Sorrel is often used in cooking when preparing various dishes, sauces and canning. Sorrel - cold-resistant plant, which appears in the beds one of the first. It has a lot of vitamins and minerals, as well as various acids, due to which its taste gives sourness.
Planting and optimal conditions for growing sorrel
Sorrel can grow in one place for about four years, but for this it needs appropriate conditions.
Did you know? Sorrel root can grow up to half a meter in the ground.
How to choose a place for planting sorrel
Growing sorrel on the land is a simple matter. First of all, you need to decide on the place where the plant will feel good, because In order to get a rich harvest, you need to plant sorrel on a wet plot of land, although the moisture should not stagnate in the soil. The soil should be cleared of extraneous grass (especially undesirable neighborhood with wheat grass). The most suitable soil for this plant is loam or sandy loam, which was well fertilized with humus. In addition, a good harvest can be gathered from peaty drained soil.
Important! Groundwater should be at a depth of not less than 1 meter from the surface.
Soil preparation for sowing
In order for the sorrel crop to be really rich, it is necessary to prepare the soil in advance. Having decided on a site under a sorrel, in the fall, fertilize it with humus, potassium and phosphate (6: 1: 1 respectively). These proportions are applicable for 1m².
In spring, when planting sorrel is planned, treat the soil with a mixture of ammonium nitrate and potassium salt (2 g each), superphosphate and urea (4 and 40 g), add to this 3 kg of humus, mix well and fertilize the soil (per 1m²) .
How to prepare sorrel seeds before planting
Sorrel seeds are also desirable to prepare in advance. In order for them to rise well, they should be soaked in water, wrapped in gauze and left for 2 days. Seeds will absorb all the moisture, thanks to which the gavel rises faster. You can add various nutrient fertilizers to the water, then the plant will turn out stronger and more resistant to external stimuli. Doing such simple manipulations with the seeds of sorrel, you will get 100% germination.
If you are in a hurry and you do not have time to prepare the seeds properly, then Sow them as they are. Sorrel still ascend, albeit not so tall and strong.
Sorrel seed
After the seeds are prepared, you can safely sow sorrel (in most cases it is done in spring). Seeds need to be sown on land already ready for sowing to a depth of about 2 centimeters with a distance of 4-5 centimeters. It is recommended to adhere to the 15-centimeter distance between rows. At the end of the work the site is mulched with peat. It is desirable to cover the soil with a film, since the greenhouse effect will help the seeds to ascend faster and you will be able to observe the first shoots as early as 5-7 days after sowing.
Did you know? If you do not cover the area with a film, then it will take about two weeks for the seeds to rise..
After the appearance of the first green sorrel must be thinned out. The distance between the future bushes should be at least ten centimeters. Spring planting allows you to collect greens in the same year, but, you can make sorrel sorrow in summer and autumn. If you do this in the summer, it will be well strengthened and will yield in early spring. In the event that you decide to sow sorrel in the fall, you can harvest a little later. Planting sorrel in the fall should be carried out in such a way that the seeds did not have time to grow and did not freeze over the winter.Care for sorrel on your site
Sorrel needs a little care, which will allow it to develop normally. In particular, after planting the plants need:
- loosen the ground and remove weeds from the ground between the rows (due to other grass, the sorrel will not be able to grow normally).
- regularly feed the plant.
- a month and a half before the ground freezes, the sorrel must be cut. If this is not done, the leaves will limp and fall to the ground, thereby blocking the access of oxygen to the root system.
- In the autumn, you need to fertilize the rows with compost.
Regular watering
Although sorrel is considered an unpretentious and frost-resistant plant, he likes frequent watering. On days when the air temperature exceeds 26 ° C, the plant develops poorly and gradually fades. Naturally, this reduces the quality of the crop. To this did not happen - sorrel must be regularly watered. During dry periods, it is well poured with water, but it must be ensured that the liquid does not stagnate. Over-dried soil leads to the ejection of flower stalks. The need to water sorrel in the winter disappears by itself.
Weeding and loosening the soil
An important aspect of crop care is timely loosening and weeding the soil. To minimize such work, make it a rule after each watering mulch the soil around the sorrel, it will prevent the spread of weeds. In the spring it is necessary to loosen the soil between the rows. At the same time, fertilize sorrel with a mixture of humus and ash, it will contribute to enhancing the growth of new leaves.
Sorrel mulching and fertilizer
Mulching and fertilizing are very important for the life of the described plant. Knowing how to feed sorrel for growth, you will provide yourself with a rich harvest. So, mineral fertilizers with superphosphate, potassium chloride and urea are excellent as useful compounds. Also, nitrogen fertilizers will be useful, which will strengthen the stems and increase the volume of the plant.
Important! When choosing fertilizer repel weather conditions. For example, in rainy weather, it would be better to use dry dressings, and if the weather is dry, then support the plant with liquid fertilizers..
It is better to mulch sorrel with peat, humus or fallen leaves. Feeding sorrel in spring will help him get micronutrients and increase growth. Mulch should be laid in the aisle, so that fertilizers reach the roots without disturbing the plant itself to breathe.Harvesting
Sorrel fully ripens in 2 months from the time of sowing, that is, if you sowed sorrel in the spring, then you can harvest in early summer. However, if you sow it earlier, for example, in the fall, it will grow immediately after the snow melts.
Sorrel greens are cut or torn, but note that average leaves better to leave: they are not as big as the neighboring ones and from them it will be possible to grow a new crop. The best time to gather a plant is early morning, because at this time the leaves are the most succulent.
Features care in the autumn
Before you start caring for sorrel in the autumn, you need to completely clean it from the leaves, who could stay with the last landing. Then you can begin to feed the plant. This is done with the help of humus, compost (2 buckets will be enough for one square meter), or use a solution of mullein. In the latter case, it should be diluted in water in a ratio of 1: 7.
How to deal with diseases and pests of sorrel
Although the leaves of sorrel are quite acidic, they are still attacked by pests. For example, having discovered on the plant a hole, a change in the color of the leaves, cessation of growth and drying, you can start thinking about the appearance of parasites. Sorrel pest control is the timely care of the beds, the destruction of weeds, plant shoots and soil mulching.
You can resort to the services of modern tools for the care of plants. Undoubtedly, they will help to quickly get rid of annoying pests, but also slightly spoil the taste of sorrel. Therefore, it is recommended to process the plant in early autumn, and not during the harvest season.
The main enemy of sorrel is sorrel leaf beetle. As the name implies, this parasite eats the leaves of the plant. If such bugs appear on the bed, they begin to actively proliferate, laying the larvae in the ground. For several weeks, adults and mature animals eat the leaves and everything repeats. So how do you process the sorrel from holes? For these purposes, it is best to use folk methods. Spray the plant with ashes, solution of garlic and soap or tobacco dust.
Well, now you know about planting sorrel and you can determine for yourself, in which month it is better to sow sorrel and how to care for it.
