Black radish or radish (lat. Raphanus sativus niger) is a biennial vegetable crop belonging to the cabbage family (lat. Brassicaceae). Despite its bitter taste, it has the most valuable healing qualities among other representatives of the Radish (Raphanus) genus. Growing radishes on your own is not difficult, the main thing is to properly prepare the soil and sow, as well as provide high-quality and timely care.
Planting black radish in open ground
When growing black radish, it is very important to observe the timing of sowing seeds, as well as the basic planting and care techniques in accordance with the characteristics of the selected variety. This will help avoid bolting or cracking of the fruit later.
Sowing dates for black radish
Radish is a fairly cold-resistant crop; the seeds begin to hatch at a temperature of about plus 5 degrees. Celsius. Sowing of black radish, the timing of which may differ depending on the growing season of the variety, is carried out in early spring and mid-summer.
At the end of April - beginning of May, early ripening varieties such as Mayskaya, Ladushka, Sultan are sown for consumption in the summer. The best time for sowing late radish, intended for long-term storage, is considered to be the period from the second half of June to July. These include: Doctor, Chernavka, Negro, Winter round black.
For successful sowing and good germination, it is important to take into account the location of the Moon. It is favorable to plant radishes during the waxing moon in the sign of Libra, Scorpio and Capricorn. Then the root vegetables will grow more juicy and can be stored for a long time without losing their beneficial qualities.
Soil preparation
In order for planting black radish to yield a good harvest, the deadlines indicated above must be observed exactly, and therefore the soil should be prepared in advance. The culture prefers fertile, organic-rich areas with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction (4.5-5.5 pH). If the soil is acidic, it is deoxidized with lime (200 g per 1 sq. m).
The best predecessors for radishes are legumes and pumpkin crops, as well as onions, garlic, cucumbers and eggplants. It is not advisable to sow it in beds where other root vegetables or cabbage previously grew.
The ridges are dug to a shallow depth, while simultaneously introducing complex mineral fertilizer. For every sq.m. soils use 60-65 g of superphosphate, 20 g of urea and 15 g of potassium chloride. If the land is depleted or poor, add 10 kg of compost. It is not recommended to apply manure - the fruits will be large, but with low taste. If sowing is carried out in the summer, the soil is immediately loosened.
Planting radishes in open ground
Before planting, the seeds are soaked in a saline solution (50 g of salt per 1 liter of water) and calibrated by size and weight, passing through a sieve with holes of at least 2 mm. After this, they are washed with running water and pickled for a day in a solution of 2% potassium permanganate or 1% iodine.
Furrows are made in the bed up to 2 cm deep. The row spacing is maintained at a width of 30-35 cm. Seeds are sown in the ground, keeping a distance of 8-9 cm for early ripening varieties, and 12-15 cm for late ripening varieties. The furrows are filled, slightly compacting the soil, and then water generously.
After the radish planting is completed, the bed must be sprinkled with ash to protect the seedlings from red flea beetles, aphids and mollusks. To preserve moisture, the soil is covered with non-woven material: spunbond or lutrasil.
Caring for black radish after emergence
When sown in well-warmed and moist soil, seedlings begin to appear within 3-5 days. Further cultivation of black radish in open ground consists of watering, timely thinning of seedlings, regular loosening of the soil, weeding and good nutrition.
Watering
To form large and juicy fruits, radishes need a lot of moisture. Watering plants planted in spring is carried out once a week. Late-ripening or winter varieties require less moisture; they are watered 1-2 times a month, in the morning or evening. For every sq. m of planting use 10-12 liters of water.
Loosening and thinning
To prevent the soil from becoming crusty after watering or rain, regular loosening is carried out. They also keep the garden bed clean, removing weeds as they grow. After the second leaf appears on the seedlings, the plants are thinned out, leaving a distance of 6-7 cm between them.
The thinning procedure is repeated after a month. For preventive purposes against cabbage flies, whiteflies and other pests, the beds are pollinated with a mixture of ash and tobacco dust mixed in equal parts.
Top dressing
Radish, planting and care, planting dates, and periodic watering of which are carried out according to the rules of cultivation, requires fertilizer only 2-3 times per season. Early ripening varieties with a ripening period of 50-60 days are fed twice - during the appearance of cotyledon leaves and a week after that. During this period, nitrogen-containing fertilizers, for example, ash or sodium nitrate, are applied to the plants.
