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A variety of beet varieties bred by and foreign breeders allows gardeners to choose both promising new products and reliable, time-tested options. The latter include the Detroit beet, bred more than 25 years ago, but still retaining popularity due to its undoubted merits.
History of origin
Despite the name, Detroit beets have nothing to do with the United States. Her homeland is Italy. The variety was bred by breeders of Zorzi Sementi SRL in the early 90s.
gardeners met him in 1994. Three years later, the Detroit table beet was included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements at the request of a group of agricultural firms.
Detroit beet seeds are produced by different manufacturers
The variety is recognized as the most suitable for planting in the Central region. But the experience of gardeners living in other areas shows that it successfully adapts to the most diverse features of the local climate.
Description and characteristics of the Detroit beet variety
Detroit – mid-season table beets. The ripening of root crops takes 85-105 days from the moment of emergence of shoots from seeds. Specific dates depend on how lucky the gardener is with the weather during the summer. The variety is officially recommended not only for cultivation on personal plots for personal consumption, but also for cultivation by farms.
The rosette of the Detroit variety is semi-vertical, relatively compact, of medium height. The leaves are not large, although there are quite a lot of them. The surface of the leaf plate is almost even, with a slightly pronounced “blistering” and slightly wavy edges. Root crops of the correct, rounded shape, with a smooth skin of a typical “beetroot” color. The root is very thin, short.
Root crops ripen in different sizes. The weight of Detroit beets varies between 110-215 g. The yield is quite high – 9-10 kg / m².
Most (82-91%) are marketable
The pulp is a rich burgundy-red hue, without light “rings” and “veins”. It is very juicy, dense, uniform in texture, but tender. We can clearly distinguish the characteristic sweet aftertaste. It is explained by the fact that the percentage of sugar content in Detroit beets is higher than that of many others – 12,3-14,2%.
Gardeners appreciate it for its general “stress resistance”. This variety successfully adapts to a wide range of not always favorable climatic conditions, the impact of negative environmental factors. Seedlings do not suffer from return spring frosts, small negative temperatures. Detroit beets are also suitable for planting before winter, in spring the seeds germinate en masse.
Detroit beets also have a high dry matter content (17,6-20,4%). This explains its transportability and keeping quality. Root crops are stored at least until the end of winter (often until the beginning of the next season), preserving the texture of the pulp and taste.
The purpose of the variety is universal. Beetroot Detroit is widely used in cooking fresh and boiled for salads, appetizers, first and second courses. You can squeeze juice out of it, use it as an ingredient in homemade preparations for the winter.
After heat treatment, Detroit beets retain their rich color and retain most of their health benefits.
Varieties
Beetroot Detroit seemed so successful to breeders that they used it as a “basis” for further experiments. As a result, several varieties have appeared.
Detroit Dark Red
It differs from the “original” in early ripeness and increased sugar content. The weight of root crops varies even more – in the range of 80-250 g.
Detroit Dark Red beets are recommended for fresh eating and juicing.
Detroit 6 Rubidus (Detroit 6 Rubidus)
Also an early variety. It is better than the “classic” Detroit beet tolerates frost, low temperatures during the growing season and lack of light.
Beet fruits Detroit 6 Rubidus are relatively one-dimensional, weighing 120-150 g
Detroit 2 Nero
A variety of medium-late ripening, with a higher yield than ordinary Detroit beets (10-12 kg / m²). Root crops are almost one-dimensional (140-160 g), regular, rounded.
Detroit 2 Nero beet pulp does not accumulate nitrates, even if you overdo it with nitrogen fertilizers
Advantages and disadvantages
The popularity of Detroit beets among amateur gardeners and professional farmers is easily explained by its significant advantages:
- stability of fruiting, despite the vagaries of the weather in summer;
- presentable appearance of root crops;
- uniform texture of the pulp;
- excellent taste and versatility;
- the ability to endure return spring frosts, summer heat, drought;
- very good immunity;
- keeping quality and transportability;
- resistance to coloring and shooting;
- mass “friendly” fruiting;
- consistently high seed germination and the percentage of marketable fruits at harvest;
- general undemanding care.
Growers planting Detroit beets almost always stay with the harvest
Of the relative shortcomings – only a relatively small size of root crops. But many people like just such varieties – they are more convenient to store.
When to plant
In central Our Country, Detroit beet seeds are planted in beds at the end of April or in the first decade of May, when the average daily temperature is set at 12-15 ° C. In regions with a warmer or more severe climate, the dates are shifted back or forward by 2-3 weeks, respectively.
If a seedling method of growing a crop is chosen, the seeds are sown at home 4-5 weeks before the expected date of planting in the ground.
Beet Planting Methods Detroit
Like any beet, Detroit can be grown both in seedlings and by sowing seeds directly in the garden. But the practice of gardeners shows that the first method (by the way, requiring a lot of time and effort) is not very suitable for this variety. After transplanting to the beds, the seedlings adapt to the new habitat for a long time. As a result, these plants lag behind in development from those grown in open ground from seeds, forming smaller root crops.
Seedling growing method
Detroit beet seedlings are grown according to the following algorithm:
- Pickle the seeds in a solution of any fungicide or potassium permanganate (bright pink) to prevent fungal diseases.
- Plant them in boxes, containers filled with universal soil for seedlings or a mixture of black soil with peat chips and sand (2: 1: 1), after moistening and leveling the substrate well. Seeds are sown one at a time to a depth of about 1,5 cm, leaving 2-2,5 cm between them, and 3,5-4 cm between rows.
