Features of growing sorrel in the open field

Sorrel is often used in cooking in the preparation of various dishes, sauces and preservation. Sorrel - cold-resistant plant, which appears in the beds one of the first. It has a lot of vitamins and minerals, as well as various acids, due to which its taste gives sourness.

  • Planting and optimal conditions for growing sorrel
    • How to choose a place for planting sorrel
    • Soil preparation for sowing
    • How to prepare sorrel seeds before planting
    • Sorrel seed
  • Care for sorrel on your site
    • Regular watering
    • Weeding and loosening the soil
    • Sorrel mulching and fertilizer
    • Harvesting
    • Features care in the autumn
  • How to deal with diseases and pests of sorrel

Planting and optimal conditions for growing sorrel

Sorrel can grow in one place for about four years, but for this it needs appropriate conditions.

Did you know? Sorrel root can grow to half a meter in the ground.

How to choose a place for planting sorrel

Growing sorrel on the land is a simple matter. First of all, you need to decide on the place where the plant will feel good, because for the harvest to be rich, you need to plant sorrel on a wet plot of land, although the moisture should not stagnate in the soil. The soil should be cleared of extraneous grass (especially undesirable neighborhood with wheat grass). The most suitable soil for this plant is loam or sandy loam, which was well fertilized with humus. In addition, a good harvest can be gathered from peaty drained soil.

Important! Groundwater should be at a depth of not less than 1 meter from the surface.

Soil preparation for sowing

In order for the sorrel crop to be truly rich, it is necessary to properly prepare the soil in advance. Having defined the site for sorrel, in the fall, fertilize it with humus, potassium and phosphate (6: 1: 1, respectively). These proportions are applicable for 1m².

In the spring, when planting sorrel is planned, process the soil with a mixture of ammonium nitrate and potassium salt (2 g each), superphosphate and urea (4 and 40 g), add to this 3 kg of humus, mix well and fertilize the soil (per 1m²) .

How to prepare sorrel seeds before planting

Sorrel seeds are also desirable to prepare in advance. In order for them to rise well, they should be soaked in water, wrapped in gauze and left for 2 days. Seeds absorb all the moisture, thanks to which the gavel rises faster.In the water, you can add various nutrient fertilizers, then the plant will turn out stronger and more resistant to external stimuli. Having done such simple manipulations with sorrel seeds, you will get 100% germination rate.

If you are in a hurry and you do not have time to prepare the seeds properly, then Sow them as they are. Sorrel still ascend, albeit not so tall and strong.

Sorrel seed

Once the seeds are prepared, you can safely sow sorrel (in most cases this is done in the spring). Seeds need to be sown on land already ready for sowing to a depth of about 2 centimeters with a distance of 4-5 centimeters. It is recommended to adhere to 15 centimeters distance between rows. At the end of the work, the area is mulched with peat. It is desirable to cover the soil with a film, since the greenhouse effect will help the seeds to ascend faster and you can observe the first shoots as early as 5-7 days after sowing.

Did you know? If you do not cover the area with a film, then it will take about two weeks for the seeds to rise..
After the appearance of the first green sorrel must be thinned out. The distance between the future bushes should be at least ten centimeters.Spring planting allows you to collect greens in the same year, but, you can produce sorrel in the summer and autumn. If you do this in the summer, then it will be well strengthened and will yield in early spring. In the event that you decide to sow sorrel in the fall, you can harvest a little later. Planting sorrel in the fall should be carried out in such a way that the seeds did not have time to grow and froze through the winter.

Care for sorrel on your site

Sorrel needs a little care, which will allow it to develop normally. In particular, after planting the plants need:

  • loosen the ground and remove weeds from the ground between the rows (due to other grass, sorrel cannot grow normally).
  • regularly feed the plant.
  • a month and a half before the ground freezes, the sorrel must be cut. If this is not done, the leaves will limp and fall to the ground, thereby blocking the access of oxygen to the root system.
  • In the fall, you need to fertilize the rows with compost.

Regular watering

Although sorrel is considered an unpretentious and frost-resistant plant, he likes frequent watering. On days when the air temperature exceeds 26 ° C, the plant develops poorly and gradually fades.Naturally, this reduces the quality of the crop. To this did not happen - sorrel should be regularly watered. During dry periods, it is well filled with water, but it must be ensured that the liquid does not stagnate. Over-dried soil leads to the ejection of flower stalks. The need to water sorrel in the winter disappears by itself.

Weeding and loosening the soil

An important aspect of crop care is timely loosening and weeding the soil. To minimize such work, make it a rule after each watering mulch the soil around the sorrel, it will prevent the spread of weeds. In the spring it is necessary to loosen the soil between the rows. At the same time, fertilize the sorrel with a mixture of humus and ash, it will contribute to enhancing the growth of new leaves.

Sorrel mulching and fertilizer

Mulching and fertilizing are very important for the life of the described plant. Knowing how to feed sorrel for growth, you will provide yourself with a rich harvest. So, mineral fertilizers with superphosphate, potassium chloride and urea are excellent as useful compounds. Also, nitrogen fertilizers will also be useful, which will strengthen the stems and increase the volume of the plant.

Important! When choosing fertilizer repel weather conditions.For example, in rainy weather it would be better to use dry top dressings, and if the weather is dry, then support the plant with liquid fertilizers..
It is better to mulch sorrel with peat, humus or fallen leaves. Feeding sorrel in the spring will help him get micronutrients and increase growth. Mulch should be laid in the aisle, so that fertilizers reach the roots without disturbing the plant itself to breathe.

Harvesting

Sorrel fully ripens in 2 months from the time of sowing, that is, if you sowed sorrel in the spring, then you can harvest in early summer. However, if you sow it earlier, for example, in the fall, it will grow immediately after the snow melts.

Sorrel greens are cut or torn, but note that average leaves better to leave: they are not as big as the neighboring ones and from them it will be possible to grow a new crop. The best time to gather a plant is early morning, because at this time the leaves are the most succulent.

Features care in the autumn

Before you start caring for sorrel in the autumn, you need to completely clean it from the leaves, who could stay with the last landing. Then you can begin to feed the plant.This is done with the help of humus, compost (2 buckets will be enough for one square meter), or use a solution of mullein. In the latter case, it should be diluted in water at a ratio of 1: 7.

How to deal with diseases and pests of sorrel

Although sorrel leaves are quite acidic, they are still attacked by pests. For example, having discovered on a plant a hole, a change in leaf color, cessation of growth and drying, you can start thinking about the appearance of parasites. Sorrel pest control is the timely care of the beds, the destruction of weeds, plant shoots and soil mulching.

You can resort to the services of modern plant care products. Undoubtedly, they will help to quickly get rid of annoying pests, but also slightly spoil the taste of sorrel. Therefore, it is recommended to process the plant in early autumn, and not during the harvest season.

The main enemy of sorrel is sorrel leaf beetle. As the name implies, this parasite eats the leaves of the plant. If such bugs appear on the bed, they begin to actively proliferate, laying the larvae in the ground.For several weeks, adults and mature animals eat the leaves and everything repeats. So how do you process the sorrel from holes? For these purposes, it is best to use folk methods. Spray the plant with ashes, solution of garlic and laundry soap or tobacco dust.

Well, now you know about planting sorrel, and you can determine for yourself, in which month it is better to sow sorrel and how to care for it.