Growing black radish in a personal plot does not cause difficulties. The plant is unpretentious in care, has a stable immunity to diseases and is adapted to grow in a cold climate. By weeding, watering and hilling in time, you can harvest large and juicy fruits.
Black radish has healing properties
Black radish
Black radish is unpretentious in leaving
Culture Description
Black radish, Raphanus sativus var. Niger is a biennial vegetable crop. Belongs to the Cabbage family. It is covered with black skin on top, the flesh is white and dense in structure. The shape of the fetus is round or slightly elongated. The radish weighs from 200 g to 2 kg.
The taste of the vegetable is bitter and spicy. This is due to the high content of essential mustard oil and the abundance of volatile production.
Vegetable belongs to the ancient culture. It began to be cultivated in Europe and Asia, then it spread to the United States and CIS countries. Black radish is able to grow in any climatic conditions and on various soils. The species was bred selectively and does not run wild at all.
In the first year after planting, the plant forms a root crop and a rosette of root leaves. On the second, an upright stalk 55-60 cm high is formed, on which an inflorescence will form, and later a pod with seeds.
The structure of the black radish:
- Fetus. Depending on the mass of the vegetable, the diameter of a round shape is 8-10 cm, and of a slightly elongated one 4-5 cm. As the root grows, the root crop acquires a black color.
- Peel. Thick and thin.
- Leaves. The color is bright green with an olive tint. A rosette with leaves reaches a height of 45-60 cm. The leaf plate in several places is deeply dissected. Its upper part is larger, and closer to the ground it gradually narrows. The surface is rough and rough.
- Flower. Formed on the stem. Collected in a racemose inflorescence. The flower is small in size, consists of 4 petals. The color is pastel.
Only root crops are eaten.
Popular varieties and their features
Varieties of black radish vary in maturity and shelf life. The most popular varieties include:
Name | Grade | Ripening period | Main characteristics | Shelf life |
Winter round black Winter long black radish is a variety that is distinguished by a more fibrous pulp. | Medium late | 75-100 days | Fruit weight 250-500 g. The pulp is dense. It is characterized by increased bitterness. The fruits are high in mineral salts. | 6 months |
Murzilka | Late | 90-100 days | The weight of the fruit is 225-300 g. The shape is round, the diameter is 9-10 cm. The pulp is not very sharp. | Until spring |
Draft | Late | 100-110 days | Fruit weight 250-350 g. The shape is conical, the surface is smooth and even. The pulp is tender and sweet. | Long |
Night | Middle | 68-75 days | The weight of the fruit is 180-220 g. The shape is rounded and slightly flattened. The skin color is saturated. The pulp is juicy, crispy. The taste is spicy. | Long. It tolerates transportation well. |
Black dragon | Middle | 58-65 days. | The weight of the fetus is 320 g. The shape is elongated, sharpening to the bottom. Length - 12-17 cm, diameter 4-5 cm. The pulp is juicy and dense. | Long. It retains good taste. Designed for winter consumption. |
Winter round black
Radish Murzilka
Radish Duck
Radish Night
Black dragon
Useful properties of black radish
Black radish has healing properties that are recognized by folk and traditional medicine. It is used as a natural antibiotic and antimicrobial agent.
The root crop contains a large amount of essential oils, a vitamin complex, proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
A useful vegetable strengthens the immune system, helps to accelerate metabolic processes, reduces edema. Helps to cope with colds, cleanses blood vessels and liver, enhances sputum discharge, also strengthens the nail plate and stimulates hair growth.
If there are digestive problems and gastrointestinal diseases, then the use of a vegetable in food should be limited or completely abandoned.
Preparation for landing
The culture is unpretentious and does not require special care. Creating favorable conditions for growth will increase the quality of the crop. Root crops will be large in size with a pronounced aroma and high taste.
Seat selection
Favorable for the growth of a vegetable is considered an open place with access to sunlight during the whole daylight hours. If the area is partially obscured, then the lack of light leads to the fading of the fruit. The seat can be blown by the winds. The plant tolerates drafts well.
Favorable predecessors are:
- potatoes;
- tomato;
- cucumbers
- legumes;
- carrot.
Adverse predecessors:
- cabbage;
- radish;
- turnip;
- swede.
Failure to comply with crop rotation rules leads to radish diseases. The landing site will often have to be treated with insecticides.
Between the rows of black radish you can plant onions. It will scare away slugs and other pests.
Soil preparation
The culture grows well in any soil except acidified or saline. Most suitable is loam or gray earth.
Soil requirement:
- loose, good air permeation and absorbing water;
- neutral alkaline environment; slightly alkaline and acidic is also suitable.
