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Every year, gardeners discover new varieties of crops. But sometimes even well-known vegetables become a discovery. Leek has become such a pleasant surprise for lovers of a healthy diet. In summer cottages it is cultivated infrequently. The reason is very banal – lack of information. Few can share their growing experience. And widespread information about the fastidiousness of leeks stops vegetable growers from trying to get their own crop.
Knowing about the benefits, juiciness and excellent taste of leeks, they buy it in supermarkets, although this is not cheap. We will describe in detail the process of growing leek seedlings at home. Let us dwell separately on the timing when planting leeks for seedlings. You need to know this in order for culture to take its rightful place in summer cottages.
Benefit for health
A little about the nutritional properties of leeks. The content of nutrients in it is very balanced. Pearl onions, as botanists also call leek, are valued for their composition and versatility of use. It is included in a variety of dishes and preparations. What substances allowed the plant to take such a place of honor? Naming everything will be tedious and long, it will lead us away from the purpose of the article. Therefore, we briefly list the most famous groups necessary for the human body:
- vitamin complex;
- a whole list of essential oils;
- list of mineral salts;
- microelements;
- proteins;
- cellulose.
Nutritionists recommend that people with metabolic and joint diseases be sure to include leeks in their menu.
There is also a contraindication to the use of a useful product – gastritis and ulcerative manifestations in the acute stage. These restrictions are associated with a large number of essential oils that can irritate the mucous membranes of the digestive tract.
Description and important characteristics
This is a perennial crop, the development cycle of which from seed to seed takes 2 years. In the first year, a rosette of leaves and a productive organ, a false stem, are formed.
It is the bleached false onion stalk that is the main part of the plant for which it is grown. Use the “leg” for food at any stage of development.
Leek leaves are flat, rather long (80 cm) and wide (up to 6 cm) with a wax coating. Leaf color can vary in different shades of green. At the bottom, the leaves are tube-shaped. With these tubes, they interlock with each other and form a juicy “leg”. The diameter (2-6 cm) and length (10-60 cm) of the tube depend on the variety.
The plant does not form the usual bulbs for us. In the first year, false stems grow on the onion, which are the main value for vegetable growers. In the second year, the plant produces a peduncle and leek seeds ripen.
Usually gardeners do not grow pearl onions for seeds. You can freely buy them by choosing the most productive varieties or hybrids. The germination of leek seeds lasts for 3 years.
The root system of the pearl onion is very powerful. If, after harvesting, onion roots are left in the soil, they enrich the soil well with organic matter.
Leek is stored for about six months, while fully retaining its properties. This quality makes it possible to obtain fresh greens almost all winter.
Like most plants, pearl onion varieties are divided by ripening time:
- Early ripe (summer). Ripe onions are harvested at the end of summer – August. The stem of early ripe varieties has a stupoid or straight shape, the leaves of a light green color are located at an acute angle to the stem. The difference between the early types of leeks is the loose arrangement of the leaves and intolerance to cold temperatures. Therefore, direct crop seed production is developed only in the southern regions. An example of a summer variety is the Bulgarian Giant.
- Mid-season or autumn. The shape of the stems resembles a thick cylinder, some have only a slight thickening at the bottom. The leaves are more saturated in color, green or gray-green, powerful and more dense. The medium-sized leek species are harvested in the first decade of October. In winters with a mild climate, the plants are left in the ground until spring, then you can get seeds the next year. Varieties Karantansky and Sizokryl.
- Late ripe or winter. They grow much more slowly than other varieties of leeks, but they are characterized by increased cold resistance. In regions with mild winters, harvesting is carried out from October to April. The false stem in later species is short and thickened at the bottom. The leaves are covered with a wax coating, bluish-green in color with an original fan-shaped arrangement relative to the stem.
