Growing sorrel: fresh herbs in a salad or borscht are always at hand.

Sorrel (Rumex) - perennial herbaceous plant. It has been cultivated since the Middle Ages, in Russia for a long time it was considered an ordinary weed, therefore, as a garden crop, it began to be grown in recent centuries. root system plants taproot, fleshy root penetrates deep into the soil. Sheet plates large, long, collected in a dense basal rosette.

Sorrel is one of the earliest vegetable crops, a breath of freshness after a long winter cold, a storehouse useful elements. Green leaves reach for the sun as soon as the snow melts. In May, it is already possible to harvest the first crop - the length of the leaves reaches about 10 cm. During the season (harvesting should be completed in July), 4-5 cuts are made with an interval of 10-15 days. Then the leaves coarsen, the concentration of oxalic acid becomes high, which is not very useful for humans.

When to sow sorrel in open ground

The plant, its seeds begin to germinate at +3 ° C: seedlings are not required to grow, they can be sown immediately in open ground. When to plant sorrel?

There are three optimal time sowing:

1. Early spring– sow as soon as tillage becomes possible. Harvest in the same season.
2. summer sowing- spend it after harvesting vegetables early term maturation (June). Sorrel will have time to take root well before the onset of winter cold
3. Sowing before winter late autumn(end of October-beginning of November) - wait extreme cold with night frosts and dry weather, since the seeds should not have time to germinate before the onset of winter. At winter sowing it is useful to fill the rows with high-quality humus, mixed in half with garden soil.

In the last two cases, sorrel will please you first. green harvest next spring.

It is best to sow sorrel in the spring when the soil is saturated with moisture. During summer sowing, regular abundant watering of the beds will be required.

Why does the sorrel not rise

Often people make a gross mistake: they sow sorrel deep, which is why the seeds do not break through a thick layer of earth. Sorrel seeds are very small, sow them no deeper than 1 cm. To do this, make the furrows “symbolic”, only slightly indicating the direction of sowing with a corner of a chopper. After sowing, carefully fill the furrows with earth.

What kind of sorrel is best to plant?

Sorrel is large-leaved, yields excellently, tolerates cutting easily and regrows quickly with regular watering. It does not degenerate for a long time and does not freeze.

Site selection

The plant thrives in moderate shade.

The soil needs fertile, sufficiently moist, but without stagnant water. Optimal occurrence ground water at a depth of more than 1 m. It grows best on loamy and sandy soils rich in humus. A slightly acidic soil reaction is preferred.

How to plant sorrel seeds in open ground

1 g of weight contains about 1000-1500 seeds. Seeds germinate for about 2 years.

Soil preparation

Dig up the area, free from weeds. On depleted soils for digging, apply fertilizer: 6-8 kg of humus or compost, 20-30 g of superphosphate and 15-20 g of potassium chloride per 1 m².

How to prepare a bed for planting sorrel, look at the video:

How to plant sorrel seeds

• keeping a distance of 15-20 cm between them.
• In the spring, plant the seeds to a depth of 8 mm-1 cm. Friendly seedlings will appear in 8-11 days, and if you cover the crops with a film, after 3-5 days. After a week of growth, thin out, leaving a distance of 5-7 cm between plants.
• When sowing in summer, the soil must be saturated with moisture - a couple of days before sowing, water the bed well so that the soil gets wet well.
• When sowing before winter, the bed is prepared in advance so that the soil settles and the seeds are not washed away by precipitation into the deep layers of the soil.

It is necessary to sow as little as possible, seed germination is excellent, and after seed germination, seedlings must be thinned out so that the plants do not clog each other. Ideal - leave at least 2-3 cm between individual plants so that the sorrel is large and beautiful.

How to sow sorrel, look at the video:

Care and cultivation of sorrel in the open field

sorrel in open ground:

Watering

• During the period active growth water regularly and plentifully.
• In hot weather and dry soil, the ground part will actively develop, which will provoke earlier unwanted flowering (under normal conditions, it should occur in the second year of growth).

To maintain the quality of green produce, flower stalks should be removed.

Top dressing and mulching

• Loosen the soil in early spring, mulch the area to maintain the moisture level, fertilize (1 bucket of mullein solution in a ratio of 1 to 6 with the addition of 10-25 g of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers per 1 m²).
• To maintain the yield after each cutting of the leaves, it is necessary to feed with a complex of mineral fertilizers, with an emphasis on the nitrogen component.
• In autumn, add 4-5 kg ​​of humus or compost between rows.

