Almost any summer resident in the summer on the site has a garden bed with carrots. Increasingly, seeds in special granules are used for planting and growing such a crop. Today we will talk about what features these granules have, how to properly plant and grow them.
Features
This planting material is small orange granules in the form of balls, inside of which there are seeds. Seeds undergo a special coating procedure, during which they are covered with a special layer that performs protective functions.
Dried seeds are relatively large (from 5 to 7 millimeters). In their appearance, they resemble granules. The outer layer can be made from various components, including peat, wood components, starch, paste, special gel.
The shells after application gradually harden quickly. In the manufacture of granules, it is easy to introduce various fertilizers, as well as growth stimulants. Such seed material allows you not to carry out the thinning procedure in the future. In addition, it will be protected from pests and cold weather.
Dragee seeds are characterized by earlier germination. They allow you to get a large and healthy crop of carrots. Sometimes several seeds are stored inside one shell at once, in this case it is still better to thin out.
The use of this planting material can significantly reduce labor costs and time for sowing crops. The shells in which the seeds are located contain important nutritional components that are needed for initial growth and development.
Terms of planting
Planting this carrot should be done in the spring. In the central zone of Russia, this can be done already in mid-April. In the southern regions, the procedure has been carried out since March. In any case, the air temperature by that time should already reach about 13-15 degrees Celsius.
Preparation for sowing
Dried seeds do not need to be prepared for planting – they are already considered completely ready for this. Hardening, soaking procedures can only damage the protective layer.
Garden tools (shovel and seeder) should be prepared. They are recommended to be pre-treated with disinfectants. If you have chosen a place with soft soil for planting, then instead of a spatula, you can take a simple egg cassette.
It is also necessary to prepare the soil. The soil should be fairly loose. But at the same time, there cannot be many cracks in it, because through them during irrigation the liquid will go down. As a result, the shell simply does not dissolve.
The following soil types are considered the best option for such vegetation:
- chernozems;
- sandy;
- loamy.
Also remember that the best predecessors for this crop are cabbage, greens, radishes, cucumbers. For landing, it is worth choosing places that are quite well lit by the sun, reliably protected from wind currents. Garlic, onions, beans, eggplant and peppers are considered bad predecessors for carrots.
Seating should be prepared in the fall. For this, the earth is dug up well. A nutrient mixture is introduced there, which should consist of wood ash and rotted manure. All residues, roots from other plantings are removed from the chosen place in advance. Superphosphate can be scattered over the entire surface of the grooves (1–20 grams per 25 sq. M of land), potassium nitrate (10–15 grams per 1 sq. M).
To improve the quality of the soil, it is better to use various green manure. They are gradually embedded in the ground to make it more nutritious for crops. Clover, rye and mustard can be planted as such green manure. remember, that it is permissible to return carrots to their former cultivation site no earlier than after 5 years.
Some experienced gardeners recommend planting beets and radishes right next to granulated carrots. These cultures will rise much earlier. So, you can know exactly where the carrots are sown.
How to plant?
Landing of granular material in open ground can be carried out both in the usual checkerboard pattern and in parallel furrows. In any case, it is necessary to pre-form holes for planting.
Seeds should be deepened into the ground by 6-7 centimeters. At the same time, a distance of 18–20 cm should be left between individual holes, a distance of at least 10–15 cm should be made between the furrows.
Immediately after sowing the carrots, warm water is poured into each well to the top. When it is all absorbed, the seeds are carefully sprinkled with earth, and then all this is again plentifully watered and leveled.
In the process of watering, you need to use a large amount of water, because it is needed to dissolve the protective shells and release the seeds. After sowing, it is better to mulch the land well. As mulch, you can take humus or peat. This procedure will help preserve the liquid, which is necessary for the germination of seeds.
It is not necessary to pour fertilizer into the holes immediately before planting, because, as a rule, the protective shells in which the seed material is located contain the main fertilizers. In addition, useful substances were introduced during the digging of holes in the fall.
You can only powder the seats with red pepper or ash, this is done to prevent carrot flies.
Aftercare
After planting, such carrots will need periodic watering. If you used the material in a gel protective shell, then this procedure should be performed every 3-4 days, because the gel perfectly absorbs moisture. In other cases, watering is carried out in such a way that the topsoil is always slightly moist.
In the process of watering, do not use cold liquid. The best option would be water that has warmed up from sunlight. During the formation of root crops, it is better to reduce the number of procedures to once a week. For 1 sq. m planted area should account for about 10 liters of liquid.
If the culture does not receive enough water, then the fruits may grow with a bitter taste. They can also be too hard. Stop watering a couple of weeks before harvest.
Carrots will also need weeding. This procedure is best done at least once a week. To do this, you can use a chopper or a hoe. A special scoop is also suitable.
It is important to regularly loosen the soil. Doing this is worth it. Otherwise, you can change the depth of the seeds. Loosening is done before and after watering.
It is necessary to remove all weeds around the plants in a timely manner. Excess vegetation is best simply carefully pulled out.. This procedure is a preventive measure against pests.
Immediately after the appearance of the first shoots, it will be necessary to apply top dressing so that the culture grows normally. At this stage, you can use urea, nitroammophoska. Ammonium nitrate is also sometimes used.
To get a healthy and full-fledged crop, it is necessary to fertilize at least twice a season. It is not recommended to use fertilizers containing nitrogen for plants. You can use universal garden compounds purchased at garden stores.
After how many days do the seeds sprout and what to do if they do not sprout?
Dried seeds tend to germinate fairly quickly. Sprouts appear all at the same time approximately 13–15 days after landing in a permanent place.
If, nevertheless, the sprouts do not germinate for a long time, then the soil should be well moistened. Such a delay is most often explained by the difficulty of germination through protective shells. In this case, you need to water the soil abundantly, because it is the water that dissolves these layers. After this procedure, shoots should appear.