Late radish is additionally fed once every 2 weeks with complex mineral fertilizer. To prepare it, 60 g of superphosphate, 20 g of urea and the same amount of potassium chloride are diluted in 10 liters of water. The resulting solution is enough for 18-20 square meters. m. landing. 20-25 days before harvesting, feeding is stopped.
Margelan radish planting and care
Margelan radish (Latin Raphanus sativus L. convar lobo) has many useful qualities. But its main advantage is its pleasant taste and harmonious combination with other vegetables in salads, thanks to the minimal content of mustard oil. Popularly, this type of radish has several names - Chinese, green, lobo.
All varieties of Margelan radish, the fruits of which can be of a wide variety of shapes and early ripening colors. Their growing season averages from 60 to 90 days. Sow seeds in open ground in mid or late July. But if the climate allows, you can sow in May, then you will be able to get two harvests. Optimal temperature for normal plant development: from plus 18 to plus 25 degrees. Celsius.
Lobo radish is not picky about soil quality. Soil preparation, planting and caring for the crop are carried out in the same way as for early ripening black radish. Ripe root vegetables are dug out of the ground as they grow and eaten fresh. The main thing is not to delay harvesting, otherwise the fruits will become hollow. The crop is stored in the same conditions as carrots and beets.
Bottom line
Black radish can become one of the most useful vegetables in your garden; growing and caring for it is not particularly difficult, and even a novice gardener can handle it. Using tips and tricks for growing root vegetables, you can get an excellent harvest rich in vitamins.
ABOUT radish They say she’s evil, but she’s nice to everyone! Despite its specific, pungent taste, it is very popular root vegetable.
How to grow tasty and juicy radishes? If to radish If you show a little more attention and care, you will understand that it is productive, unpretentious, almost trouble-free and very useful.
Preparation for sowing. Sowing radishes
The best soils for growing radishes– neutral or slightly acidic, fertile, not waterlogged, with a deep cultivated layer.
Root crops do not grow well on hard, dry soil. They turn out branched “bearded”.
Radish will grow well and thrive in deeply plowed loams. And least of all she will like light sandstones, on which it will grow flabby and taste too spicy.
Best predecessors: tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans.
Good predecessors All garden crops can be used for radishes.
Exceptions are the cruciferous family (cabbage of all types, radishes, turnips, rutabaga). From these crops, radish can become infected with the same diseases and pests.
It is not recommended to apply fresh manure under radishes.. Because root vegetables turn out tasteless and have a bad smell, and are more susceptible to disease.
It is advisable to apply rotted organic fertilizers during autumn digging.
Also, during autumn digging, acidic soils are deoxidized with lime or ash (in double volume).
Place for radish you need to choose a sunny, warm one. In a darkened area, the roots will grow weakly.
The soil at the radish planting site is dug up in the spring or summer to the full depth of the fertile layer.
During digging, mineral fertilizers are applied per 1m2:
- urea (10-15 g), superphosphate (30-40 g), potassium chloride (15-20 g)
Radishes are sown at different times, depending on the variety.
In early May, early ripening varieties are sown for summer consumption.
In June and even at the beginning of July, they begin planting mid-season and mid-late varieties for autumn and winter consumption. Since when sowing early, the root crops become coarser.
After digging and adding fertilizer to the soil, it is lightly compacted.
Before sowing, seeds are calibrated in a solution of table salt (50g per 1 liter of water).
There are two ways to sow radish seeds.
First way, more suitable for a personal plot - “nesting”.
Two seeds are placed in each hole. In the future, the strongest one is left.
The distance between nests is maintained at 10-15 cm. The embedment depth is no more than 2 cm.
This method saves gardeners from thinning the crop.
Second way- "private". The furrows are cut at a distance of 30-40 cm at the seed sowing rate (0.5 g per 1 m2). Seed placement depth is 1-2 cm.
If the soil moisture is insufficient, after sowing, water the area.
Radish care. Feeding
Radish care consists of loosening row spacing, weeding, thinning rows, fertilizing and watering.
First thinning of seedlings carried out in the presence of 1-2 true leaves.
Second-after 20-30 days, after the first.
By the time root crops ripen, the final distance between plants should be:
- for early varieties 6-8 cm.
- for later 12-15 cm.
The density of sowing harms the taste of root crops. This is explained by the fact that radish leaves lie flat on the ground and require a lot of space. And when sowing is thickened, the leaves rise up and the plant quickly goes into the trunk, producing coarse and tasteless root crops.
Organic matter should not be used; it reduces the shelf life and quality of root crops.
Mineral fertilizers are applied in dry and liquid form, depending on soil moisture.