Sorrel should be cultivated in one place for no more than 4 years, then the planting must be renewed.

Diseases and pests of sorrel

False powdery mildew- a possible disease of oxal culture. This will not happen if the seeds were treated before planting.

The sorrel leaf beetle can destroy your crop. Spray the plant with a solution of garlic, sprinkle with ash or tobacco dust.

The benefits of sorrel

Sorrel is rich in minerals (potassium, iron), proteins, sugars, organic acids (oxalic, malic, citric), contains vitamin C and carotene. In folk medicine, sorrel is used as a choleretic, hemostatic agent, the juice of the plant has an antiseptic effect, improves metabolism, and normalizes the work of the stomach. You should not abuse it, because acids can have negative impact on the kidneys.

Fresh sorrel leaves are used in the preparation of salads, sauces, mashed potatoes, everyone's favorite "green borscht", it retains its beneficial features both fresh and canned.

Sorrel is perennial cold resistant. In one place, the culture can grow for 4 years, then you need to sow sorrel in another corner of the garden. Sorrel has a strong branched root that grows up to half a meter in the ground. The plant is able to withstand not only short-term frosts, but also severe frosts down to -25 ° C. Sorrel grows well on slightly acidic fertile soil.

What do we know from history?

Asia and Europe are considered the birthplace of sorrel. And now sorrel grows there very abundantly. wild plant known to people since time immemorial. There are more than 200 species of sorrel in the world.

In the 12th century, sorrel was first mentioned as a garden crop. For many years, the Russians believed that sorrel is a weed and tried their best to get rid of it. Naturally, no one used this plant for food. In the last few centuries, people began to grow sorrel in their gardens. As a vegetable crop, common sorrel is grown in vegetable gardens. In the people it is customary to call it "sour".

In Russia, many summer residents do not really like sorrel and in vain, it is advisable to take at least a small piece of fertile land in order to grow this vegetable crop. Sorrel is very useful for humans, it contains several acids at the same time: citric, ascorbic, oxalic and malic.

Sorrel belongs to very early and unpretentious cultures. As soon as the snow melts, and the spring sun begins to warm the earth, the first shoots appear. Already at the end of May, young leaves appear, reaching a height of 7-10 cm. They can be cut off and harvested next time in 2 weeks. They finish harvesting at the end of July, just by this time the leaves will accumulate a lot of acid and become rough, it is undesirable to eat them.

At the end of spring and during the first two summer months (in June and July), young leaves of the plant contain a lot of citric and malic acid, as well as a large number of vitamin C, potassium, iron, sugar and proteins. During this period, you need to stock up on vitamins for the winter. From sorrel, you can cook many delicious and healthy meals: cook green borscht, bake pies or a pie, make mashed potatoes or add to a salad. Sorrel can be eaten not only fresh, but also canned. During conservation, all the useful properties of the plant are preserved.

Sorrel is popular not only in cooking, but also in traditional medicine- it is used as a choleretic and blood-stopping agent, as well as for the treatment of scurvy. Doctors warn that excessive consumption of sorrel can harm a person, the kidneys will not be able to cope with large quantity acids.

Popular varieties of sorrel: Broad-leaved and Malachite. The first has a loose rosette and elongated leaves. This variety is frost tolerant and drought tolerant. Malachite ripens very early, up to 2 kg of crop can be harvested from 1m2 of area. The first harvest can be harvested 1.5 months after planting the seeds. The rosette of leaves is compact, the leaves resemble the shape of a spear.

See the photo for sorrel varieties:

On sale you can also find less popular varieties of sorrel: Spinach and Broadleaf. They are low in oxalic acid.

How to grow sorrel

Grow sorrel on suburban area very easy, you need to start with a choice suitable place. In order to receive good harvest, it is necessary to take away a wet piece of land, but only without stagnant moisture. The soil must be freed from weeds, especially the sorrel does not like the neighborhood with wheatgrass grass. good soil- sandy loam or loam, generously fertilized with humus. Sorrel will also grow well on peat-drained soil. It is important to observe next rule: groundwater should be at a depth of 1 m from the surface of the earth. On slightly acidic soil, sorrel will also grow well and delight you with its rich harvest, and liming the soil with a pH of 4.5 is not necessary.

