White radish came to us from Asian countries and is currently a popular root crop. Many gardeners prefer this particular plant variety due to its wide variety of beneficial properties. Growing and caring for a white radish does not require much effort, and in this article we will consider all stages of the process - from planting seeds to storing the crop.
About culture
White radish is an annual (typical for summer and early varieties) or two-year (winter varieties) vegetable culture of the Kapustny family. This white root crop comes in many different forms: round, elongated or conical.
In its composition, the vegetable contains the following:
- vitamins A, C, E, H, PP;
- B vitamins;
- minerals: magnesium, calcium, iodine, copper, and others;
- volatile;
- biotin;
- mustard and essential oils.
Dishes prepared from white radish are recommended to be eaten during an epidemic of various viral diseases, and it also contributes to a quick recovery of forces. White radish also helps to recover from certain diseases and has anti-aging properties. Such a list of advantages makes white radish an indispensable guest in your beds.
Varieties of white radish
In white radish, the following varieties are distinguished:
- Daikon. Root crops can be 60 cm long, appreciated for their unpretentiousness, and have a sweetish taste. Productivity - 2.5-3 kg per sq.m. The growing season of daikon is up to 60 days.
- Minovashi. Mid-season, has a delicious and crispy flesh, a little island, suitable for long-term storage. The form is elongated cylindrical. It copes well with drought and heat, matures in 60 days.
- May.Fruits are oval in shape, with a juicy, delicate, lightly spicy taste. This variety is not stored in the winter, it is used fresh in the summer, the first fruits ripen after 50-60 days from germination (early ripe variety).
- Moscow hero. A very early variety of domestic selection, reaches a length of 70-80 cm, suitable for fresh consumption, stored for a long time. The pulp is juicy, crispy, without bitterness. Forms a crop for 80-85 days from germination, yield - 16-17 kg per square meter. m
- Kalancha. Mid-season variety (about 70 days), the weight of the vegetable is 700-850 g, a cylindrical shape with white flesh, with a delicate taste with a small bitterness. Fruits are characterized by good keeping quality.
- Dragon's tooth. This is a new mid-season variety with a high level of productivity, not suitable for storage, and the weight of one fruit can reach 1.5 kg. The period from seedlings to harvesting is 60-70 days, root crops are long, cylindrical. Productivity - 11-13 kg per sq. m
- Winter round white. Mid-season radish, has a long shelf life (several months in the cellar), the pulp is juicy, medium-sharp taste. The shape is rounded. Matures from 80 to 100 days.
- The Dragon. Mid-season variety - from germination to harvesting - 65-70 days. The root crop is a cylindrical shape with a conical run, weight - 0.9-1.0 kg, the pulp is juicy, tender, white, the taste is sweet without a sharp aftertaste.
- Rhinoceros. It is an early ripe variety - a salad with this variety can be tasted at the end of June. Ripening period is 53-57 days. Long root vegetables with a roundish greenish head have a sweet, refreshing taste without pungency. Productivity - up to 7 kg per sq. m
- Grayvoronskaya.Late, productive variety, with large white fruits up to 50 cm long and weighing up to 2 kg, suitable for long-term storage. The pulp is white, dense, slightly juicy, pungent. Productivity - up to 4.5 kg per sq.m. Maturing term - 110-120 days.
- Vakula. Mid-ripening (ripening in 50-60 days), valued for a long shelf life. The plant gives white and juicy large fruits, the length of which can reach up to 50 cm, have delicate pulp, without sharpness.
- The fang of an elephant.Mid-season variety, shape - elongated-cylindrical, length - up to 25 cm in length, color - white, well stored in winter. The taste is juicy, sweet and spicy. Adapted for summer-spring ripening. The period from germination to harvesting is 65-75 days. Productivity - 5-6 kg per square meter. m
- Sasha. It is an early ripe vegetable (35-45 days), weighing from 100 to 400 g, is not stored for long, has an oval shape, has a delicate pulp of an acute sweet taste. Productivity - 2.5 kg per square meter. m
Compatibility with other vegetables
When growing vegetables in the garden, you can pay attention that the harvest from year to year becomes more scarce. The reason is the lack of normal crop rotation when planting vegetables. Violating the rules of compatibility, you can not count on a generous harvest. If you plant compatible crops, then greatly facilitate the process of care, as they need approximately the same procedures and conditions.
Planting plants incompatible with radish can lead to a number of problems:
- the development of fungal infections;
- pest management;
- poor cultural development;
- low yield.
The best predecessors of white radish are legumes:
- lentils
- peanut;
- beans;
- peas.
But you can plant after such crops:
- cucumbers
- peppers;
- zucchini;
- greens;
- eggplant.
