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Often, when planting a crop such as radish, gardeners are faced with a problem when, instead of forming a juicy, crunchy root crop, the plant throws out a long shoot – an arrow. In this case, there is no need to wait for the harvest; the hard, elongated root of such a radish is not suitable for eating. There may be several reasons why radish goes to the arrow, instead of laying a full-fledged root crop.
What does radish not like
Radish is a wonderful vegetable, it is one of the first to appear on the tables of gardeners in the new season. Many consider it extremely unpretentious and treat it on the principle of “planted and okay”, hoping that the plant will produce a crop without any care. However, it is not. Although the plant is undemanding to care for, it is not worth waiting for a good harvest, relying only on the fertility of the land and good weather.
Radish does not like extremes. Both too cold and too hot weather are undesirable for him. Therefore, it is not grown in the summer. Radishes can be planted early. It is recommended to sow seeds when the earth warms up to + 3-5 ° С, however, for normal growth, a temperature of at least + 8-10 ° С is needed, and for the formation of a root crop – at least + 18 ° С. Deviations from these conditions adversely affect the growth and yield of radishes.
In addition to ambient temperature, radishes are sensitive to soil moisture. Moreover, both an excess of moisture and its lack can negatively affect crops. Negatively affects the quality of the crop and too dense planting.
Why radish shoots and what to do
The reasons for shooting radishes can be very different. Most often this happens due to the following violations of the rules of agricultural technology:
- Poor quality or inappropriate for the climatic conditions of the region planting material.
- Landing violations.
- Wrong care.
- Disease or the appearance of pests on plantings.
Poor quality planting material
The probability that the radish will go into the arrow directly depends on the quality of the planting material. For planting, it is desirable to select only the largest seeds. Do not use planting material with an expired shelf life.
Wrong variety selected
When choosing seeds, you should pay attention to the region for which the radish variety is zoned. Often this discrepancy leads to the fact that the bush releases an arrow. The plant simply cannot adapt to the conditions of another climate that is not suitable for it, and in this case the biological defense mechanism is triggered. The radish begins not to lay a root crop, but to spend all its strength on shooting, flowering and further growing and ripening of seeds.
Violation of the landing rules
Violation of planting rules is one of the most likely reasons why radishes go to the arrow. Most often this is due to non-compliance with the timing of planting seeds. If you sow radishes too late, for example, at the end of May or early June, then too long daylight hours will inevitably lead to the fact that the radish will throw out the arrow and begin to bloom. This culture loves open sunny areas, but excess sunlight affects it in the same way as its lack. When planted in the shade, radishes will grow poorly and are more likely to shoot an arrow.
The composition of the soil on which this crop grows is also important. The soil should be loose, breathable and well moistened. Hard clay soil provokes shooting.
Planting density
Often, radishes go into the arrow when planted too tightly. This plant is usually sown in rows, however, after germination, it is imperative to calibrate and thin out the plantings, removing the weakest plants and ensuring a normal interval between adjacent bushes. Too frequent planting will inevitably lead to competition between neighboring plants, and this, in turn, can trigger the biological defense mechanism already mentioned above, which provokes shooting.
Irrigation Schedule Violation
Radish is a moisture-loving plant, it responds very well to watering. With a lack of moisture, the probability of bolting increases significantly, and the quality of the root crops themselves deteriorates. The lack of water leads to the fact that the internal structure of the root crop becomes like cotton wool, and sharpness and bitterness appear in the taste. Therefore, the beds must be moderately, but regularly moistened. The normal frequency of watering radishes is 3-4 times a week. If the weather is dry, you need to water the plants daily, in the evening hours. It is necessary to strive to ensure that the soil is moistened by 15-20 cm, at this depth all the roots of the plant are located, helping to form the root crop.
Excess or lack of nutrients
Lack of nutrients in the soil or their excess can lead to bolting of radishes. In particular, an excess of nitrogen fertilizers can provoke uncontrolled growth of green mass, while the underground part of the plant will remain undeveloped. For this reason, fresh manure is not introduced under the radish, which greatly enriches the soil with nitrogen. This plant has a very short growing season, so all fertilizers must be either dissolved in water or applied in advance, optimally in the fall, along with digging the site. Foliar top dressing is also allowed with the help of complex potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.
Pests and diseases
Pests and diseases appear on radishes infrequently. This is due to the short ripening period of this crop, by the time of harvest, many insects do not even appear on the surface of the earth after hibernation. However, indirectly, diseases and pests can cause radish bolting. When the first signs of infection appear, diseased plants must be removed, and plantings and soil should be treated with fungicide solutions.
Why radishes go to tops
The strong growth of radish tops instead of laying full-fledged root crops usually indicates an excess of nitrogen in the soil. For this reason, it is necessary to apply nitrogen-containing fertilizers in the spring with great care. When growing in a greenhouse, excessive temperature and humidity can be the cause of excessive growth of greenery or going into the arrow. Under such conditions, plants begin to “fat”, increasing the above-ground part to the detriment of the underground. The normal temperature for growing radishes is + 20-22 °C.
An additional factor that has a direct impact on the growth of green mass and increases the likelihood of reaching the arrow will be too long daylight hours. To avoid negative consequences, the illumination period is artificially limited to 12 hours a day. This is enough for the plants to feel normal. Radishes can be shaded with black plastic wrap.
What to do so that the radish does not go into the arrow or into the tops
Summarizing the above, we can say that in order to obtain a good harvest of radishes and the absence of shooting at the same time, it is necessary to carry out a number of mandatory measures in advance. The complete algorithm may look like this.
- Seed selection and calibration. It is necessary to purchase planting material in advance, suitable for growing in the specific conditions of a given region and suitable for ripening dates. Be sure to pay attention to the shelf life of seeds, for radishes it is no more than 5 years. Seeds must be rejected and calibrated, removing small ones, affected by pests or diseases, as well as having mechanical damage.
- Landing site preparation. You need to choose a well-lit place where suitable predecessors grew up to radishes, with loose fertile soil. It is advisable to dig the site in the fall.
- Landing and care. Carry out the landing, observing the established deadlines. Before germination, the beds can be covered with plastic wrap to prevent hypothermia. After germination, it is necessary to thin out and calibrate the plants, removing weak sprouts and ensuring a normal spacing between adjacent sprouts. During cultivation, it is necessary to regularly moderately water the radish, loosen the soil. Feeding should be done in moderation, especially nitrogen-containing.
- When growing in a greenhouse, one should artificially limit the duration of daylight hours, and it is also desirable not to allow the temperature to rise above + 22 ° C.
It should be noted that some varieties of radish have a predisposition to go to the arrow. Therefore, before buying seeds, you should pay attention to this quality. If the gardener cannot fully comply with all recommendations for caring for crops, then it is better to give preference to varieties that do not have such a tendency. Varieties that grow into an arrow relatively rarely include, for example, Heat, Early Red, Ruby, Ice Icicle.
Conclusion
Radishes go to the arrow most often due to a combination of factors, and not for one specific reason. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze all possible options, check the conditions in which the planting was carried out, determine the sufficiency of plant care measures, select and experiment with seed material. This will help determine the optimal conditions and choose the right variety of radish for yourself so that the cases of growing into an arrow are single.