How to prepare the soil before planting

If you want to get a good harvest, you need to take care of the soil in advance. It must be prepared in the fall. Add 6 kg of humus and 30 g of potassium chloride and superphosphate to a pre-allocated plot of land. This amount of fertilizer is calculated for 1m 2 of land.

With the onset of spring, immediately before sowing sorrel, the soil must be nourished with this mixture: take 2 g ammonium nitrate and potassium salt, 4 g of superphosphate and 40 g of urea, add 3 kg of humus, mix all the components thoroughly and fertilize the soil.

Planting sorrel

When can sorrel be planted? There are no exact landing dates. If you have such an opportunity, then sorrel can be planted in early spring, and in the southern part of the country you can plant sorrel in the summer, if you have a free plot of land. At late boarding(in summer) it must be borne in mind that the plant needs to have time to sprout and take root even before the onset of cold weather. This takes 1, maximum 1.5 months. So if you have a desire, you can plant a plant today and harvest the first crop in mid-September.

Of course, if you are not going to grow sorrel for sale, but for yourself, then it is better to plant sorrel in early spring. At this time, there will be more moisture in the soil than in the middle of summer and you will not have to waste time watering.

When planting, keep in mind that the sorrel will not rise quickly. If there is very little moisture, then it can ascend unevenly, and in some places it may not “hatch” at all.

Standard landing rules:

1. Observe the distance between rows - at least 20 cm.
2. The distance between plants is 5 cm.

How to prepare seeds for planting

It is advisable to prepare the seeds before planting in advance, if you are in a hurry and you don’t have time to prepare at all, you will have to sow the seeds directly from the bag.

For those who want to get 100% germination, we offer a simple way: the seeds must be soaked in water, wrapped in gauze and left for 48 hours. During this time, they will be saturated with moisture and sprout faster.

If you want the seeds to sprout well and be strong, then you can first add a little nutrient fertilizer to plain water.

Growing sorrel from seeds

When the soil is ready, you can start planting seeds. You can buy them in specialized stores by weight (which is much cheaper) or packaged in paper bags. When buying, pay attention to the expiration date of sorrel seeds.

Before you start planting, you need to free the ground from weeds. As already mentioned earlier, landing can be carried out at any time, except for winter. In early spring, as soon as the soil is ready for cultivation (not earlier than mid-April), it's time to get to work. There is moisture in the soil, which means that the seeds will germinate well.

Pre-soaked seeds must be sown in the soil (if the soil is not moist enough, it must be well watered). The sowing depth of sorrel is 1.5 cm. The distance between rows is 20 cm, you can save money and make rows with a distance of 15 cm. There should be a free space of 5 cm between the seeds.

Sowing should be mulched with peat mixture or simply sprinkled with earth. After 2 weeks, the first shoots should appear. If you cover the bed with seeds with a film, then on the 5th day you can expect the first shoots.

As soon as the seeds sprout, it is necessary to thin out the sorrel. The distance between plants should be 10 cm. After 50 days from the moment of sowing the seeds, it will be possible to harvest the first crop.

If you sow seeds in the summer, then you can do this in mid-June or July, just after harvesting onions planted on greens or radishes. summer sorrel will have time to strengthen before the onset of frost and next year in the spring will give a good harvest.

Winter sowing can begin in October or November, taking into account that the seeds do not have time to germinate before the onset of frost. You can harvest the first crop in the spring. Please note that winter sowing does not give 100% germination, so the yield will not be very high.

Subtleties of sowing:

• it is more convenient to make grooves in the soil with a chopper, use a thick stick or a metal pin;
• make grooves with a stick, pick up seeds in your hand. Please note that they are very small;
• scatter them evenly over the furrow;
• Gently crush the seeds on top with soil. Soil layer - 1 cm, this will be enough. If the soil is heavy, then the seeds will not be able to break through.

How to care for sorrel

Despite the fact that this garden crop is considered unpretentious and frost-resistant, sorrel loves watering very much. When the air temperature reaches above 26 ° C, and the summer is dry, the rosette will develop poorly, and soon the sorrel will begin to bloom. This reduces the quality of the future crop. The plant should be watered regularly summer period. To prevent flowering, the first flower stalks should be removed as soon as possible.

In the spring, as soon as the sorrel begins to grow, it is advisable to loosen the soil and mulch. It does not hurt to fertilize, dilute 25 g of phosphorus or potash fertilizer in a bucket of water and water the soil generously.