Consider the main method of growing leeks – seedlings. This is due to the length of the growing season of the crop, which lasts 6-7 months. By direct sowing in the ground, you can not wait for the harvest under the climatic conditions of the middle lane. Therefore, the main part of the article will be devoted to the question of how to grow leeks through seedlings.
Stages of growing seedlings
The first question that vegetable growers ask is how to properly plant leeks for seedlings? To grow high-quality leek seedlings, you need to follow certain steps:
- Determine the timing of planting leeks for seedlings. This is an important point to which the rest of the actions are tied. The main thing is to prevent the seedlings from overgrowing.
- Choose the right variety and purchase high-quality planting material.
- Prepare the soil for sowing onions – leeks for seedlings. The soil mixture must meet the requirements of the culture for composition, nutritional value and structure.
- Choose suitable containers and prepare them for the time of sowing the seeds.
- Carry out preplant preparation of leek seeds.
- Sow leek seeds for seedlings.
Each stage has its own nuances, which we will focus on.
Determine the sowing time
Choose the time of sowing depending on the planned harvest time. If mature stems need to be obtained in early autumn, then planting leeks with seeds is prescribed for the end of February or the beginning of March. Then, already in early April, you can move the leek seedlings to grow in a greenhouse. To plant seedlings in open ground under a film, sowing seeds is prescribed at the end of March.
If it is more convenient to sow seeds in the fall, then be sure to check the date with the weather forecast. Planting must be done before frost.
Naturally, when choosing, it is necessary to take into account weather conditions, air temperature in the growing region. Much of your success depends on this. In the northern regions, you should not start planting leeks for seedlings in 2019 before April-May. It will already be possible to plant seedlings in open ground in June. In the central regions, sowing begins in mid-February, planting in a greenhouse is carried out in mid-April, and in open ground – in the last decade of May.
Choose seeds
Optimally – buy a bag of seeds from a well-known manufacturer in a specialized store. In real conditions, varietal characteristics will be slightly weaker, so it is better to opt for high-yielding hybrid varieties. The manufacturer gives recommendations on agricultural cultivation, so be sure to read them before buying. Then you can be sure that you will provide the plant with the necessary conditions and care. For spring planting leeks for seedlings
take early-ripening varieties to ensure that you wait for the harvest.
We are preparing the soil
Leek seedlings, when grown at home, have certain requirements for the soil. The nutrient mixture is prepared from equal parts of compost, soddy soil, peat and humus. The composition shows that the soil should be nutritious and loose. If planting leeks for seedlings is planned in peat, then for 5 kg of moistened substance you need to add:
- dolomite flour – 250 g;
- double superphosphate – 50 g;
- urea – 30 g;
- potassium sulfate – 40 g.
Leek seedlings need trace elements, so if it is possible to purchase micronutrient fertilizers in tablets, then add them according to the instructions.
Container preparation
Leek seedlings do not tolerate picking well, so you need to be responsible in choosing containers for seedlings. The depth of the container should be at least 10-12 cm, because the plant has long roots.
When a decision is made to plant leeks for seedlings in boxes, one should not exceed the recommended sowing rate. In boxes measuring 35 cm x 50 cm, you can place no more than 3 g of leek seeds. There is a good way out – cut the soil in the box into cubes, then sow 3-4 seeds in each. And it is best to sow leeks for seedlings in small planting containers with cells.
Before sowing leek seeds for seedlings, prepared containers are disinfected with a strong solution of potassium permanganate and dried.
Preparation of seeds for sowing
To get friendly and high-quality shoots of leeks from seeds at home, you need:
- disinfect the seeds for 30 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate, preheating it to a warm state;
- harden for 30 minutes in cold water;
- soak for a week in a damp cloth;
- dry and start sowing.
Having completed all the preparatory measures, you can begin to grow leeks through seedlings.
Seed sowing
Consider the next step – how to plant leeks for seedlings.
First, the containers for future seedlings are filled with soil, tamped a little and moistened.
