Agrotechnical features and rules for growing radish in open soil

The Brassicaceae (cruciferous) family includes radish, radish (daikon), turnip, and rutabaga — all cold-hardy plants. They tolerate spring frosts well, so their seed can be sown in early spring, at the first opportunity to prepare the soil for sowing. Radish. Among root crops, radish is the most early-maturing plant; it matures in 24—35 days after sowing, depending on the cultivar, sowing dates, and spring weather conditions. Therefore, to obtain a more uniform harvest of radishes, it is necessary not only to correctly plan sowing dates but also to grow several cultivars that differ in root crop maturation times. Radish seedlings tolerate short-term frosts down to -4°C, and adult plants down to -6°C. Radish grows well at 10—12°C, but the optimal temperature for root crop formation is 16—20°C. Radish is a light-demanding plant, so in dense sowings, the plants stretch and root crops do not form. Radish forms root crops better under a short day length, while under a long day, it bolts faster. In the middle latitudes, the day length reaches 14 hours by mid-April and exceeds 16 hours by mid-May. To obtain large and juicy root crops under such conditions, enthusiasts cover the plants with an opaque material, starting from emergence, for two to three weeks from 18—20:00 to 6—8:00. During the growing season, radishes must be watered regularly. Even a minor drought can ruin everything: root crops will become flabby and bitter, and subsequent watering will no longer help. However, at the same time, daily watering, especially if done both morning and evening, as often happens, is unacceptable: excess soil moisture causes the soil to compact, and plants grow poorly and bolt. Radishes should be watered on sunny days in the evening, and it is mandatory to loosen the soil after watering. Light, fertile soil that has been used for crops to which organic fertilizer was applied is an important factor for obtaining good root crops. Regardless of this, it is useful to apply a bucket of compost or humus mixed with nitrophoska (two tablespoons per 1 m2) under the radish. Often, radish sowings are very dense, in which case the plants are stunted and bolt prematurely. Thinning of sowings does not yield positive results. It is recommended to plant sprouted seed, placing them at a distance of 5 cm in a row, and 15 cm between rows. In this case, the root crops are not perfectly even, but they are dense, juicy, and there is no bolting. Radish seed should be covered no deeper than 2.5 cm, otherwise, the root crops will have an elongated shape and be fibrous. It is better to arrange rows from east to west; this way, plants are better illuminated in the morning and evening and overheat less during the midday hours. Among the early-maturing cultivars, the most common are: Zarya, Zhara, Saksa, Rubin; Rotovo-krasny s belym konchikom matures a few days later. For later sowings, you can use the Würzburg cultivar, which is distinguished by large root crops. Repeated sowings are best done when the first true leaf begins to appear on the seedlings of the previous sowing date. A guaranteed early harvest of radishes can be obtained during early spring sowing under temporary film covers in compliance with all conditions that prevent plant bolting. Any early-maturing cultivar can be grown, but the best of them is Ranny Krasny, as its plants stretch less under a lack of light. Radish, like leafy vegetables, can be grown in the spacing between early cabbage rows, placing it every other row so as not to interfere with the inter-row tillage of the cabbage. By the time the cabbage grows, the radish will be harvested. To obtain seed, you need to leave four to five plants with large root crops and a small leaf rosette — a sign of radish earliness. One plant produces up to 40 g of seed. When growing your own seed, you must remember that radish is a cross-pollinating plant, i.e., one cultivar can be pollinated by another cultivar, as well as by blooming wild radish plants, which sharply degrades the quality of the radish. Therefore, you can grow your own seed of only one cultivar and ensure that there are no wild radish plants nearby, within a radius of 300 m. To improve the sowing qualities of the seed, it is useful to pinch the floral shoot at a height of 10—12 cm, which will enhance the branching of the seed plants and increase the yield of seed. To accelerate seed ripening, you should pinch off side shoots that have not finished blooming by July 25. Before flowering, the seed plants should be fed with a solution of superphosphate (three tablespoons per bucket of water) and potassium chloride (one tablespoon per bucket of water). Plants that have produced floral shoots earlier than others should be culled, as they may cause premature bolting in plants sown the following year. Seed plants should be cut after the stems and pods have turned yellow, dried for 8—10 days, and immediately threshed. Store the seed at room temperature. Late-maturing large-fruited cultivars Dungansky and Krasny Velikan should not be used for early sowings, as they are more prone to bolting and are therefore suitable only for summer sowings, when the day length decreases. These cultivars should be sown twice as sparsely as early-maturing radish cultivars. Radish (daikon), like radish, is susceptible to bolting due to overcrowding, lack of moisture, or soil compaction — in short, when plants are stressed. Seed can be sown in early spring at the same time as radish, also preferably sprouted, at a distance of 6 cm with the intention of thinning them to every other plant once the root crops form, for use as food. The growing conditions for radish (daikon) are the same as for radish. Early-maturing radish (daikon) cultivars with mildly flavored root crops: Odesskaya 5 matures one and a half months after emergence, and Rannyaya Mayskaya matures in two months. Turnip. Its growing season is three months, but the root crops can be eaten after two months. A feature of the root crops is that when there is a lack of moisture, they not only lose their juiciness but also become bitter and acquire a sharp, unpleasant smell. The taste of turnip improves with the application of potash and sodium fertilizers, in particular sodium nitrate. A good fertilizer for turnips is table salt (one teaspoon per 1 m2, mixed with nitrophoska — two tablespoons). Turnip seed is very small, so it is better to sow it mixed with sand (1:10) and thin the seedlings first to 4 cm, and then to every other plant for use as food. A common folk-bred turnip cultivar is Petrovskaya (Voshanka).