In autumn, humus or compost must be added to the aisles. For 1 m 2 of land, 5 kg of fertilizer is taken. Just the compost is good at mulching the bare sorrel roots.

One year later, you need to pay good feeding: for 1m 2 of soil, you need to take 20 g of urea and potassium chloride and 30 g of superphosphate.

Harvest Rules

When it's harvest time, you'll guess. It is better to cut the leaves young, they will have less oxalic acid, and therefore more benefits. As soon as 4-5 leaves appear on the outlet, they can be cut off sharp knife. Step back from the surface of the earth 3-4 cm and make an even cut. Harvest carefully so as not to damage the apical buds of the sorrel. You can also pick the leaves by hand, but then be very careful not to damage the outlet.

Before you start harvesting, it is advisable to free the sorrel from weeds, and loosen the soil between the rows with a chopper. Harvest in the morning or evening. From one outlet, you can cut leaves up to 5 times.

As soon as you see that the sorrel began to throw out flower arrows, they must be cut off so that the plant does not weaken. After each such manipulation, it is necessary to apply a mixture of mineral fertilizers with nitrogen fertilizers in order to further increase the yield.

In the dry season (in summer, when there is little rain), it is better to feed the sorrel liquid fertilizers and dry during rainy seasons.

As soon as 3 or 4 years have passed since the planting of sorrel, this plant will no longer be suitable for harvesting and eating. So that sorrel does not go to waste, it can be used for distillation. In autumn, the plant is dug up with earthy clod and sent to the cellar for storage. The temperature in the room should not rise above +2 ° C and fall below 0 ° C. At the end of winter, sorrel can be dug into the ground in a greenhouse and watered abundantly. After 20 days, you can harvest the first crop.

If the area of ​​​​the greenhouse is large, then you can dig in the sorrel immediately after digging up the plant. Then you can harvest in the winter.

How to deal with pests

underlying disease garden culture sorrel - mealy false dew. To prevent this disease, it is necessary to heat treatment seeds. In addition, the leaves are very fond of aphids. To get rid of pests, sorrel can be sprayed with a decoction of tobacco, and after harvesting the plant, destroy the remnants.

Often, when growing sorrel, many summer residents are faced with the fact that holes appear on the leaves - this is the work of the sorrel leaf beetle. It is enough to process the sorrel wood ash and this problem will be solved.

Sometimes small yellowish or brown spots. Such plants need to be cut and thrown away, and the rest should be processed with healthy sorrel.

How to grow sorrel on your site, watch this video:

Sorrel is very useful plant, without which no green borscht can be cooked. It contains a lot of vitamins, which explains high level the popularity of this plant.

Plant features

This plant belongs to the subshrubs. There are also annual varieties this breed. Sorrel has more than 120 varieties.

This plant is characterized by:

• The presence of oblong leaves that grow from the ground itself.
• Sorrel sunrise begins in early spring, after the first snow has melted.
• This plant blooms very small flowers white color, which are attached to a long pagon.

If in autumn spring period there is a snow cover, then the sorrel is able to withstand frost. This plant propagates mainly from seeds, which begin to germinate within two weeks after planting. Sorrel blooms only in the presence of low humidity and high temperatures.

Favorable for the development of the leaves of this plant is a small shade.

The most common of these is rust, which comes in three forms:

• They are characterized by the appearance of small round spots of orange or yellow color that increase as the disease progresses.
• This disease significantly reduces the level of plant growth, and also spoils appearance leaves.
• The sorrel becomes unusable.
• Most effective method control of this disease is blue vitriol. It must be diluted in water and sprinkled on the plant.

Also, sorrel can tolerate such viral diseases, as root rot or bacterial cancer:

• This is due to the fact that infectious potential accumulates on plantations with sorrel.
• To prevent these diseases, it is necessary to cultivate fruit seeds and destroy plant remains affected by the disease.

Very often on given plant beetles and larvae of the sorrel leafworm attack, which damage the structure of the leaves of this plant. Also very often false caterpillars of the sorrel duster attack the culture. In order to get rid of these pests, it is necessary to pollinate the plant after harvest. For this, hexachlorane dust is used.

Very often, the plant is attacked by oxal aphids, which are able to suck the juices from the stems and leaves of the plant, which significantly reduces the yield.

To destroy this pest, it is necessary to spray the sorrel with a solution of nicotine sulfate or anabazine sulfate. Soap is added to these preparations. Pest control should be carried out in autumn period when the leaves will not be used for food. If the pests do not give rest in the spring, then it is necessary to cut off the sprayed leaves and throw them away after a few weeks. It will be possible to eat only the next sorrel harvest.

