All about planting daikon radish seeds in open ground, as well as about growing it in a greenhouse
Daikon radish is an exceptional culture bred with the help of Japanese breeders.
In its homeland, it has long been used as a staple food and is included in the basic diet.
And there is nothing strange, because its composition is replete with useful substances and vitamins of different groups. However, in Russia, the cultivation of this root crop is not yet popular.
Features of the plant and the timing of its ripening
The plant is not afraid of the cold and requires plenty of natural light, and therefore, long daylight hours. Daikon radish is unpretentious to the type of soil, and is able to grow even on clay surfaces. The plant is ripe, and with proper care ripens within 50-70 days, but does not tolerate a lack of moisture and drought. Daikon has healing properties and enhances immunity.
Then plant?
The most pleasant predecessors for the Japanese radish are:
- peas;
- peanut;
- beans;
- cucumbers
- zucchini;
- pepper;
- eggplant;
- greenery.
You can not plant it after representatives of the same genus, “Cruciferous,” because radish can inherit diseases and parasites from them.
It concerns:
- cabbage;
- carrots;
- beets;
- horseradish;
- radish.
About the neighbors in the garden
The question of the compatibility of radish with other crops arises, since improperly selected neighbors adversely affect the vegetable and provoke diseases, while beneficial ones, on the contrary, contribute to healthy growth and a plentiful harvest. A more correct option is planting on the same bed with a salad or bush beans.
But not less It is comfortable and useful to have a daikon with:
- cucumbers;
- Tomatoes
- potatoes
- onions.
In addition to vegetables, flowers that will help get rid of unwanted insects will be suitable roommates in the garden for radishes:
- nasturtium;
- marigold;
- clover;
- calendula;
- fragrant lavender.
Varieties
There are several types of classification of this culture:
- the depth of root crops;
- depending on the length of the growing season;
- in the form of root crops and their size;
- depending on soil characteristics.
Minovashi
This is a common group of early ripe species, bearing fruits with white and juicy, slightly sharp flesh. They have an elongated cylindrical shape, in the regions of the middle strip grow up to 50 cm. Depth during landing - up to 75% of the length. Above the ground, the plant forms a lush rosette of tops, which can include up to 40 leaves on one root crop.
Grade Advantages:
- stable productivity (From 1 sq. meter collect up to 12 kg of product);
- early ripening;
- unpretentiousness in leaving;
- ecological purity (neither the vegetable itself nor the tops contain hazardous substances).
Minovashi, with their oblong fruits and tender roots, it is better not to transplant and dive and land immediately in the ground. The soil should be light, moderately loose. A serious condition is the non-acidity of the earth. If necessary, fertilizing is applied to the soil at the same time as watering. It is better to use complex fertilizers with minerals, and organic fertilizers should be avoided.
It is necessary to water the plants regularly, because the lack of water makes root crops hard and tasteless. Before watering, it is better to let it settle. On average, hydration is done once every five days, but in dry periods it is recommended to do this more often, approximately every 2 days.Sasha
The root crop has an even round shape, which is sometimes slightly elongated or oblate. Sizes range from 5.5 to 10.5 cm in length and from 5 to 10 cm in diameter in the middle. The skin is dense, smooth, white with a slight yellowness. The pulp is snow-white, juicy, fragrant, crisp, without voids. The fruits of the Sasha daikon are characterized by a sweet-sharp taste. Green leaves are lyre-shaped, with a slight pubescence, 30-55 cm long, collected in a socket. Petioles 10-17 cm long, light green, also pubescent.
Grade Advantages:
- resistance to diseases and pests;
- stable yield;
- the possibility of year-round cultivation (in the presence of a greenhouse);
- long-term preservation of seeds;
Video about the radish variety Daykon "Sasha":
Other popular varieties
These include:
- Ningengo.
- The fang of an elephant.
- Miyashige.
- Siroagari.
- Shogoin.
Where to buy seeds?
In Moscow:
- Agro SOS; Address: Ochakov highway, 34, of. B306 Price: from 3000 rubles per 1 kg or from 700 rubles per 1000 seeds.
- "Semko"; Address: Riga Ave., 3. Price: from 30 rubles for packing seeds.
In St. Petersburg:
- "House of Seeds"; Address: Bolshoy Prospect, Vasilyevsky Island, 24. Price: from 60 rubles per package.
- "Everything in the garden"; Address: pr. Testov, 8, building 1. Price: from 35 rubles per bag.
How to plant in open ground?
- To prevent disease, the seeds are treated with a disinfecting solution before planting. To do this, they are soaked in warm water for about a day or wrapped in wet gauze and allowed to infuse in the refrigerator for 20-24 hours.
- It is advisable to prepare a bed for growing a daikon in advance: for spring sowing in the fall, and for summer sowing in the spring. First, the earth is dug up to a depth of 20-25 cm. If the soil is not fertile enough, then during digging, mineral (potassium sulfate, phosphate) and organic (humus) fertilizers are added to it.
- To plant a radish, such tools as a shovel, rake, chopper and irrigation equipment are needed. It is necessary to check its availability and serviceability in advance.
- Seeds are planted in pre-moistened soil, where they make holes or oblong grooves. In furrows, seeds are placed in nests of 2-3 pieces at a distance of 20-30 cm, depending on the characteristics of the variety. After the holes are sprinkled with soil, slightly condensed, and then mulched with a thin layer of peat.
- At first, at night it is better to cover the garden bed with a thick film, and during the day, when warm and the sun, open. This will saturate the plant with fresh air and light. After the appearance of 2-3 real seedlings, they are thinned out - thin ones are removed, and one, but strong germ is left.
- Further care for the radish involves watering, loosening between rows and periodic hilling, as root crops of most varieties protrude above the soil surface.
Sowing and care in the greenhouse
To the greenhouse:
- Seeds are sown superficially, on average by 1.5-3 cm.
- Before the first shoots appear, the temperature is maintained at 15-20 C. But immediately after their appearance, it is necessary to lower it to 7-8 C in order to accelerate root growth.
- After 5-7 days, seedlings are usually thinned out, leaving plants after 5-9 cm.
- Also the key to a successful harvest is regular row-row cultivation.
- With the advent of the first shoots, you need to carefully monitor the soil moisture, to prevent drying out and other negative influences.
- When growing a daikon in a greenhouse, it is advised not to forget to ventilate it - an elevated temperature will cause the tops to grow faster than the roots.
- Ventilating the greenhouse will help prevent drought.
Possible problems
Possible problems and difficulties:
- Root crops are often affected by pests: wireworm larvae or cabbage flies. So that they do not affect the quality and quantity of the crop, you need to take care of the soil and carefully prepare it for planting seeds.
- Many gardeners complain that plants suffer from soil millipedes or nodules. And for their destruction, harmful chemicals are used, which not only does not bring benefits, but also make the radish unsuitable for eating.
Daikon tastes better than its relatives - radish and radish. This makes it a versatile vegetable that is actively bred in East Asia. In addition to the fruits themselves, shoots and leaves are also used for food, but due to the fact that they are prone to instant wilting and yellowing, they can not be found in stores. That is why growing a daikon on its site is a profitable option for adherents of a healthy and balanced diet.