The Krasnoselskaya cultivar of swede has a denser root than the turnip and a sweet taste. Its growing season is four months, but the roots can be consumed two months after early spring sowing at a distance of 8 cm, followed by thinning to every other plant. Swedes are also grown using transplants. Care for the plants is standard. The celery (umbelliferous) family includes carrots, parsley, parsnips, and celery; all are cold-hardy plants, and parsley and parsnips overwinter well under snow. The seed of these plants germinates slowly. With early spring sowing, emergence occurs in three weeks, or two weeks under favorable weather conditions; the seedlings also grow slowly and are outpaced by weeds, therefore, when thinning seedlings, it is necessary to weed the crops thoroughly. Carrots grow well on light sandy loam soils, as well as on light loams, in plots where crops were well-fertilized with organic fertilizer. On denser soils, lenticels develop on the roots, which, as they enlarge, give them an ugly appearance. When manure is applied directly for carrots, the roots also turn out branched due to damage to the root cap of the taproot; therefore, only mineral fertilizers are applied for carrots, just as for parsley and parsnips (two to three tablespoons of garden fertilizer mixture or nitrophoska per 1 m2). On sandy soils, it is necessary to apply top dressing to plants with potassium-magnesium (one tablespoon per 1 m2), and on peat soils — with potassium fertilizers (two tablespoons per 1 m2). To accelerate emergence, seeds sorted in water are sprouted, then kept at 0° C for five days and dried before sowing until they are free-flowing, mixed with sand (1:5) and sown. Fresh seeds can be soaked for 24 hours, changing the water two or three times. Mulching carrot crops is just as necessary as mulching onion crops. To obtain good roots early, seedlings should be thinned to 2 cm upon the appearance of the second true leaf; a second thinning of already formed roots is carried out for food consumption. Plant care consists of maintaining soil moisture with infrequent irrigation followed by loosening the soil. It should be taken into account that carrots need more irrigation when the roots are forming, but uneven irrigation followed by soil drying causes the roots to resume growth and crack during the next irrigation. Of all the root crops of this family, the Nantes 4 cultivar of carrot is the earliest-ripening. When sown before winter, the roots reach a diameter of 1.5 cm by mid-June, and with early spring sowing using sprouted seeds, the plants reach this diameter at the end of June — beginning of July. Parsley and parsnips are more demanding of moisture than carrots. They grow better on fertile, light-textured soils (light humus floodplain soils, as well as peat soils). It is better to thin parsley seedlings to a distance of 3 cm, and parsnips to 4 cm. Parsnip roots differ from parsley in their yellow-white color, larger size, delicate aroma, and sweet taste. Parsnips form a larger leaf rosette, so they should be planted with 25 cm between rows. The amaranth family includes beet and chard. Beets have the most favorable ratio of phosphorus and potassium salts for the body and are rich in manganese. Beet roots contain betaine, which, when converted into choline (a B-group vitamin) in the body, protects against atherosclerosis. Beet is a crop that is not demanding of soil conditions. It grows well on various soils. Before sowing, it is necessary to sort the seeds, choosing the large ones, as they produce larger roots. It is better to sow beets with sprouted seeds into moist soil, then emergence occurs in five to eight days; when sowing with dry seeds, only on the 10th-12th day at a soil temperature of no less than 10° C. At a temperature of 4° C, when seeds begin to germinate, emergence is delayed for 15-20 days. Soaking seeds for 24 hours in a solution of superphosphate (10 g per 1 l of water) or baking soda (10 g per 1 l of water) helps accelerate emergence. For pre-winter sowing, it is better to sow pelleted seeds. Beet seedlings can withstand frosts down to -3° C, however, it is better to sow seeds somewhat later than carrot seeds to prevent premature bolting of the plant. Plants of almost all beet cultivars during a long and cold spring, as well as with pre-winter sowing, overgrow, bypassing the root-forming phase. Only two cultivars — Podzimnyaya and Kholodostoykaya — develop normally both during early spring and pre-winter sowing. Cultivars with flat roots are distinguished by early ripening: Gribovskaya Ploskaya, Sibirskaya Ploskaya, Pushkinskaya Ploskaya, Polyarnaya Ploskaya, Yegipetskaya Ploskaya. Cultivars with spherical roots ripen somewhat later: Bordo, Nesravnennaya. Beets grow well on floodplain and peat soils, as well as when organic fertilizers are applied with the addition of mineral fertilizers in higher doses than for carrots. The fact is that beet seedlings tolerate a concentration of mineral salts 6 times higher than carrot seedlings, however, this does not mean that 6 times more fertilizer should be applied for beets than for carrots. It is enough to increase the dose of fertilizer by 2 times, specifically by applying 2/3 of the dose before digging and 1/3 before raking. Beets respond well to top dressing: with nitrogen fertilizers in the first half of growth, and with potassium fertilizers during root growth. Unlike a number of vegetable crops, it is preferable