Do not forget that proper care of this plant will help to avoid many diseases, the causes of which can be excess moisture or fertilizers, dry soil, etc.

Growing sorrel requires correct execution multiple procedures:

• Soil selection.
• Planting seeds.
• Fertilizer.
• Watering.
• Harvesting.

Correct and timely performance of these procedures will significantly increase the yield of sorrel. Also, many diseases are caused by improper care behind it, which significantly reduces the yield of the plant and makes it unsuitable for human consumption.

More information can be found in the video.

In your own summer cottage you can grow a huge number of plants. One of the most popular and favorite among summer residents is sorrel. He is unpretentious and has rapid growth. Sorrel is very easy to breed and easy to care for. It can be grown by a summer resident who does not have experience in performing agricultural work. But still, there are secrets to successfully growing a plant, allowing you to get especially generous harvests.

Historical facts

Sorrel came to our country from Europe. It is these regions that are the birthplace of the plant. It is grown as cultivated plant, occupies vast areas in the steppes and forests. Today, more than 200 species of sorrel are known.
For the first time, sorrel is mentioned in the annals of the 12th century. In Russia, for many decades in a row, the plant was classified as a weed and tried in every possible way to exterminate it from cultivated areas. And only in the last century, sorrel has taken its rightful place in the gardens. It began to be eaten raw and cooked.
Sorrel not only has a peculiar sour taste, but is also useful for humans. It contains acids that have a beneficial effect on the body:

• lemon;
• ascorbic;
• oxalic;
• apple.

That is why professionals recommend taking at least small plot in the country and independently grow this amazing culture. So how to grow sorrel from seeds so that it delivers a minimum of hassle and a maximum yield?

Plant features

Sorrel, successful cultivation from the seeds of which allows you to enjoy a sour taste all year round, refers to perennial plants. He is not afraid low temperatures. Sorrel rises with the appearance of the first rays of the sun, and already in the middle of May it is able to give the first full-fledged crop: leaves up to 10 cm long are simply cut off and used at individual discretion. After 15 days, the plant is fully grown. The last harvest period is the middle of summer: before this time, the plant will accumulate a lot of acid, become rough. The culture becomes tasteless, and it is undesirable to eat it.

The use of sorrel

Young sorrel leaves have an increased concentration of citric and malic acid, contain vitamin C, potassium, iron and other useful components. That is why sorrel is recommended to be consumed raw. But many cooks use it in cooking as well. Green borsch, filling for pies and pies, green mashed potatoes or an element of salads - sorrel can be used everywhere. In addition, many preserve sorrel, because it is able to retain useful properties even during heat treatment.
Sorrel is also used in medicine. It is used as a choleretic and hemostatic agent.

Sorrel planting and care in the open field

Sorrel cultivation

Before sowing sorrel in the country, you need to choose a place for its growth. The plant can be in one place for 4 years, after which a culture transplant is necessary. A sour wanderer needs to provide a moist area, without stagnant water. Sorrel prefers a clean bed. He is especially painful in the neighborhood with wheatgrass. Ideal ground for growing a plant, loam, generously fertilized with organic components, is considered. The sorrel will be grateful for peat soil with drainage.

Garden preparation

Professional summer residents advise taking care of the soil for planting sorrel in advance. Prepare a landing site in the fall: dig up a bed, apply fertilizer. For 1 m2 of area, it is recommended to add 6 kg of rotted manure, 30 g of potassium chloride, 30 g of superphosphate.
In the spring, the dug up planting site is fluffed up and the following are introduced into the soil: nutrients:

• 2 g of ammonium nitrate;
• 2 g of potassium salt;
• 4 g superphosphate;
• 40 g of urea;
• 3 kg of rotted manure.

The components should be mixed until a homogeneous composition is obtained and applied to the bed.

planting time

The exact timing of planting sorrel is determined by individual needs. The plant can be planted in both spring and summer. When sowing seeds late, it should be borne in mind that the crop must have time to take root before the onset of frost.

Sorrel needs up to 1.5 months for full development. Time summer planting plants should be counted using this feature.

Naturally, the plant develops best during spring planting. During this period, the soil is not yet overdried and the moisture-loving plant will be able to develop perfectly. In the summer, it is necessary to provide the culture with timely watering.

