When there is still a couple of months before the vegetable season, and the spring avitaminosis makes itself felt, fresh, juicy, crisp radish comes to the rescue.
Its undoubted advantages include the relative ease of cultivation - no wonder the hand of a novice summer resident first of all reaches for a bag of seeds of this delicious root crop.
This article will discuss how to sow radish in April in greenhouse conditions, where to buy seed and which are better suited for the warm season.
Features
Peculiarities of this crop allow to get several harvests per year. However, the most relevant month for planting radishes is April. What are the features of planting radish in April? In central Russia at this time of the year, snow can still lie, so it is necessary to plant, of course, in the greenhouse.
What is different from landing in another month?
For the cultivation of this culture requires heat and moisture. In April, the greenhouse is warm enough, but over the winter the soil dries out strongly and it is worth taking care of moisture in advance. To do this, in January-February, you will need to take a shovel and put more snow in the greenhouse. Melt water is well absorbed and well absorbed by plants..
Why choose exactly this time for sowing?
The beginning of the second month of spring is ideal for planting, it is at this time that the soil in the greenhouse warms up to + 12 + 15 degrees.
And this temperature is just what our vegetable needs in order for strong, healthy, viable shoots to appear!
This is over the moon - you will get double harvest. Experiments on the cultivation of vegetables, conducted by American scientists, have proved the effectiveness of planting in accordance with the lunar calendar, so do not neglect planting radishes using this method.
The best dates for sowing radish in 2018 are 3-6, 20 and 29-30 April.
If the seeds are pre-soaked, the date of planting is considered the day they are immersed in water. It is under the influence of water that germination processes start in the seeds.
Suitable varieties
Now choose which variety of radish is better to sow for growing in the greenhouse. They are completely different species. What qualities should have the best grade:
- it must be resistant to high humidity;
- should grow well in darkened, inadequately lit areas;
- resistance to fungal diseases, which often destroy vegetables in the greenhouse, is important;
- The resistance of the variety to the rifle, which occurs due to a number of factors, is always relevant.
The following precocious varieties correspond to the listed conditions:
- Children's F1 - will ripen in 15-16 days. Thanks to the soft, almost without bitterness, the taste is very popular with children.
- Alex - early-ripening variety, no more than 15 days will pass before the fruits appear. Suitable for growing all year round, gives red, juicy root crops without voids inside.
- F1 globe- this variety will ripen in 18 days, the radish will grow slightly sharp in taste, regular shape, bright red.
- Ultra early red - will ripen for 20 days, will give red round fruits. The main disadvantage is that vegetables are prone to some flabbiness.
- Helro - this grade is created specially for cultivation in hotbeds. Does not shoot, does not form voids. Will ripen in 22-24 days.
Mid-season and late varieties of radish:
- Silesia - The radish of this variety will please the fruits after 26-28 days. Gives the roots of a cylindrical shape, sweet, without sharpness and bitterness.
- Wuerzburg 59 - a very fruitful variety, with fruits of a beautiful dark crimson color. Will ripen in 25-35 days. The variety is well kept, can not be leveraged.
- Heat - This type of radish gives quite small roots, not more than 15 grams in weight. However, the variety is harvested, unpretentious, the pulp is juicy, tender and transparent.
Where and for how much to buy seeds?
In large cities, such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, the selection of seed material is huge. The package price is 15-50 rubles. Already in January, the hypermarket counters are full of bright bags, offering an abundance of varieties from different manufacturers.
Specialty stores and the Internet also attract buyers with attractive shop windows and advertising. High quality, reliable Vegetable seeds of world famous brands are best bought in hypermarket chains:
- Okay;
- Carousel;
- Tape;
- Obi;
- Maksidom.
You should not get a landing material with hands, in the elemental markets. You should always pay attention to the shelf life of seeds, the integrity of the package. Buying radish seeds in online stores, pre-read reviews of online shoppers.
How to grow radishes?
The following plan describes in detail, how to plant radishes in the April greenhouse:
- Making sure that the soil is thawed and warmed enough, we select the seeds for planting.
- We choose the largest of them, we screen out the smallest ones.
- In the greenhouse, we first make the grooves, the optimal distance between them is 7 cm. We pour them with a solution of potassium permanganate - it should be light pink and fertilize with ashes.
- Seeds are laid out at a distance of 3 cm from each other and sprinkled with earth. The depth at which our seeds are located should not exceed 1-1.5 cm, otherwise they will rise slowly and not together, and the shape of the fruit may deteriorate.
- Another secret will allow to insure against poor-quality seeds, it is to mix different varieties of radish with a similar ripening period.
Care
It consists in:
- maintaining the desired temperature;
- watering;
- top dressing;
- protection against pests.
Timely watering is extremely necessary for young plants, this applies to radish fully due to poorly developed root system.
Our radish should grow juicy and sweet, and the lack of moisture will make this healthy root vegetable sluggish and bitter. If watering is performed irregularly, it can lead to a drop in humidity, the fruits can crack and become ugly.
Top dressing - if the soil in the greenhouse is fertile and sufficiently moist, you will not need to fertilize it anymore. From pests well protects the strait of grooves with potassium permanganate before planting. The slugs of the same and cruciferous flea in April are not yet and they will not harm our shoots.
Maintaining the temperature in the greenhouse is not difficult. In good weather, doors and vents can be opened, but by all means close them at night. Possible difficulties of growing radish in April. As you can see, there are no particular difficulties in growing radish in greenhouses in April. However, pay attention to the following:
- If the plants develop slowly, then the planting was too thick. In this case, it is worth thinning the plants by removing the extra, weakest sprouts.
- If the air temperature is very low, night frosts are frequent - cover the seedlings with covering material for the night. Fruit rifling began - it may have been chosen as an unsuccessful or unsuitable variety for this climatic zone.
- Thick greens developed, and the roots remained small - perhaps the plants were planted too thickly or the soil is oversaturated with organic fertilizers.
The first fruits of a radish will please the owner in 15-20 days. Remove all sown roots should be no later than 45 days after plantingotherwise they will bloom and go to the arrows. In order for a delicious radish to be a constant component of spring salads, it is worth choosing varieties that are different in their precocity.