You can not plant a radish after representatives of the cruciferous family:
- carrot;
- horseradish;
- cabbage;
- beet;
- radish.
After these crops, you can plant a radish only after 3-4 years.
Preparation for landing
You can plant a radish both in greenhouses and on open ground. Each method has its own nuances.
In the greenhouse
Summer varieties can be grown in film greenhouses - it is sown simultaneously with radishes in early April. Before sowing the beds, you need to dig and add to each square. m. by:
- 20-25 g of ammonium nitrate;
- 40-50 g of superphosphate;
- 25 g of potassium salt.
Sowing is carried out in rows at a distance of 20 cm and 5-6 cm between plants. Sow to a depth of 1-1.5 cm, per 1 sq.m. 2 g of seeds are sown. After this, the crops are closed with a spanbond to increase the temperature of the soil and maintain moisture. Spanbond is removed when seedlings appear.
The temperature suitable for the emergence of seedlings is 18-20 degrees, after which the temperature is lowered and maintained at 6-8 degrees by ventilation for 3-4 days. Watering must be done every 3-4 days, avoiding overdrying, otherwise the radish will shoot. Cleaning is carried out selectively.
In the open ground
Radish can easily tolerate sufficiently low temperatures to -3-4 degrees. she is not afraid of frost, even seedlings can germinate when the temperature drops to + 3-5 degrees.
You can plant a radish in the summer and winter. The best time for landing is late April - early May. Those varieties that can be stored for a long time should be planted in the second half of June. Early ripening varieties should be sown in July - early August.
A good crop can be obtained by landing on a properly selected site - you need to find a well-lit place. Radish grows better on fertile loamy soil - it is a light humus soil with an acidity of 6-7 pH. if the acidity of the soil is increased, then it must be liming, otherwise the plant will hurt, and root crops will begin to deteriorate.
In addition to the soil, seeds must also be prepared - select the largest and highest quality ones. Soak the seeds in a saline solution (1 tbsp. L. Salt in a glass of water) to select the best, after which the seeds must be moved to a weak solution of potassium permanganate to prevent disease.
The landing process itself is as follows:
- Make furrows in the beds at a distance of 30 cm and a depth of 1.5-2 cm.
- Place 3 seeds in the holes in the nests. At the same time, the distance between the nests should be at least 15 cm.
- Fill the grooves with soil and slightly compact.
- Pour abundantly and cover with foil.
- After 5 or 6 days, leave the strongest sprout in each nest.
Landing methods
As already noted, radish can be planted both in spring and in summer. Winter planting is also allowed when using seed of special varieties. There are 2 main methods of planting: seedlings and seedlings, we will talk about them below.
Reckless
Sowing seeds of white radish is carried out in a well-heated treated soil, observing the following procedure:
- form planting holes around the perimeter of the bed - 60 cm along the row spacing, leave a distance of 30-35 cm between the holes;
- pour 0.5-1 l of warm water into each well and sow 2-3 seeds;
- Sprinkle the crops with earth, which must first be lightly tamped with;
- at the last stage, mulch the surface of the beds with dry peat.
The seedless method is used for daikon varieties with long root crops. In addition, a late sowing of culture is carried out in this way, in late July - mid August.
Seedling
For planting in spring, radish seedlings are obtained from seeds at home. To sow white radish seeds, use:
- peat pots up to 0.5 l;
- peat tablets;
- plastic containers with a depth of at least 10 cm.
Soil - neutral and slightly alkaline, can be used both from the garden and purchased - for seedlings of vegetables. To plant root seedlings, follow a simple instruction:
- fill the pots with soil and moisten it;
- place the seeds in containers and sprinkle 2-3 cm of soil;
- cover the pots with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place;
- after the first shoots appear, remove the film and put the pots in a lit place;
- transplant in the beds after the appearance of 3-4 leaves.
Before sowing seedlings, it is recommended to remove the weakest shoots from seeds that will not give a good crop.
Radish Care
White radish is not a picky vegetable and does not deliver any particular difficulties when grown.
Top dressing
For the entire cycle of plant development, it is necessary to feed twice:
- the first time - after the formation and opening of cotyledon leaves;
- the second time - a week after the first feeding.
Due to the fact that the ripening time of early varieties of radish is short, it is only necessary to feed it with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. For example, 0.2% sodium or lime-ammonium nitrate.
Late-ripened varieties are fertilized once a week with a solution of mineral fertilizers (60 g of superphosphate, 20 g of urea and 15 g of calcium chloride). At the same time, a bucket of water is consumed on a 20 m row. The plant needs nitrogen in large doses, so complex fertilizers need to be alternated with nitrogen. 3 weeks before harvesting, all top dressing should be stopped.