During the season, 1-2 feedings are done.
First feeding carried out in the phase of 2-3 true leaves.
Second feeding 20-30 days after the first, at the beginning of the formation of root crops.
Dissolve in a ten-liter bucket of water:
- urea (20 g), superphosphate (60 g), potassium chloride (15 g)
The solution is used at the rate of 1 bucket of solution per 10-15 m of row.
In dry form per 1 m2 add:
- urea (5-10 g), superphosphate (10-15 g), potassium chloride (5-10 g)
Watering and loosening are regular throughout the entire growth period.
During the process of growing radishes, keep the soil loose and sufficiently moist.
Removing weeds as they become overgrown.
We must remember that weeds increase the possibility of plant disease and pests.
Large radish can be obtained using the following technique. A month before harvesting, the root crops must be gently shaken from side to side, but not pulled out of the soil.
Cleaning are practiced at different times, depending on the variety.
Early varieties are harvested in the summer, selectively pulled out. Late - dug out completely before the onset of frost (in the second half of September). Early-harvested root crops intended for winter storage lose their shelf life, so there is no need to rush into harvesting.
Harvesting is carried out on a dry and sunny day. The soil is shaken off from the root crops, and small fruits are selected. The tops are rolled flush with the head of the root crop, being careful not to damage the root crop.
Healthy, whole, undamaged and unovergrown fruits are selected for storage. Store in special storage facilities along with potatoes.
Great( 1 ) Badly( 1 )
Despite its unattractive appearance, radish is an important nutritional component. Radish roots contain a lot of dry matter, sugar, protein and vitamin C. This is one of the first vegetables that people began to cultivate. Black radish was eaten by the pyramid builders of ancient Egypt. Radish is an extremely unpretentious vegetable. Growing radishes in the country is simple if you know at least the basic stages of agricultural technology.
Biology
Radish is a biennial vegetable of the cabbage family. In the first year, the plants expel leaves and juicy roots, in the second - seeds. Radish has large leaves, varying in shape, size and degree of pubescence. By the end of summer, the rosette consists of 6-12 leaves, the length of which can reach 60 cm.
The roots of the plant penetrate the soil to a depth of 25 cm. Radish reproduces only by seeds - round, dark brown, similar to radish seeds.
The vegetable is consumed fresh. Radish helps improve digestion and appetite. It is used in alternative medicine for the treatment of colds.
Radish root crops reach a weight of 200 g. Record-breaking varieties with a root crop weight of up to 1 kg have been bred. There are varieties with round, oval, elongated and cylindrical roots. Radish root crops can have different colors:
- red;
- green;
- brown;
- black;
- white;
- pink.
Preparing for landing
Radish is annual - summer, and biennial - winter. Annual is represented by a number of early varieties. Biennials store well and are suitable for consumption in winter. The division into annual and biennial varieties is arbitrary, since radish does not have a dormant period characteristic of true biennial plants.
The best varieties
In the non-chernozem zone, varieties of all ripening periods are grown: summer, mid-season and late-ripening. Summer varieties are not suitable for storage, but are tasty and early ripening.
The most common summer varieties:
- Delicacy– growing season 46 days, white roots, spicy taste;
- Odesskaya 5– an exceptionally early ripening variety, it takes only a month from germination to harvesting, the root crops are white, round, and have a slightly pungent taste;
- Mayskaya– early variety, can be harvested 60 days after sowing, the pulp is mildly pungent.
The following varieties are grown for winter consumption:
- Winter round black– black root vegetables with a smooth surface, soft and sharply sweet taste.
- Winter round white– growing season 80-100 days; root vegetables are white, dense, juicy, medium-sweet.
- Grayvoronskaya– growing season 95-110 days, white conical roots with a grooved surface, the flesh is very sharp, not juicy. The root crop has many lateral roots, which makes it difficult to pull out. The variety is intended for long-term storage.
Pre-sowing seed treatment consists of disinfection and calibration. The seeds are poured with salt water - a heaped tablespoon per 1 liter. The floating seeds are removed. The day before sowing, the seeds are soaked in a slightly pink permanganate solution for 20 minutes.
Radish has the same requirements for growing conditions as other cold-resistant plants from the cruciferous family. Germination begins at a temperature of 2-3 degrees. The optimal temperature for quick and friendly emergence of seedlings is 20-25 degrees. Seedlings can withstand frosts down to -3 degrees, and adult plants up to -5 degrees.
The crop is sensitive to the soil and will only grow in a deeply dug bed in fertile loam. If the area is wet, radishes are sown on ridges and raised beds.
