Many summer residents want to have a leek on their plot, cultivation and care for it are carried out taking into account some features. The plant successfully adapts to any conditions and is widespread in the world, mainly in temperate climates. Culture is valued as a significant supplier of vitamin C.
Leek - description
The garden leek is a herbaceous biennial with a height of 0.4 to 1 m. From the false tuber, it grows a white stem from below (the most valuable part of the plant with a delicate taste) and a large number of long lanceolate leaves arranged in a fan. Their color is emerald or bluish. In the second year of life, a dairy floret is formed at the plant, the seeds ripening for two years are ripening. The leek is cold-resistant, growing it in the south is done by planting seeds in the ground, in the north - with the help of seedlings. Culture loves moisture and hibernates during warming with sawdust or peat.
Leek - varieties
The technology of growing leeks can provide different types of ripening:
- Early - collected in August - early September, ripens 150 days, the leaves are not wide, up to 3 cm in diameter.
- Late - the harvest ripens in October, grows 180 days, legs wide up to 7 cm across.
The best varieties of onion leeks, cultivation and care for which will not bring any special problems:
- Jolant - early, resistant to fungal diseases;
- Casimir - early, compact, with increased productivity;
- Tango - early, frost-hardy, yielding;
- Columbus - early maturing species, for bleaching the trunk does not need hilling;
- Carrantan - late variety with a pleasant taste, the level of the stem reaches 25 cm;
- Elephant - late, frost and drought-resistant, with blue-green foliage, covered with a wax coating;
- The autumn giant is late with a large foot up to 40 cm high and 8 cm across.
Leeks - planting and care
In many areas you can have your own leek, cultivation and care are made from seeds or with the help of seedlings depending on the region. The soil on the cultivated bed needs neutral. For this, lime is added to the acid earth, and peat is added to the alkaline soil. In autumn the garden is fertilized with manure - 6-8 kg per 1 sq. M. Predecessors of culture should be potatoes, eggplant, pumpkin. The leek is sun-loving, planting and growing are carried out in an open area, with an abundance of light, away from trees. In spring, the soil is distributed with humus - 3 kg per 1 sq.m.
Growing leeks of leeks through seedlings
In temperate latitudes leeks of leeks are used, the cultivation begins with the following terms:
- mid-February - in special boxes on the window;
- mid-April - in the greenhouse;
- end of April - under the cellophane in the garden.
Rules of care for seedlings:
- the process requires boxes or cassettes of peat;
- the seeds before germination are germinated on wet gauze for 2-3 days;
- seeds are deepened by 1 cm, planted in rows with intervals of 5 cm from each other, with a step between seeds of 2 cm;
- before their germination, watering is performed every day (without stagnation of water);
- the box for the first time is covered with cellophane, put in a place with conditions + 22-25 ° C;
- at the age of four weeks, the green dives into pots, until the end of April the seedlings need special care - illumination with lamps. When growing seedlings in peat pots, a transplant is not required;
- the temperature after germination of germination is 20 ° C in the daytime and no higher than 14 ° C at night. If the room is always hot, the flower arrow is formed for the first year, and not the next;
- landing in the ground is made in the last decade of May - early June (60 days after sowing), with the establishment of persistent heat;
- roots are dipped into a clay bolt, and each specimen is separately deepened by 10 cm into the prepared well.
Leeks - growing from seeds
In southern regions, the culture is planted on an open site. When asked, when planting and cultivating onion leeks from seeds, gardeners give advice, do sowing after May 15. The beds from autumn are fertilized and covered with a black film for warming up. Aged half an hour in a solution of potassium permanganate and sprouted 2-3 days on a damp napkin, the seeds are planted in the soil according to the 15x15 cm scheme in rows. The planting is moistened, covered with cellophane before emergence. Sometimes leeks are sown in the winter in November, then the site is carefully mulched with peat, sawdust, and then sprinkled with snow. Seedlings will appear in the spring.
Care for leeks
Cultivation of a leeked leek, care of seedlings include a set of traditional procedures - systematic watering, weeding, weed clearing from weeds, fertilizing, protection against diseases. Additional procedures for plant cultivation, allowing to obtain a whitened stem, which is the main achievement of the bush:
- Three times during the vegetation period, the culture is cultivated. Begin to sprinkle the bush with an additional layer of soil in the middle of summer, such care is actual after watering, then the leeks are mulched with straw or dried grass.
- Loosening is carried out every two weeks. After the stem of the onion has reached the size of the pencil, the padding is combined with hilling.
- To protect the crop from the onion fly, the area is sprinkled with tobacco dust or ash, carrots are planted nearby.
- To combat fungal diseases (rust, powdery mildew ) phytosporin is useful. Prevention of mosaic of leaves is carried out by using disinfected seeds, removing weeds. In one place the plant can be planted no more often than once in 4 years.
- Harvest the crop until the temperature drops to -5 ° C.
- Store stems in a vertical box in the sand with up to six months.
Peculiarities of growing leeks - watering
Competent watering is the key to rapid growth of the plant, which is sensitive to lack of moisture. Leeks - secrets of watering and growing:
- The seedlings can not be moistened for the first three days after planting;
- with the subsequent care watering is done every five days, the rate of use of heated water is 10 liters per 1 sq. m of the plot;
- in the drought the growth of the plant is suspended, after irrigation (no less than 20 liters per 1 square meter) is resumed;
- stagnation of moisture in the beds can not be allowed - it destroys the roots;
- the most effective hydration of the plant - along furrows;
- The mulching treatment of the rows contributes to the preservation of moisture and protects the soil from weeds.
Growing leeks on the dacha - top dressing
During the season, the culture is fed several times, while it is important to remember that the plant reacts poorly to nitrogen - it can rot, especially during long storage. Leek leeks - additional dressing and care:
- Three weeks after the landing, it is necessary to water the soil with a solution of 20 g of ammonium nitrate and 15 g of potassium salt in 10 liters of water (the amount of fertilizing is sufficient for 4 square meters of the area).
- Feeds are repeated every 2-3 weeks.
- Excellent answer leek and organic - a solution of mullein (1: 8) or bird droppings (1:20).
- Before each hilling, 1 cup of wood ash is added to the ground at the rate of 1 square meter of the plot.