Reducing the acidity of the soil will help the introduction of lime in a proportion of 200 g per 1 square. m or the addition of crushed eggshell, chalk or dolomite flour.
You should not choose a place to land if groundwater lies at a level of 0.5 m from the surface of the earth.
The soil begins to prepare in the fall. The site is cleaned of leaves, branches and grass. Dig a shovel on a bayonet.
Be sure to apply fertilizer. Universal, suitable for any type of soil, is considered wood ash. It is used at the rate of 0.5 liters per 1 square. m. If the soil is poor, make organic matter. River sand is added to clay, making it easier.
In spring, fertilizers are used:
- Mineral. Superphosphate - 10-12 g per 1 square. m, potassium - 6-8 g per 1 square. m and urea.
- Organic. Compost or humus - 2-3 kg per 1 square. m
Do not use manure. It is a favorable environment for the reproduction of many pests, insects and bacteria that cause diseases in plants. In addition, the fruits lose their aroma and taste.
If you need to add lime to the soil to reduce acidity, then this is done 2 weeks before the use of basic fertilizers.
Seed treatment
The culture is propagated by seed. Black radish does not tolerate transplantation, there is a chance of damage to the spine. This will prevent the full formation of the fetus.
Seed preparation includes the steps of:
- Calibration Hand-pick the largest seeds with a smooth and undamaged coating. Small, empty and broken copies should be thrown away.
- Place the selected seeds in saline for 10-15 minutes. It is prepared at the rate of 1 tbsp. spoon on a glass of water. Remove pop-up seeds. This method will help to remove empty shells that were missed during the previous inspection.
- Take a sieve and rinse the seed.
- Place the seeds for a day in a weak solution of manganese. It has a disinfecting effect, and prevents the occurrence of diseases in the future at all stages of the growing season.
- Wrap the seeds in moist gauze, which, in addition to water, can be moistened with a growth stimulant. In this state, they are saturated with moisture to improve germination.
Sowing black radish
Sowing seeds is carried out in open ground or in greenhouse conditions. It depends on the ambient temperature and climatic conditions of the region. When planting in the greenhouse, you need to monitor the full lighting, and if it is not enough, install artificial.
Sowing dates in different regions
Black radish is intended for cultivation throughout the country. Seeds can germinate at a temperature of 3-5 ° C. In sudden frosts, when the thermometer drops a few degrees below zero, the plant is able to withstand. Favorable for landing is a temperature of + 13-15 ° C.
In most regions of Russia, sowing dates are the end of March or the beginning of April. In the cold climate of Siberia, landing occurs in early summer.
Sowing of seeds is carried out depending on the period of ripening of the crop:
- Early varieties are in mid-March. Ripening period is 40-45 days.
- Early summer - in late April or early May. Ripening period 55-60 days.
- Mid-ripe and late ripe - in mid-June - early July for cold regions. They mature 100-110 days.
Sowing radish in the open ground
Some varieties of this root crop are large. It is worth considering, and leave free space between the seeds for full growth.
For sowing, first dig the soil onto the bayonet of a shovel and make furrows. They are located from east to west.
Distances for sowing:
- between furrows - 25-30 cm;
- between plants - 15-20 cm;
- the depth of the hole is 2-2.5 cm.
Too much crowding leads to the formation of arrows.
Landing Instructions:
- Mulch the groove with peat or humus.
- Moisten the earth.
- Place the sprouted seeds in the hole or groove, observing the desired interval between them.
- Sprinkle with earth and lightly tamp.
- Pour over water.
- Sprinkle with a thin layer of wood ash.
If the weather is cool, then the furrows are covered with a film. Shoots should appear within a week.
Planting seeds is carried out on a dry and not hot day.
Care Rules
The plant must be watered on time and weeds removed. Ensure that the soil does not dry out or is excessively wet.
Watering
For irrigation, warm and settled water is used. Irrigate in the morning or evening when there is no sunlight. It is better to use a watering can with a large nozzle.
Watering scheme:
- With the emergence of seedlings in the first week, irrigate every other day.
- When the sprout reaches 10 cm, watering less often, 1-2 times a week for early varieties and 2-3 times a month for later ones.
When watering, you should always be guided by the soil. If it dries up, then irrigation becomes more frequent. Do not allow the drying of the soil and the formation of a hard crust. In this case, the root crop will have a bitter aftertaste. To prevent the evaporation of moisture, mulching using humus, compost or mowed grass is used.
Loosening and thinning
To prevent the settlement of insects, you need to constantly weed the beds from weeds. Weed grass also picks up nutrients from the soil that are essential for radish growth.