- Before the emergence of Detroit beet shoots (it takes 7-10 days), cover the container with plastic wrap, glass, and put it in a dark, warm place. It is necessary to control the condition of the soil, preventing it from completely drying out, and ventilate the “greenhouse” daily so that condensate does not accumulate in it.
- Transfer the seedlings to the light. In the phase of the first true leaf, thin out the plantings, leaving 3-4 cm between adjacent specimens. At the same time, you can feed them with any fertilizer for seedlings based on biohumus, but this is an optional step. Only timely watering is vital for Detroit beet seedlings.
- In the phase of the third true leaf, plant seedlings in the ground with an interval of 15-20 cm and a row spacing of 30-35 cm. Water the bed well beforehand (20-25 l / m²). Mulch the soil. In the first 7-10 days after transplanting for the night, it is better to cover the soil with plastic wrap or dark covering material.
If the soil in the container dries out, the seedlings will die.
Seeds in open ground
Landing is preceded by the choice of a place for the garden. Beet Detroit is undemanding to growing conditions, but it must be borne in mind that an ideal site for it meets several criteria:
- good illuminance;
- the presence of protection from strong winds, drafts;
- neutral or slightly acidic soil, this is the main “requirement”: in an alkaline or acidic substrate, Detroit beets will simply die;
- soil nutrition combined with water and air permeability (sandy loam, loam);
- suitable “predecessors” (all crops from the families Cucurbitaceae, Solanaceae, Legumes, onions, garlic, herbs).
Since autumn, the selected bed has been dug up, humus (3-5 l / m²) and complex phosphorus-potassium fertilizer (20-25 g / m²) are introduced. If necessary, other substances to ensure the required acid-base balance.
Detroit beet seeds need preplant preparation. The easiest way is to soak them for a day in warm (40-45 ° C) water. It needs to be changed periodically to maintain the temperature. Another way is to wrap them in a damp cloth, a napkin (it should not be allowed to dry out), put it on a saucer and put it closer to the radiator.
Before planting Detroit beet seeds, the bed is well loosened, the soil is moistened and leveled. They are planted to a depth of 3-4 cm, if possible one at a time, with an interval of about 15 cm. The minimum row spacing is 30 cm. If you sow the seeds uncontrollably, then planting will have to be thinned out.
Beets are thinned out by cutting off “unnecessary” seedlings so as not to damage the roots of those left in the garden.
Beet Care Detroit
Even novice gardeners can take care of Detroit beets:
- Watering. Until the formation of root crops, water the bed every 2-3 days, preventing the soil from completely drying out. Then switch to weekly watering, spending about 15-20 l / m². Of course, the intervals are adjusted taking into account natural precipitation and air temperature. A month before harvest, it is important to stop watering altogether.
- Loosening and weeding. Spend the next day after watering. It is impossible to let the soil in the garden “bake” into a hard crust that does not allow water and oxygen to pass to the roots.
- Mulching. An optional but very useful agrotechnical event. If you mulch the bed immediately after planting the Detroit beet, it will be possible to water it less often later. Mulch also saves time on loosening and weeding.
- thinning. Required only for uncontrolled planting of Detroit beet seeds. It is carried out twice – in the phase of the 2-3rd and 5-6th true leaf. The most powerful and developed plants are left on the bed, keeping an interval between them of 3-4 cm and 7-8 cm, respectively.
- Top dressing. In the phase of the 2-3rd true leaf, the best option is any fertilizer based on natural organic matter to stimulate the growth of green mass. Then, approximately in the middle of the vegetative season, complex top dressing is applied for root crops or especially for beets. Excess fertilizer provokes the appearance of cracks and voids in the roots of Detroit beets.
Sometimes Detroit beetroot can get by with natural rainfall during the season.
Possible diseases and pests
Detroit beets rarely suffer from fungal diseases. But with thickening in the garden in damp cool weather, it can still become infected with powdery mildew or gray rot.
In both cases, a plaque appears on the plant. But in the first it is whitish, powdery, and in the second it is silver-gray, fluffy, with small black patches. Gradually, this plaque becomes denser, the affected tissues rot or dry out, and holes form.
Almost any horticultural crop can suffer from powdery mildew.
Any fungicide will help to cope with a pathogenic fungus. Both the plants themselves and the soil in the garden are sprayed with solutions. But you need to remember that if less than a month is left before the Detroit beet harvest, you can use only preparations of biological origin.
It is better to pull out and burn beets heavily affected by gray rot.
Of the pests, the most dangerous are:
- Medvedki. Insects that lead an underground lifestyle, moving, gnaw holes in the root crops or “cut” the roots of seedlings.
Beets damaged by bears are clearly unsuitable for food
- Butterfly caterpillars. They feed very actively on the aerial part of the plant, leaving only petioles and veins from the leaves in a few days.
Scoop caterpillars are distinguished by rare voracity
To scare away the bear from the beds with Detroit beets, granules of special preparations (for example, Medvetoks) are added to the soil during planting. Preventive treatments with any universal insecticides are effective against adults and cutworm caterpillars. They are also used if pest attacks could not be avoided.
Conclusion
Beet Detroit is a variety suitable for beginners, experienced gardeners, and professional farmers. Consistently high yields and taste qualities of root crops are very successfully combined with non-capriciousness in care, the ability to endure lower temperatures during the growing season and good immunity without prejudice to oneself. The transportability and keeping quality of Detroit beets make it possible to preserve the crop for a long time without any problems.
Reviews of gardeners about beets Detroit