to apply potassium chloride for them. It should be noted that potassium fertilizers increase the sugar content of the roots, but the sugar content increases even more when top dressing with sodium (table salt — a teaspoon per bucket of water per 1 m2). The dose of other mineral fertilizers should not exceed three tablespoons. Adding 2 g of boric acid or 3 g of borax during top dressing protects the roots from heart rot. Beets are very demanding of moisture, despite the fact that they have a more powerful root system than other root crops. Plants need irrigation both in the first period of growth and during root formation. It can often be observed that beet plants stop growing after emergence and build up leaves very slowly. The reason for this should be sought in the increased acidity of the soil. With a soil solution reaction of pH 5.0, mass death of seedlings even occurs. The most favorable reaction is pH 5.8-6.5. That is why for the successful growth of beets on sod-podzolic soils of the Non-Chernozem zone, it is necessary to perform liming, and when sowing, apply an organo-mineral mixture with lime or chalk in the rows; instead of lime, three glasses of ash per 1 m2 can be applied. Beet seedlings should be thinned upon the appearance of the second or third true leaf to 3 cm, and during root formation — every other plant for food consumption. It should be noted that if the first thinning of beet seedlings is not timely, so-called "stalking" of the roots can occur, i.e., growth of plants without root formation. The appearance of the plant changes drastically: the petioles become long and thin, the leaves narrow and pale green in color, and they spread across the ground. Such plants should be removed, making room for the growth of normal plants. Simultaneously with thinning, the soil is loosened, and voids formed after removing plants are filled with loose soil to avoid drying out the soil. It is useful to apply top dressing to plants with nitrogen-potassium fertilizers after each thinning. The size of the roots should not exceed a diameter of 10 cm, as their quality deteriorates when they overgrow. THE TRANSPLANT METHOD OF GROWING EARLY VEGETABLES The transplant method makes it possible to harvest vegetable crops 30-35 days earlier than when sowing them in open ground. Creating favorable conditions for young plants in protected ground contributes to obtaining good, resistant to unfavorable weather conditions, strong, high-quality transplants and the earliest vegetable harvest. Vegetable transplants were previously grown in hotbeds, but with the appearance of plastic greenhouses and due to the shortage of fresh horse manure, transplants began to be grown in plastic greenhouses. Their advantages have also been revealed: it turns out that transplants grow faster in plastic greenhouses than in hotbeds, thanks to better lighting of the plants, the ability to create better temperature regimes and soil humidity. To this, one must add more comfortable working conditions. If necessary, transplants can also be grown in indoor conditions if the windows are located on the south or southeast side. For better lighting of plants, some vegetable growers place a mirror screen facing the window or one made of galvanized iron, which reflects light onto the transplants. However, if the transplant growing period is reduced by 7-10 days in plastic greenhouses, then in indoor conditions this period must be reduced by another 5-7 days to avoid the stretching of transplants due to poorer lighting. Furthermore, if weather conditions do not allow for the planting of transplants, pots with them should be placed further apart when the plants close up, so as not to allow the stretching of the transplants either. During the period of growing transplants, a suspension of plant growth is observed twice due to damage to the roots. The first time this happens when removing seedlings for pricking out (transplanting them to a new place with a larger feeding area), the second time when selecting already finished transplants for planting them in open ground. As for pricking out, in essence, there is no great need for it. A number of experiments have proven that transplants grown without pricking out produce an earlier and higher yield than those with pricking out. More serious damage to the root system of plants occurs when selecting transplants from the soil of a plastic greenhouse or from boxes when growing transplants indoors. The root system of the transplants spreads to the sides, intertwining with the roots of neighboring plants and reaching a diameter of 15 cm or more. Therefore, even with careful selection of transplants, when they try to preserve a lump of earth at the roots, up to 90% of the roots break off, and the most active part of the roots is destroyed — the small ones, with root hairs, with the help of which water and a solution of nutrients enter the plant. When planting such transplants, the remaining roots are initially unable to supply water to the plant, part of the plants die, and 10-15 days are required for the restoration of the root system in the surviving transplants after transplantation, even under favorable weather conditions. While the roots are growing, part of the leaves die due to a lack of moisture and nutrients, the plant wilts and, weakened, loses its resistance to low temperatures. As a result, the early harvest is lost, which is basically why transplants are grown.