Seeds that have been prepared are sown in rows in boxes. When growing leeks from seeds, they are placed at a distance of 5 cm from each other. Seeding depth – no more than 1,5 cm. When planting in separate containers, 2-3 seeds are planted in one. The crops are carefully covered with a film and transferred to a place where it is possible to maintain a temperature of +22°C … +25°C and provide seedlings with enough light. Periodically remove the film and moisten the soil. Usually the first shoots appear in 10-15 days.
As soon as the first sprouts appear, the film can be removed completely and the temperature reduced to
+17°C during the day and +12°C at night. Maintain such a temperature regime for a week so that the seedlings do not stretch. Then again increase the daily rate to + 20 ° C, and the night to + 14 ° C. Maintain this balance throughout the entire period of development of seedlings.
Planting leeks for seedlings, useful video:
Another way to grow leeks from seed needs to be mentioned. This is growing on ridges. Seeds are sown immediately in open ground. The timing for sowing leeks for seedlings using this technology differs from those discussed above. Here it is important to take into account the temperature of the soil. It must not be lower than +2°C. How to plant leeks for seedlings in open ground to get a good harvest? It is necessary to pay special attention to the preparation of the soil. Leeks do not grow in heavy clay soils. He needs loose, light, air-permeable soil with the addition of leaf humus. The reaction is slightly acidic or neutral. It is advisable to take land for seedlings under fruit trees, willows or acacias. It will not be possible to get a full-fledged crop on humus from poplar and oak leaves.
Care of seedlings
It is important not only to sow seeds, but also to know how to grow healthy leek seedlings. Consider the main points of care for leek seedlings. In addition to observing the temperature regime, it is very important:
- Watering. For irrigation use exclusively warm water and only when the top layer dries. Overwatering can cause such a formidable seedling disease as “black leg”. Moisten the soil carefully, trying not to damage the delicate stems.
- Top dressing. Leek responds well to organic fertilizers, so it is customary to water the seedlings with “compost tea”. So vegetable growers call a weak infusion of compost in water (1:10). You can prepare a solution of mineral fertilizers “Agricola” (vegetable) “Kemira-Universal”.
- Leaf pruning. To ensure good growth of the roots and to achieve a thickening of the stem, the leaves of the seedlings are cut. This procedure can be done once every two weeks, leaving a leaf length of 8-10 cm.
- Airing. Mandatory requirement. So the seedlings are less stretched and begin to prepare for hardening.
- hardening. Necessary for seedlings of leeks, starting 5-6 days before planting in a permanent place of cultivation.
If sowing for seedlings is carried out on time, then planting leeks in a permanent place is optimal after 50 days.
Planting seedlings and further care
The land on the site is fertilized in the fall, the most desirable predecessors for leeks are potatoes, legumes, cucumbers, and cabbages.
Choose a place for the ridges and prepare the soil. The earth is dug up, leveled and grooves are made. The optimum depth is 15 cm, the row spacing is 20 cm. The seedlings are placed in the furrows at a distance of 15 cm – 25 cm (depending on the parameters of the variety).
It is possible to add wood ash when planting in the furrows.
The leaves and roots of the seedlings are shortened by a third, the seedlings are immediately watered after planting. As soon as the diameter of the stems reaches 1 cm, it is necessary to pour the earth around the plants.
Basic care is:
- Hilling plants. This technique allows the plant to form a well-bleached leg.
- Weeding and loosening. Such actions save the plant from weeds and retain nutrients in the soil. It is good to mulch plantings with straw or peat.
- Top dressing. Use organic matter 3 weeks after planting. Then mineral compositions – once every 2-3 weeks. In the spring they take complexes with a high content of nitrogen, in mid-July – phosphorus and potassium.
- thinning. Necessary for dense plantings.
We looked at the technology of growing leeks from seeds, when to plant and how to care for seedlings. We stopped in detail at the stage of how to sow leeks for seedlings. Now you can independently grow a nutritious vegetable on your site.