Preparing seeds for sowing

Sorrel seeds are recommended to be prepared for sowing. If there is no time for preparatory procedures you can sow the plant dry. It is worth remembering that dry, unprepared seeds give uneven shoots.
In order to speed up and increase the germination of the seed, it is necessary to soak it in water for 2 days: the seeds are poured into cheesecloth, tied and dipped in a container of water. You can increase the stability of the plant, get even faster and stronger seedlings, if you soak the seeds in water with the addition of fertilizers. Buy useful tools available in a specialized store.

Sowing sorrel

Standard sowing technology:

• row spacing should be at least 20 cm;
• the distance between individuals is at least 5 cm;
• sowing depth - 1.5 cm.

In the event that the soil is not sufficiently moist before planting the plant, it must be watered. This is especially important when sowing seeds in summer. The seed is laid out in pre-made rows, carefully sprinkled with soil. The first shoots appear after 15 days. You can speed up the germination process if you cover the film plastic wrap. A kind of greenhouse will speed up the process: the sorrel will rise already on the 5th day.
Slightly strengthened crops are thinned out, increasing the distance between plants to 10 cm. A sufficient amount of space allows you to form a strong bush, and after 2 months you can start harvesting.
For summer sowing, the ideal time is the end of June - July. Until the fall, the sorrel will have time to take root and form a full-fledged outlet, it will be ready before wintering.
You can sow sorrel in the middle of autumn. It is very important that the seeds do not sprout. In the spring, as soon as the snow melts, the seed will show itself. But unfortunately, autumn planting does not give full-fledged shoots, so it is unlikely that it will be possible to collect a generous spring harvest.

Crop care

Sorrel is demanding on the moisture content of the soil on which it grows. In dry weather with temperatures above 26 degrees, its delicate rosette stops developing. Also, exposure to a hot climate leads to the flowering of the plant. In turn, the presence of a peduncle reduces the quantitative and qualitative indicators of yield. To prevent this you need to:

• provide the plant with timely abundant watering, especially in summer;
• cut off the emerging flower stalks as early as possible.

In the spring, immediately after germination, the soil is loosened and mulched. Fertilize the plant with a solution: 25 g of phosphorus and potassium preparation are added to 10 liters of water. In autumn, organic fertilizer is recommended: add 5 kg of compost per 1 m2.
For the second and subsequent years of growth, 20 g of urea, 20 g of potassium chloride, 30 g of superphosphate are added to the bed under the sorrel. Sorrel, successful cultivation and easy care of which, responds gratefully to the introduction of mineral and organic fertilizers. But remember, overfeeding a plant is much worse than not feeding it. Use fertilizers dosed, following the instructions.

Alternative to outdoor cultivation

Sorrel can be grown not only in open ground. At proper care he feels great on the windowsill. Especially the plant in the apartment is in demand in winter period when juicy greens bring unearthly pleasure, saturate the body with vitamins.
In order to expel sour greens indoors, it is necessary to take a developed rhizome with a large number of growth points. The root of a 2-year-old plant is ideal: it is young and fully formed.
An acceptable growing location is a south window sill. But at the same time, sorrel feels good on the north side. If it is not possible to settle the plant on the south side - plant it on any windowsill, organize artificial lighting and enjoy the fresh greens. The European guest does not need warmth. It is enough for him to provide a temperature of 5 to 20 degrees Celsius. If the apartment has a glazed balcony that does not freeze in severe frosts, set up a mini-garden right there.
The rhizomes are planted in prepared containers and left in a warm place for germination.
For planting sorrel in a flowerpot or wooden box need loamy nutrient soil. When using soil from a summer residence, it is necessary to fry it in the oven for 60 minutes. The procedure will get rid of possible pests and infections. Purchased land can also be used for planting rhizomes.

Sorrel on the windowsill can also be grown by seed. For this:

• prepare a container for sowing. Ideally, if it will have drainage holes for a stack of excess water;
• fill the bottom with drainage material: you can use broken brick, expanded clay or pieces of foam;
• pour the prepared soil into the pot;
• form mini-rows up to 1 cm deep: the distance between them must be at least 7 cm;
• fall asleep seeds: ideally, if they are prepared in the same way as for sowing in open ground;
• carefully fill the rows, slightly compact the soil;
• water the crops;
• form a mini greenhouse with a film or glass.

