Radish is a useful root vegetable that contains a lot of vitamins and minerals. It is not so easy to grow it. He does not forgive even the slightest mistakes in leaving. Seeds refuse to sprout, rot in cold and damp soil. Often this plant goes into the arrow. Let's figure out what most often prevents summer residents from growing an excellent radish harvest.
When to sow radishes?
Seeds retain their germination capacity for about 4-5 years, but the freshest seeds are taken for sowing and at least 2.5 millimeters in size. The larger the planting material, the heavier the radish will be. The seeds are soaked 15 minutes before planting, this procedure will have a beneficial effect on their germination. To prevent the plant from giving the arrow ahead of time, the radish must be sown at a certain time. At a low temperature, the formation of the root will slow down, at a high temperature, the root crop will be soft and empty - like cotton wool.
In central Russia, radishes begin to sow after the snow melts and the soil warms up - at the end of March and until the beginning of May, you can sow again in August and until the first half of September. Radish comes in different varieties and with different growing seasons. The early ripening will take from 25 to 45 days, summer - about 100 days, late - up to 4 months.
Experienced gardeners advise in the spring months to cover the beds with crops with a special agrotechnical fabric. Not many summer residents know that radishes do not like weeding and loosening, so they carefully process only the aisles.
In which part of the garden to set up a garden for radish?
The culture prefers sunny or slightly shaded areas. If the garden bed is constantly in the shade, it will build up a green mass, and the fruits will be small and bitter. Radish is a short day culture. Good lighting is a signal for the plant to bloom and seed formation. The root crop stops growing the moment the radish releases an arrow.
Sowing in unprepared soil
Heavy and clayey soils retain moisture; both seed germination and root formation are difficult in them. In such a land, the fruits grow bitter, with coarse fibers.
To get juicy and large root crops, seeds should be sown in fertile and drained slightly acidic or neutral soil with humus content. It is advisable to prepare the bed in the fall - add manure, peat, compost and sand to the soil.
Incorrect sowing depth
When planting, seeds must be laid at a certain depth. If the groove is too large, the germination time will increase, in the worst case they will disappear. Radish, if it grows, will be fibrous, damaged by insects and irregular in shape. Since the roots of the radish are small, it is sown to a depth of 10 millimeters, leaving a distance of 6-8 centimeters between the plants. If you plant roots more often, it will bloom.
Watering errors
Radishes do not like to grow in water, but they will not tolerate drought. With an excess of moisture in the soil, the roots will begin to rot, with insufficient watering, they will wither. Ideally, watering should be drip and regular, about 2 times a week. It is better to moisten the soil in the morning.
Excess nitrogen in the soil
Radish needs additional feeding, however, when choosing fertilizers, preference is given to mixtures containing a minimum of nitrogen. An excess of this element in the soil provokes lignification and impairs the taste of radish. Fresh cattle manure can be applied only in autumn; when applied in spring, the fruits will grow wadded and fibrous.
Violation of crop rotation
Radishes, like all cruciferous plants, cannot be planted in one place for two years in a row. After harvesting, the next one can be planned at this place after at least three years. Otherwise, the plants will be painful and the yield will decrease. It is best to set up a garden for radishes in the place where nightshades, cucumbers, zucchini, and legumes grew.
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