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Today, there are so many different carrot seeds on store shelves that your eyes run wide. Our article will help you make an informed choice from this variety. Today, under the gun is a hybrid variety of carrots Maestro. And we’ll start with the manufacturer’s promises.
Variety description
Carrot Maestro F1 variety, which belongs to the Nantes variety type. This variety type is very popular in Our Country. Among the varieties of this type, carrots of different ripening periods are found. Maestro belongs to the late-ripening varieties of carrots. It grows in length up to 20 cm, and in diameter it can reach 4 cm. The mass of one root crop can reach 200 grams.
All root crops of this variety type have a cylindrical shape with a blunt tip. The fruits are bright orange in color, smooth and do not crack.
Characterized by sweet and juicy pulp, have a small core. Carrots of this variety are good both for fresh consumption and for conservation. In addition, according to the manufacturer, this variety is characterized by high productivity. Commercial yield 281-489 centners per hectare.
Preparing the site for sowing
Since the variety is late-ripening (growth period 120-130 days), it is recommended to sow as early as possible. In the middle lane, you can start sowing carrots of this variety in the twentieth of April. Carrots are a rather unpretentious crop, and choosing the right place for planting it is half the battle. The following conditions will be optimal:
- the earth must be loose, because the shape of the root crop suffers from dense soil. It is better to dig a bed in the fall, and just loosen it before sowing;
- the site should be moderately wet, because on swampy land there is a high risk of infection of plantings with a carrot fly;
- the bed should be in full sun, the shadow will have a detrimental effect on the quality of the crop;
- the soil should be rich in humus;
- only neutral soils are suitable for carrots, so it is not recommended to use fresh manure as a fertilizer;
- the harvest will be good if potatoes, tomatoes, legumes or cabbage grew in this place before carrots;
- planting carrots in the place where parsley, sorrel or dill grew before it will not be very successful;
- in addition, it is useful for the harvest and compliance with crop rotation. Do not plant carrots in the same place more than once every three years.
When the planting site is selected and properly prepared, you can go directly to the seeds.
Seed preparation
Then put on a cloth and dry slightly – so that the seeds do not stick together, but at the same time are moist. In this state, they can be stored in the refrigerator until sowing. Such hardening will do them good. Sowing with dry seeds is also allowed, but in this case it is necessary to moisten the soil well. Otherwise, the lack of moisture will affect the seedlings. Sprouts will be weak and unfriendly.
Sowing carrots
When the weather allows, grooves are cut on the prepared bed every 15-20 cm, into which the prepared seeds are sown. You can simply “salt” them, or you can work hard and decompose one seed every 1,5-2 cm.
But as a rule, in both cases, seedlings will still have to be thinned out.
Experienced gardeners advise the method of sowing carrots using ribbons. A thin paste is made from water and flour, with the help of which carrot seeds are glued onto thin toilet paper, cut into ribbons 1-2 cm wide.
When the time comes to sow, the previously prepared grooves are well watered and these tapes are placed there with the seeds down. Then press the seeds to the ground and sprinkle.
Carrots sown in this way grow in even rows, which means that it does not need to be thinned out, it is easy to loosen and weed. And the fruits sown in this way turn out to be even and large, as they grow in the open.
This method is popular, so seed producers also produce Maestro carrots already glued to the tape.
If you still have questions, watch a video about planting carrots in open ground:
Thinning sprouts
The first shoots will begin to appear in about a week.
It is better to do this when the first true leaf appears on the sprouts. Perhaps, after the appearance of the second true leaf, the seedlings will again have to be thinned out. As a result, one plant per 5 cm of area should remain.
After pulling, you need to water the seedlings
Care. Pest control
Caring for the Maestro variety is simple. It is important to control weeds, especially during the emergence stage. Otherwise, the grass can drown out young shoots. Later, when the tops gain strength, weeding can be done less frequently, because for already grown carrots, the grass does not pose any danger.
Moderate watering is possible on especially dry days.
With pests, too, everything is simple.
It often appears in thickened plantings, or in swampy beds. The best way to deal with it is to plant onions right in the garden with carrots. The smell of the onion will scare away the carrot fly.
If this method does not suit you, you can use chemicals.
All these tips only seem complicated at first glance, once you try it, you will understand that growing carrots is not so difficult, and with good seeds you are simply doomed to success.
Harvest
It is better to harvest carrots on a dry sunny day. It is better not to hurry with the cleaning deadlines. In September, carrots gain up to 40% of their mass, and also store sugar. We dig up the root crops, and let them dry for an hour in the open air. At this time, the earth that remains on the carrot will dry out, and then it will be easily removed. Also at this stage, you need to cut off the tops, while capturing part of the carrot “butt” (about 1 cm). This operation will prevent the crop from sprouting, since we are removing the “center” of growth.
Storage Tips
Late-ripening varieties are characterized by good cold resistance, disease resistance, which means that Maestro carrots will be well stored. According to customer reviews, root crops retain their presentation and taste until the next harvest. The taste does not suffer during storage, in addition, all useful substances remain intact.
We hope that our article was useful for you, and now it will become a little easier to choose the “same” carrot variety. If you already have favorites among the seeds, share with us. After all, collective intelligence is power!