Sow seeds monthly in small bowls: you will have fresh greens all year round.
After the emergence of seedlings, the crops should be thinned out. The distance between plants should be up to 4 cm. Water the plant in a timely manner, loosen the soil in the flowerpot with a toothpick, apply universal fertilizer for indoor flowers - and you get bountiful harvest sour guest.
Settle sorrel in your summer cottage or window sill in an apartment, and he will thank you with a worthy harvest.

Growing sorrel is an easy way to provide your family with vitamin greens, which are so necessary in early spring during vitamin deficiency.

As a rule, sorrel is one of the first to begin to bring greens after a long winter.

This popular vegetable contains a lot of minerals (iron, potassium), protein, organic acids (oxalic, malic, citric). According to the content of vitamin C and carotene, sorrel is ahead of many well-known vegetables.

Soil preparation for sowing

Growing sorrel is a simple process and accessible to everyone. This is a perennial plant that tolerates cold well, is not demanding on bright lighting and can grow well even in a darkened corner. He does not require any special care.

After pruning, to speed up the process of growing new leaves, water the bed abundantly.

In one place, you can grow this crop for no more than 3-4 years. In the future, the yield will decrease, and the quality will deteriorate. The bed on which sorrel grows must be clean of weeds, especially it does not tolerate wheatgrass. This weed braids the entire soil with its roots, draws all the nutrients out of it and does not allow other plants to take root normally. To get an early harvest, the allotted area must be fertile and moist, but not flooded with water. The yield and juiciness of sorrel leaves depend on the fertility of the site. early harvest can be grown in a well-warmed by the sun area, protected from the north wind.

The best place for sorrel is loamy or sandy loamy soil rich in humus. Well it grows on well-drained peat soils especially when groundwater is close. In such areas, you can get the maximum yield from each bush. A strong leaf rosette develops well on slightly acidic soils, the plant bears fruit longer and blooms later.

In the fall, fertilizers must be applied to the site where it is planned to grow sorrel. The mixture is prepared in proportion: manure or compost - 6-8 kg, superphosphate - 30-40 g and potassium chloride - 20-30 g. This amount is for one square meter. The soil is carefully dug over the entire shovel. Mandatory application in spring before planting nitrogen fertilizers: 20 g of urea based on one square meter of area.

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Agrotechnics for growing sorrel

Sowing seeds can be carried out three times: in early spring, summer and autumn. spring planting should be started as soon as the soil is ready for cultivation. Harvested in the same year. Summer sowing is carried out after the early vegetable crops: radish, lettuce, onion on a feather, - in June-July. Before the onset of winter cold, the plant has time to strengthen well and in the spring of next year gives a good harvest. Sowing seeds in winter takes place in October-November so that they do not germinate before frost. Harvest after such planting will be next year.

Among all the sowing dates, the best is in early spring. These days, the soil is quite moist, the seeds sprout together already 10-14 days after sowing, and you can grow a good harvest. Sorrel sown in summer needs care: regular and plentiful watering. When sowing in winter, seedlings often fall out, and as a result, a low yield.

Sowing seeds is carried out on prepared beds at a distance of 25 cm between rows, at a depth of 1-2 cm. The norm is 1.5-2 g of seeds per square meter. In order for the seeds to germinate well, the soil must be compacted or simply trampled.

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Care for sorrel crops

When planting sorrel, we maintain a distance between rows of about 25 cm. We make grooves 4-5 cm deep with a chopper.

Regular loosening of the soil, weed control, watering and fertilizing - this is the main care for young plants. With insufficient soil moisture, the leaf rosette develops poorly, and the plant blooms early, and this has a bad effect on the quality of the leaves. Emerging flower stalks must be removed immediately so as not to reduce the quality of the future crop.

The green mass must be completely cut off a month before the onset of frost. If this is not done, then the leaves will lie under the snow in a dense layer, and block the access of air to the roots. This may cause the death of the plant.

To increase subsequent yields every time after the leaves are cut, you need to feed the plant. For this, a mixture of mineral fertilizers is used, where most are nitrogenous. If the weather is dry, then fertilizers are applied in liquid form; in rainy weather, you can use dry ones.

Further care is to fertilize between rows in the fall: 4-5 kg ​​of compost or humus per square meter. A mixture of fertilizer and soil should cover the bare roots of plants. A culture growing for the second year also needs care. She needs mineral fertilizers. A mixture is prepared for one square meter in the proportion: urea 15-20 g, superphosphate - 30-40 g and potassium chloride - 15-20 g.