Growing flax fiber from seeds
Fiber flax is the most ancient crop, after wheat, cultivated by man. Our ancestors noticed that the stem of a plant is difficult to break across, but it is easy to split lengthwise into thin strong threads, from which yarn can be obtained. Like thousands of years ago, today flax is one of the most important agricultural crops used for the production of textiles.
Fiber flax: description of the variety
Fiber flax is an annual herb with a long thin stem, reaching a height of 60 cm to 1,2 m. The stem is rounded, has a smooth surface covered with a cuticle – a waxy bloom, and branching in the upper part. In a blue inflorescence, up to 25 mm in diameter, there are 5 petals. In some varieties, they can be white or pink. The fruit is a globular capsule containing flax seeds used for growing and producing oil.
Long-term cultivation of flax in one place leads to soil fatigue
Several types of raw materials are obtained from flax: fiber, seeds and fire – stem wood used in the furniture industry and for the manufacture of building materials.
Linen yarn is superior in strength to cotton and wool. A wide range of fabrics is produced from it – from coarse burlap to delicate cambric. Seeds are used in medicine, food and paint and varnish industries, and flax – cake, obtained during the processing of seeds, is a nutritious feed for animals.
Autumn preparation of the soil for sowing flax consists in the introduction of phosphorus and potash fertilizers and plowing to a depth of 20 cm. In the spring, the soil is harrowed, creating a loose surface layer. For the cultivation of fiber flax, fertile loamy soils are best suited. Sowing seeds is carried out in early May, when the soil warms up to 7-8 ° C, with a distance between rows of 10 cm. In order to help the seedlings break through to the surface, the soil is harrowed and treated with herbicides and pesticides. The first shoots appear 6-7 days after sowing.
The development of fiber flax has several phases, for the passage of which the plant takes 70-90 days:
- shoots;
- Herringbone;
- budding;
- bloom;
- maturation.
Harvest time is determined by the appearance of the plant.
The highest quality fiber is obtained when the flax stems become light yellow in color, the lower leaves are crumbling, and the fruits of the capsule are green.
For harvesting, linseed combines are used, which pull out the plants and spread them on the field for drying.
Fiber flax gives high yields when sown after winter crops, legumes or potatoes. When grown on the same land, the yield and quality of fiber are sharply reduced, therefore, between crops in the same field, it is necessary to take a break of 6-7 years.