After each watering, you need to loosen the ground so that no crust forms and there is access to air.
Thinning is carried out to remove weak shoots and to prevent planting density. Abundant foliage becomes a favorable environment for insects.
The first thinning is carried out when 2-3 leaves appear in a young plant. The distance between the seedlings should not be less than 7 cm. The next thinning is done after a month and a distance of at least 15-16 cm is left.
Top dressing
Plants are fed 2-3 times for the entire growth period. Use mineral fertilizers. Organic cause active growth of the subordinate roots and deformation of the fruit.
Feeding time:
- When the 4th leaf appears on a young plant.
- 3 weeks after the first feeding.
- 3 weeks before the final ripening of root crops, fertilizer containing potassium is applied. It helps to improve the taste and juiciness of the pulp. As top dressing, you can use wood ash.
For precocious varieties, top dressing should contain nitrogen.
Major diseases and pests
Dangerous to the culture of diseases and pests are:
Disease / pest | Manifestation | Treatment |
Powdery mildew | A light coating forms on the leaves. It gradually darkens to brown. Leaves wither and die. | Topaz. It is bred in water and sprayed. |
Kila | It affects the roots, forming growths on them. Gradually the foliage dries up. | Wood ash and bleach. Disinfect the soil. |
Root rot | Dark spots appear at the base of the fruit and on the petioles of the leaves, which lead to softening of parts of the plant. Additionally mold is formed. There is a specific smell. | Trichodermin. Kills the fungus. Wood ash mixed with chalk in a ratio of 1: 1. The resulting powder is used to treat the affected parts of the plant. |
Slug | Light color. They hide during the day, and at night eat the tops and the protruding part of the root crop. If they attacked young plants, they are able to completely destroy them. | Thunderstorm, Sludge Eater. Mustard or infusion of red hot pepper is bred in water and sprayed with plants and soil. |
Cabbage Moth | The insect is light brown in color. Lays larvae on leaves, the juice of which they feed. | Larvae live on the back of the leaf. They need to be removed, and the sheet wiped with soapy water. With severe damage to the plant, insecticides are used. |
Butterfly White | Lays eggs in the soil. Hatched caterpillars eat leaves. The sheet plate is twisted, and oblong-shaped holes appear in it. | Solution: mustard, red pepper and salt. Insist for more than a day and spray all parts of the plant. In the soil, add wood ash with cinnamon or saffron. |
Remember that many diseases and pests can occur due to increased humidity around the plant and untimely removal of weeds.
Harvesting and storage
Harvesting early and mid-ripening varieties produced in mid-summer. Later varieties are harvested in October, in dry weather, until the first frost.
Depending on the region, harvesting is carried out at different times:
- The middle band is the end of August;
- Ural - at the end of September;
- Siberia - the beginning of October.
Do not delay the harvest. With frost and rain, the entire crop may die.
Ripe root crops are pulled out of the ground. Cut off the upper green part, leaving the petioles about 2 cm, and roots. Ventilate to dry the land on them. For storage, fruits that are not damaged are suitable.
Root crops are stored in the refrigerator, placing them in a plastic bag with holes for ventilation. They also use a cool and dark cellar. Fruits are placed in wooden boxes, sprinkled with ash or sawdust. The temperature in the cellar should be 2-3 ° C, humidity should not exceed 80-85%. At a higher temperature, root crops germinate.
Tips from experienced gardeners
Some amateur gardeners face difficulties in growing black radish. To avoid them, it is worth taking the advice of experienced people:
- Do not plant seeds without first soaking. Germination will noticeably decrease even with proper care.
- If the fruit does not grow to the desired size, it is necessary to sway it. The roots will cease to give lateral shoots and all forces will be directed to the root crop.
- When the arrows appear, it is worth thinning or covering the plants with a film from the cold.
- When cracking, you need to increase watering.
Reviews
Anastasia, 48 years old, Penza. I love radish, I decided to grow it in the country. I didn’t think it was so easy to look after. Gathered a good harvest.
Natalia, 53 years old, Ural.I have been growing this species for several years. I use the greenhouse to protect from severe frosts. It is very simple to soak the seeds and plant them in the ground. Due to the greenhouse conditions, there are not so many weeds, so I do not weed so often.
Mikhail, 48 years old, Voronezh.Very pleased with the black radish. The fruits are large and juicy. I am growing the second year, I have not encountered diseases.
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Add your review
Black radish is suitable for growing in any climatic zone of our country. It grows in open ground and does not require a dive or transplant.It is not difficult to care for the culture, it is worth observing the irrigation regime and weeding weeds in time. After 2-3 months, a rich crop is harvested in the form of strong and juicy root crops.