Cumin: planting, care, breeding

Any mistress knows that caraway - It is an indispensable spice. With an incredible smell and taste, it is great for meat dishes and sauces. Thanks to our article you will know how to grow cumin in your country and use it for a whole year.

Cumin Description

Cumin is a fairly well-known plant that the ancient Romans began to use, and so far it has been used successfully throughout the world. Cumin is grown in France, India, Turkey, North America, Brazil and Egypt.

Cumin has another popular name - anise. You can meet him on the forest edges and in the upland meadows.

Plant stems solitary and straight. They grow up to 1 m. The leaves are oblong, resemble an egg in shape, and grow up to 20 cm in length and up to 10 cm in width. The flowers are white and small, reaching up to 1.5 mm in length. The fruit is an oblong oblate visoplodion, which reaches a length of 3 mm, width - up to 2.5 mm. Cumin is very easy to recognize by smell.

The fruit contains essential oils, fatty oils, coumarins, protein and tannins.

Choosing a place to plant cumin

Cumin is a perennial plant. It is also frost-resistant and winters well in the soil during winters with little snow. Growing a plant has its own characteristics, in particular, much depends on where the cumin is planted, and on maintaining a certain level of humidity.

Caraway forerunners

Cumin is sown after spring and winter crops, grain or leguminous crops. In the year of fruiting, caraway seeds liberate the field early, so this plant itself, in turn, is an excellent precursor for these crops.

How much light does cumin need

Growing cumin in the garden should be on light fertile soils and in a well-lit place.Shading leads to the fact that in the second year of life, cumin does not bloom and bears fruit only in the third year of vegetation.

Temperature and humidity requirements

Cumin is very demanding on the humidity of the air, but it is unpretentious to heat. Seeds begin to germinate at 8 ° C. For growth and development, cumin requires a temperature of about 20 ° C. It is better to adhere to this particular temperature, since high temperature has a bad effect on crop formation. Humidity for cumin should be 35-40%.

Planting cumin on the plot

Cumin can be grown from seeds, but for this it is necessary to select and prepare them correctly for planting.

Selection and preparation of seeds for planting

Seeds can be bought at the store or at the pharmacy. Before planting on the seedlings, they are soaked in warm water for a day, before wrapping them in a shred of cotton fabric. Drag such a bundle can be a rubber band. In order that the temperature of the water does not fall, the capacity can be put on the battery or constantly add warm water.The time when it is necessary to sow cumin on seedlings, will come in a day.

How to prepare the soil for planting cumin

It is best to start preparing the soil for sowing seeds from August or September. The earth should be dug up and make complex mineral fertilizers. Also, the preparation of the soil is in the peeling of stubble after harvesting the predecessor. The main plowing is carried out two weeks after peeling to a depth of 25 cm. Then, under plowing, add humus, superphosphate and potassium salt (humus - 25 t / ha, superphosphate - 250 kg / ha, salt - 80 kg / ha).

Scheme and rules of sowing cumin

As we said earlier, planting cumin can be seeded directly into the open ground. This event is held in early spring. Place to choose with a moist and fertile soil. Before sowing we carry out deep soil digging.

The sowing scheme of cumin is simple - 25 x 7 cm, and the depth should be no more than 2 cm. Before sowing, soak the seeds, as if on seedlings, and wait until they are folded. When this happens, send them to the fridge for a week, keeping to a temperature of around 0.

If you are conducting a subwinter seeding, you do not need to soak the seeds.

Sow cumin in several ways.First: the distance between rows is 40 cm. Second: the cumin is planted between the lines at a distance of 20 cm, and between the ribbons it is kept at 50 cm. The third method: between the ribbons is held 45 cm, and between the lines - 30 cm.

If your soil is loamy and heavy, sow better in a third way. Depth of seeding up to 1.5 cm. Before sowing, the seeds are heated in the sun. This shortens the germination period by 5 days. The first shoots can be seen 3 weeks after sowing. After that you can thin out the landing at a distance of 25 cm.

Features care for cumin

Like any other plant, cumin after planting needs care. And there are some peculiarities of caring for it before germination, at a young age and in adulthood.

How to care for cumin before germination

A day after the preparation of the seeds, proceed directly to sowing. Spend it in the spring or winter. Soil picked for growing flowers or seedlings.The soil is poured into small pots.

The earth is compacted and watered with settled warm water. Without waiting for the moisture to dry, we spread the seeds, slightly pressing them into the ground. From above they are covered with earth. It is important to note that if the seeds are small, then the layer of top cover should also be thinner.

The pot is tightened with a film or put on top of the glass. If you took the glass, make sure that there is a gap of 2 cm between it and the ground. You need to place the pots on the sunny windowsill, as the sun's rays will create a greenhouse effect under the glass, thereby speeding up the seed development process. Seedlings do not water until the first shoots appear.

Thus, ordinary cumin is easy to grow in different ways. The main thing is to be patient and wait for the first leaves.

How to care for a plant in the first year of life

In the first year of life it is very important to provide caraway seed care. Aisle should loosen and carry out weeding. You can also fertilize cumin using superphosphate, potassium salt or ammonium nitrate. Take 150 g per 10 square meters. m In the autumn, thinning of cumin is carried out, leaving 15 cm between each plant. After that it is brought twice as much as the specified feeding rate.During the entire summer period, remove weeds and water the plant. Cutting is done from time to time.

How to care for an adult plant

In the future, beds with cumin should be loosened and fed. It should be watered during the period of stalk and flowering. It should be regular and moderate watering, as the cumin does not like overwetting.

Caraway - unpretentious plant, and grow it under the force of novice gardeners. In the adult period of life, he especially does not need care, as in the first two stages of development.

When and how to harvest the cumin

Plant care ends when the leaves on the stems below begin to dry. This is the first sign that it is time to start harvesting.

To do this, do the following:

1. Cut the plant at a distance of 5 cm from the ground. This should be done in the evening or before dawn.
2. After cutting, cumin must be dried on a cloth in the shade.
3. Throughout the course of drying, turn the seeds regularly.
4. When the boxes are opened (in a week), they can be ground as a grain.

Seed collection is carried out after all the work done, and you can use them as additional income (sales), and for personal purposes.

Caraway - It is an affordable plant in cultivation and care. At the same time, he has quite good healing and cosmetic qualities.