Manure for feeding is not used, as it "stimulates" the division of vegetables.
Thinning
Thinning is a necessary procedure, because thickening of crops increases the risk of peduncles, deformation and coarsening of the fruit.
First, thin out after a pair of true leaves is formed - the plants can be removed completely or pinched, leaving a distance of 8-10 cm. Next, the radish is thinned out in the phase of formation of 4-5 leaves at a distance of 12-15 cm, for winter varieties 20 cm
Watering
Watering of early ripening varieties should be carried out 2-3 times a week, and autumn radish is moistened less often - only 4-5 times for the whole season. Radish needs abundant watering - 11-13 liters per square meter.
The main condition for irrigation is regularity, because plentiful moisture after a long drought can lead to cracking of the root crop, and from a lack of water the flesh becomes hard, wooden. Mulching helps preserve water and minimize the frequency of watering.
Radish Processing
If the radish is affected by fungal diseases, it should be sprayed with a product that contains copper, for example:
- Bordeaux mixture;
- copper oxychloride;
- copper sulfate.
Bushes must be processed strictly according to the instructions, which are presented on the product packaging. If the radish was hit by a mosaic, then the plants affected by it must be removed from the earth and destroyed in order to avoid the disease of neighboring bushes.
To get rid of pests, it is necessary to process the beds with insecticidal drugs, which can be purchased in specialized stores. But the main method of protecting the culture from diseases and parasites is to process the seed material and soil before sowing, as well as remember the rules of crop rotation and agricultural technology of the white radish.
Diseases and Pests
Belonging to the cruciferous family determines the list of diseases and pests dangerous to it:
- Cruciferous flea. It is able to destroy all the foliage on plants, which causes a violation of photosynthesis and inhibition of root growth.
- Cabbage butterfly. Lays eggs in the leaves of the radish, and the caterpillars that leave them in a short time can destroy the tops, which causes the death of plants.
- Cabbage fly. Dangerous for early varieties that ripen in May. Flies lay eggs in the soil near cruciferous crops. Larvae feed on the roots of the plant, which leads to the death of seedlings of radish.
- Slug. Dangerous for ripening root crops. They come out at night and hit the stem and part of the radish protruding above the surface.
- Bacteriosis. A viral disease that is triggered by excess water in the soil. There are two types - vascular and mucous.
- White rot. Damage and discoloration of tissues.
- Powdery mildew. Affects petioles and leaves, sometimes stems.
- Blackleg. Fungal infection of the upper part of the root crop and the lower part of the leafy outlet.
Shooting problem
There are situations when the radish, instead of releasing the fruit, begins to bush very much and release the arrow. There are several reasons for this:
- does not meet planting time for the requirements of the variety;
- extreme heat, insufficient watering;
- brute force with organic fertilizers.
If the radish has released an arrow, then you need to say goodbye to it - the root crop will turn out to be tough and underdeveloped. Sometimes a pair of such flowering plants may leave seeds for ripening for further propagation. But food arrow plants are unsuitable.
The appearance of the arrow means that you need to reconsider your departure - if the planting period is too early, then you can save the crop by artificially shortening the daylight hours (covering the bed).
If the cause of the shooters is heat, then you can avoid the situation with morning and evening waterings in small volumes - this stimulates the growth of root crops.
Lowering the nutritional value of the soil is harder, but you can try to acidify the site - to correct the pH, you can water the radish with a solution of citric acid at the rate of 2 tbsp. on a bucket of water. The resulting liquid is applied by uniform watering no more than two times over the entire development period.
Harvesting and storage
The collection of early varieties of radish, which was grown in the greenhouse, begins in late May - you need to dig up root crops, which have reached 3-4 cm in diameter. The remaining vegetables are picked as they ripen all summer.
Mid-season plants sown in early June are dug up in late August. Harvest of winter radish can be harvested in late autumn, but the weather should be dry and without frost. Daikon is usually dug up in October.
From the dug root crops shake off the soil, remove small roots, cut the tops. Before laying for storage, vegetables are inspected, damaged root crops are discarded.
Summer radish is stored in boxes or plastic bags with openings:
- at room conditions - a week;
- in the refrigerator - up to 20 days.
Autumn and winter varieties are put in a box and sprinkled with wet sand. Keep the radish either in the refrigerator or in the basement.
Storage temperature should be 1-3 degrees, humidity - 80-90%. The shelf life of such a radish is 200 days. In the basement, radish should be kept next to carrots and potatoes.
The popularity of white radish is only gaining momentum every year - almost every gardener tries to grow a bed of this vegetable, which has impressive beneficial properties. Knowing the basic rules for planting vegetables, it will not be difficult for you to plant a radish in order to subsequently get an excellent harvest.
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