rotation... The best predecessors for horseradish: cucumber, tomato, potatoes, table and feed roots - with the exception of cabbage and legumes. After horseradish, it is better to grow potatoes or perennial grasses on the site, which will oppress young shoots that have emerged from the remnants of rhizomes.

When choosing a site for planting horseradish, it is worth considering that some crops cannot stand the neighborhood of horseradish, for example, such as artichoke, rutabagas, turnips, carrots, bell peppers, scorzonera.

The most reasonable decision would be to find a site suitable for ordinary horseradish far from other plants - on the border of the site, along the fence or in the corner of the garden, and take timely measures to limit its desire to creep in all directions.

Horseradish cuttings

Landing... Planting horseradish in open ground is usually done by cuttings. When planting in the soil, make an oblique (30–45 degrees) depression of the required length. A horseradish root is immersed in the recess. Planting is best done with a row spacing of 0.7–0.8 m and a gap between adjacent plants in a row of 30–40 cm. When planting, do not confuse the upper and lower ends of the cutting, plant at an angle, immersing the apical bud by 4–5 cm and sprinkling it soil by 3-5 cm. The soil should be slightly compacted with your foot. With such a planting scheme for 1 sq.m. there are 4-6 plants.

Horseradish is rarely grown from seeds. With this method of planting, like any other winter-hardy crop, sowing seeds can be carried out directly into the ground in spring or before winter. The soil must be prepared in advance in the same way as for planting cuttings.

To limit the spread of horseradish on the site, gardeners sometimes plant it in a barrel or bucket filled with a nutrient mixture from compost or humus with soil. Next, the container is buried in the ground so that the sides rise above the surface by 2-3 cm. 2-3 rhizomes can be placed in each bucket, and 5-6 in the barrel. Watering and feeding plants planted in a barrel or bucket is carried out according to the general scheme.

Top dressing... The crop is very responsive to fertilization. In the first half of the growing season, horseradish most of all needs nitrogen, in the second - in potassium. It consumes phosphorus relatively evenly. Of great importance when growing horseradish is the provision of soil with microelements - iron, manganese, copper, zinc, boron and molybdenum, which improve the chemical composition of rhizomes, increasing the content of vitamins and enzymes.

Top dressing is required when growing horseradish, not only on poor, but also on rich soils. Organic fertilizers (humus, compost) are applied in the fall before plowing or digging up the soil (8-10 kg / m²) or early in the spring (6-8 kg / m²). On soils rich in humus, the doses are reduced. Simultaneously with organic fertilizers, 10-50 g of double superphosphate and 20-25 g of potassium chloride are applied per 1 sq. m. Strongly acidic soils are limed in autumn at the rate of 0.4-0.8 kg of lime materials per 1 sq. m.

It is also desirable to carry out two dressings: the first is carried out 3-4 weeks after planting, adding 5-10 g of ammonium nitrate, 7-10 g of superphosphate and 5-10 g of potassium sulfate per 1 sq. M .; the second - in the middle of summer, simultaneously with hilling. 5-6 g of ammonium nitrate, 12-15 g of superphosphate, 8-10 g of potassium sulfate are introduced per 1 m². If the cultivated products are intended for winter storage, the doses of potash fertilizers are increased.

Illumination... Horseradish can grow in shaded areas with different day lengths, but it gives a high yield only in high light conditions. Therefore, the place for its cultivation in the garden should be away from dense tree or shrub plantations.

Horseradish country

Watering... Horseradish is also demanding on soil and air moisture. During the entire growing season, there is a high need for watering horseradish. The optimum soil moisture during the cultivation of this crop should be 60-70% of the total field moisture capacity. Horseradish can grow both with a lack of moisture and with excessive moisture, but at the same time the quality of the rhizomes deteriorates and the yield decreases.

Watering is regular, especially during the first time after planting. At first - every 7-10 days at the rate of 2-3 l / m2 (in dry weather, watering is more frequent). After rooting, horseradish should be watered only in the absence of precipitation (3-4 l / m2).

Care behind the plant requires constant maintenance of soil looseness, 3-4 treatments between plants, 2-3 weeding and 1-2 hilling. Moreover, the looseness of the soil is one of the main conditions for growing horseradish. Usually, 3 loosening is carried out during the summer: 7–8 days after disembarkation (depth 3–4 cm); then after germination of seedlings (depth 6–8 cm); then after another 12-14 days (by 10-12 cm). They loosen the soil near young plants with a rake, carefully so as not to damage the horseradish roots. Hilling of plants begins in the middle of summer. In dry years, it is replaced by loosening the row spacings.

To improve the quality of the harvest at the beginning of summer, extra rosettes that are formed on each plant are removed. They are cut with a sharp knife, leaving no more than two on one plant.

Harvest... Horseradish rhizomes grow vigorously at the end of the growing season, so early harvesting reduces the quantity and quality of the crop. The horseradish is harvested when the leaves turn yellow and begin to die off. Rhizomes are dug up with a pitchfork or shovels, shaking off the ground, the leaves are cut off, the lateral and thin lower roots are removed (they can then be used as planting material).

Read also articles:

  • Useful properties of horseradish
  • Horseradish in cooking
Horseradish country

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