The predecessor can be any garden plants, except representatives of the cabbage family. Best predecessors:
- cucumbers;
- tomatoes;
- peas.
In the fall the plot is dug up, and in the spring the bed is loosened with a rake and fertilizers are applied. Pour onto 10 square meters:
- 100 g nitrogen;
- 80 g phosphorus;
- 120 g potassium.
Radish planting begins in the first ten days of May, and then it is sown until the beginning of August with an interval of 20 days. You can sow sprouted seeds, but in this case the furrows must be moistened.
Radish is photophilous. Plants should not be thickened. The distance between the radish rows is 15-20 cm. The seeds in the row are placed at a distance of 10 cm. The planting depth is 2-3 cm.
It is better to immediately mulch the crops with peat, humus or sawdust. Mulch will help retain moisture in the soil. Shoots can be expected in 3-5 days.
During the growing season, light but regular care will be required. The garden bed is kept free of weeds and must be loosened and weeded.
Who among us doesn’t like to treat ourselves to fresh, just grown radishes after winter vitamin deficiency? But, trying to grow a vegetable several times over the summer, many note that the taste of radishes of the same variety is not always consistently pleasant. And there are reasons for this that are beyond our control (excessively hot summer or long daylight hours). And only properly carried out thinning can improve the quality of root crops and minimize yield losses.
Features of culture
Radish is a fairly hardy crop, which is one of the first to be planted in the spring, since it does not need sufficiently warmed soil. Early varieties, which can be sown almost immediately after the snow melts (depending on the region, this is March-April), especially do not need it. It is important to know that this root vegetable does not like the greenhouse environment, where all its energy goes into the tops, and the vegetable itself becomes tasteless and acquires a loose structure, so it is recommended to plant it immediately in open ground.
This rule must be followed especially in the summer. In spring or autumn, when it is not hot outside, planting in a greenhouse or under film is allowed. But you shouldn’t do this in the middle of summer, since the greenhouse effect will negatively affect the harvest.
In addition, the undoubted advantages of radishes are their ease of cultivation and short ripening period (which takes approximately 14 days). Fast ripening times allow the vegetable to be grown several times a season. But experienced gardeners have noted that due to the long daylight hours in June, the energy of the vegetable also goes into the foliage, which is manifested in abundant flowering, so at this time the root crop will also be unsightly in appearance and taste.
Growing
Radishes, like many root vegetables, have very small seeds, so they are sown quite densely. Everyone has different reasons for this: some, in a hurry, saving energy and time, strive to quickly immerse the seeds in the garden furrow, while others, for example, doubting their quality, try to ensure that the crops germinate well enough. But in the first case, as in the second, the densely sprouted seeds begin to “stifle” each other’s growth.
It is recommended to use about thirty grams of seeds per square meter, maintaining a distance of more than five centimeters, and the gap between the beds should be approximately 10 centimeters. Compliance with these proportions, of course, will require you to thin out the radishes, but at the same time it will allow you to do this profitably. Since the torn root crop will be large enough and mature enough to be used for food.
If we talk about minimal crop losses, then you need to do the first planting long before the onset of established heat, that is, before May (we are talking about the southern and central regions of Russia). The fact is that seeds immersed in well-heated soil begin to germinate quickly, and due to excess heat, a larger percentage of the crop progresses into the trunk. Thus, it turns out that by thinning, we remove a plant with large tops and unsuitable root crops for food.
And the April planting of radishes in regions with early onset of heat will allow you to collect a high-quality and early harvest without loss. If, due to unstable weather conditions, you are worried about losing the April harvest, then it is permissible to sow in a greenhouse or in a bed under film in early spring. There, the root crops will have time to germinate significantly before the onset of constant warmth, which will make it possible to grow fresh radishes long before sowing, for example, carrots or beets.
Inventive gardeners have developed a method that allows them to grow a fairly good harvest in June, when the risk of loss is increased due to the long daylight hours. To do this, pegs are installed along the edges of the bed, on which something is stretched that does not allow light to pass through, for example, a tarpaulin. Since radishes still need sunlight, the stretched canvas will need to be removed periodically. The idea is troublesome, but perhaps worthwhile on an industrial scale.
So, the principles of caring for radishes are simple: water, weed, and choose the right time for planting. And, of course, it needs to be thinned out.
Thinning rules
Even if you have tried hard, and the sprouted radishes grow at a sufficient distance from each other, with the formation of root crops, sufficiently large radishes will interfere with the development of each other. It turns out that it is better to plant more densely, adhering to the distance noted above, which will allow young radishes to grow by the time of thinning.