Growing transplants in pots or cups (paper or plastic) allows for the complete preservation of the root system of plants during transplanting. Thanks to this, the transplants do not get sick, develop normally, and with sufficient irrigation, can withstand short-term cold spells, and cabbage — even frosts. Potting soil provides young plants with nutrients during the critical early period, when their consumption per unit of dry matter is at its maximum. In addition, the introduced substrate continues to serve as a source of nutrition in the garden bed, and its microorganisms convert the elements of the soil itself into an assimilable form.

Requirements for seedling mixtures and their components

The seedling substrate must be water- and air-permeable, moisture-retentive, must not form a crust upon drying, and must not contain pathogens or pests. The main components of a high-quality mixture are lowland peat, humus, and sod soil. The peat used should be well-decomposed and aerated, preferably with a neutral reaction. Acidic peat must be subjected to liming. Peat absorbs on average 2 times more potassium oxide than humus and 7–8 times more than sod soil, which allows for the application of high doses of fertilizer without a dangerous increase in the concentration of the soil solution.

The ability of the components to retain water depends on their degree of decomposition and directly affects the quality of the finished transplants. Well-decomposed peat can be pressed between the fingers, and the water squeezed out is clear and has a yellow color. The comparative moisture capacity of the main materials is shown below:

• Fertilizers for transplants per 1 m² — up to 1 kg
• Nitrogen content in humus — 1.4%
• Phosphorus content in humus — 2.2%
• Potassium content in humus — 1.3%
• Duration of the mixture's initial nutrition — 2 weeks

Preparation of the substrate and mineral nutrition

The best results are obtained with a mixture containing all three organic components. However, in their absence, the recipe can be adjusted without losing the quality of the transplants. To obtain a balanced substrate, follow the sequence of operations below:

1. Determine the acidity of the peat. If the reaction is acidic, perform liming two weeks before preparing the mixture.
2. Mix the organic components. In the absence of peat, use sod soil and humus. If there is no humus, take sawdust (pre-moisten them with nitrogen fertilizer to protect against nitrogen loss during decomposition). In the absence of sod soil, use fertile garden soil.
3. Add mineral fertilizers to the mixture, as the natural supply of nutrients in the organic matter lasts only for the first two weeks.

A substrate based on aged compost is considered optimal. It provides plants with a complete complex of organic matter. Use the following proportions of components for its preparation:

When selecting mineral fertilizers, it is important to use forms that do not excessively increase the salt concentration. Of the nitrogen fertilizers, urea or ammonium sulfate are preferred. Phosphorus is applied in the form of granular superphosphate (simple or double). Potash fertilizers (potassium sulfate or potassium nitrate) can be replaced with wood ash. For cucumber and tomato transplants, an increased dose of phosphorus fertilizers is necessary, as they require phosphorus from the moment the seed germinates.