There is an opinion that radishes can be replanted after thinning, but this is far from true. Its root, which has many hairs, sits deep in the ground, and any manipulation associated with it negatively affects the plant. But if, after all, the plant has taken root in a new place, then its root crop will be unsuitable for eating, since it becomes hard, loose, tasteless and hollow. In such cases, the plant is used to obtain seeds.
Otherwise, they begin to thin out the radishes 5 days after the first shoots. At this time, it is represented by two leaves and is strong enough for primary plucking. A distance of just over two centimeters is enough for the leaves of a young plant to begin to stretch upward, which prevents the appearance of arrows.
The radishes are thinned again after a month. Here, maintaining a distance of about a centimeter, the emphasis is on weak shoots and areas where dense planting is left. Too frequent pulling during this period can cause crop loss. And the third thinning is carried out almost before harvesting, where already strong and formed radishes are pulled out, and smaller or weaker ones are left until more fully ripened.
A gap of more than five centimeters is left between plants. Subsequent plucking is, in principle, harvesting. Here, the density of the bed will depend on the size of the root crop, which is normally about 3 centimeters, although this largely depends on the variety.
To avoid damaging the neighboring plant, you need to pull it out strictly after watering. If the shoots are located close to each other, then when pulling out, do not forget to hold the soil near the neighboring plant.
After these procedures, it is advisable to carefully loosen the soil and lightly water it. By treating thinning with due attention, you will be able to get a decent harvest more than once in the spring and autumn.
- Don’t be afraid to plant radishes thickly and don’t be afraid to pluck them out if necessary, this is the only way to prevent crop loss.
- Forget about replanting, because there is no benefit from it, and you will definitely waste your time.
- Radishes love a sunny place, but do not tolerate hot days, because of which the root crop does not form, but arrows sprout. In this regard, plan your planting taking into account the climatic conditions of your region. It is better to plant thickly earlier or later, covering the bed with film or hay, and then thin out, rather than lose the harvest in the middle of summer.
- If the seeds are good, then the radishes germinate quickly and en masse, so we place the seeds a few at a distance of about 4 centimeters from each other.
See below for little tricks for growing radishes.
Radish will not cause much trouble for gardeners, because it is not a very capricious crop and, with the right approach, will soon delight you with juicy, tasty and healthy root vegetables. Sown seeds usually germinate quickly and after 7-10 days the first sprouts appear in the garden bed.
In order for the radish to grow large and juicy, you need to look after it quite a bit, just like other garden crops. Caring for crops includes activities such as:
- thinning of seedlings;
- timely removal of weeds;
- periodic watering;
- nutritional supplements.
Thinning
Thickened plantings do not allow radishes to grow root crops, so it is important to thin out the seedlings in time. This must be done twice:
- when the radish forms two leaves, break through the seedlings, leaving one plant every 6 cm;
- repeat the procedure after three to four weeks.
Some gardeners, in order to avoid thinning, prefer to immediately sow seeds in prepared holes under a marker. However, in this case, there is a possibility that not all the seeds will sprout, and then voids will form in the beds.
Garden bed care
To prevent plantings, especially young ones, from drowning out weeds, the latter must be removed in a timely manner. At the same time, the beds are loosened with a hoe, thus ensuring free access of air and moisture to the roots. Loosening the soil is also necessary after each watering or rain to prevent the row spacing from becoming crusty.
During the growing season, the beds must be loosened at least 4 times, each time increasing the depth:
- for the first time 4 cm will be enough;
- for the second - twice as deep;
- carry out the next two loosening to a depth of at least 10 cm.
Watering frequency
How juicy the root vegetables will be depends on whether there was enough moisture in the garden bed. To do this, the radish should be watered, and the frequency of watering depends on the time of sowing:
- spring plantings require weekly watering;
- For varieties planted in summer for winter storage, four waterings per season are sufficient.
From a lack of moisture, root crops become fibrous and hard, and excessive watering after a drought leads to cracking.
Feeding
Unlike most crops, radish needs water, especially early ripening varieties. They need to be fed with sodium nitrate twice during the season:
- when cotyledon leaves appear;
- 7 days after the first feeding.
As for winter varieties, nitrogen fertilizing can be alternated with complex mineral fertilizing, which includes superphosphate, urea and potassium chloride. 20 days before harvesting, it is necessary to stop applying all fertilizers.
Thinning as one of the rules for caring for radishes - video