Radish Daikon Minovashi: variety description

Description of the variety

"Daikon" means "big root", the size of the root crop, indeed, has become the main difference between this vegetable and the radish we are used to. Minovashi in 60 - 70 days from the moment of sowing grows a snow-white root crop, the length of which can be either 40 or 55 cm, and the diameter of the upper cylindrical part is 10 cm.It narrows downwards, and even the taste changes - due to the very small content of mustard oils, this relative is much more tender than a radish, the top of the root vegetable is sweet, and a slightly noticeable pungency appears only at its sharp tip.

It forms a rosette of beautifully dissected leaves (there can be up to 40 of them), of which the Japanese make an excellent side dish for salads or sushi, they also eat young shoots, especially since not a single part of this amazing plant accumulates harmful substances from the environment ... On store shelves, we do not see greenery, because it quickly withers and turns yellow, losing not only its appearance, but its taste and benefits, so only gardeners can feast on it.

As it ripens, the root crop sticks out more and more from the ground, as if it is interesting to it what is happening on the surface, by the time of harvesting it is a quarter of its length (sometimes more), it rises above the level of the garden, covered from above with a lush cap of rather large leaves.

It is grown both in summer and as winter options, summer goes to the table right away, but winter can be saved almost until the end of winter. Daikon does not like cold weather, he perceives temperature +10 as frost. But he loves a long daylight hours (over 14 - 15 hours) so much that he forgets to increase the root crop, immediately throws out the arrow. Therefore, they plant it either in the spring, as early as possible, or by the end of July (this is the winter option). We got a variety "Minovasi Samecross", resistant to shooting, so it, according to reviews, can grow all summer without frightening the gardener with a flower arrow.

The dense juicy pulp of the root vegetable contains a lot of vitamin C, sugar, proteins, dietary fiber, pectin, as well as a special enzyme that helps to digest starch. It contains phytoncides and salts of many metals, B vitamins, beta-carotene, which enrich the body with the elements it needs. So potassium salts are involved in the removal of excess fluid, toxins and toxins, this vegetable helps to eliminate radiation and cholesterol, cleanses not only blood vessels, but almost all internal organs, helps to restore the proper functioning of the liver, kidneys and gall bladder.

Its antibacterial and antiviral properties help fight respiratory diseases and even the flu. But you need to be careful with its uncontrolled consumption by people who have serious problems with the gastrointestinal tract - during an exacerbation of gastritis, and especially ulcers, it is better not to abuse it or consult a doctor first.

Video "What is Daikon"

From this video you will learn what this vegetable is, what its benefits are.

How to grow

Planting and leaving are reminiscent of a radish - it's not for nothing that they are relatives. Daikon varieties with short, round roots are most often grown through seedlings, but Minovashi, with their long roots and long tender roots, do not like transplants and picks, so they are best sown directly into the ground. The soil should be light, loose, fertile and non-acidic. Daikon is not so picky that it will grow in any soil, but the quality of the crop will correspond to the conditions that have been created for it.

You cannot grow it after cruciferous relatives, if you plant it in the garden after cabbage, radish or turnip, but no resistance laid down by breeders will save you from diseases, so it is better not to risk it. The most successful predecessors are tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, beets and carrots. It is especially good if the garden bed is generously fertilized with organic matter under them. But even if they did not fertilize, then in the fall, after harvesting them, you need to carefully dig up the area, remove all weeds, roots, plant residues, add at least 2 kg of compost or humus per square meter, add ammonium sulfate, superphosphate and potassium sulfate. If the soil is acidic, then lime should be applied a couple of weeks earlier, and only then fertilizer.

Watering the plants regularly is very important - a lack of watering will make the roots tough and bitter, and uneven watering will cause them to crack. On average, we can say that watering is done every five days, in a drought you need to do it more often, and after rains - less often. The main thing is that the ground around the roots is always moist, drying out will have a bad effect on the quality of the crop.

Throughout the growing season, it is necessary to ensure that there are no weeds around the plants, and the soil is sufficiently loose, that is, it is necessary to weed and loosen it, and also to spud root crops, which will begin to actively crawl out of the ground. Plants are spudded to protect future crops from accidental damage. Mulching with peat or compost will help facilitate the work.

If necessary, fertilizing is applied to the soil, this is easy to do simultaneously with watering. It is best to use complex mineral fertilizers, but organic matter should not be added, otherwise the radish will start branching. Wood ash, which is commonly used to repel pests, is an excellent fertilizer.

Mucous bacteriosis, keela, mosaic, felt disease, black leg - all these diseases of the radish can threaten its Japanese relative. Compliance with agrotechnical rules will be the best prevention. So you need to follow the rules of crop rotation, process the seeds before sowing with a solution of potassium permanganate, not only weed the beds in a timely manner, but not throw plant residues, but destroy, check the plants and, if possible, deal with pests that often spread diseases, do not overmoisten the soil.

If fungal diseases have penetrated the garden bed, the use of biopreparations "Binoram" and "Planriz" will give a good result. It is not so easy to get rid of the mosaic, you will have to destroy the affected plant, and thoroughly spill the hole and the ground around with a strong solution of potassium permanganate. Wood ash can scare away slugs, so it is worth digging a small groove around the garden and filling it with ash, and if you fill it in the ground, it can save you from the cabbage flea. Many harmful insects are frightened off by the smell of marigolds, they can be planted around the perimeter of the garden. And if the insects still penetrate and try to lay the larvae, then it is worth spraying the plants with hot pepper infusion and a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Harvest as it ripens, usually 60 or 70 days after sowing, choose a dry, fine day for this.Leaving ripe roots in the ground is not worth it - in the summer the plant will go to the arrow and spoil the taste of the harvest, and frosts will come in the fall. From light soil, long thick roots are simply pulled out by their green hair, and if the soil is dense, then it is better to use a pitchfork, a shovel is also possible, but there is a greater risk of injury. The recovered crop must be left right on the garden bed so that the earth adhering to it dries up. If the sun is strong, then it is better to transfer it to the shade. It is not worth peeling off the ground - the skin of the root crop is very thin and delicate, if you injure it, then it will no longer be stored.

If this is a winter radish, then the greens are cut off or cut off (unscrewed) from it, they are very carefully sorted out, absolutely intact specimens are laid in boxes with wet sand, avoiding contact with each other, and taken to the cellar. At temperatures from + 1 to + 5, it will be perfectly stored almost all winter. Of course, the boxes and the entire cellar must be cleaned in advance from possible infection with the fungus. The radish can also be stored in separate plastic bags filled with sawdust or sand, only you need to make holes for air circulation.

Planting in spring

If Minovashi is grown in greenhouses, then it can be sown in April, or even earlier, when the soil warms up enough. But it is necessary to plant in open ground as early as possible so that the period of growing the root crop does not fall on a long daylight hours, but not earlier than the air temperature finally crosses the line of + 10 degrees. This is such a fork, and in each locality it is necessary to get out of the climatic possibilities. In the middle lane, the approximate period is the last week of April, more precisely, summer residents begin to sow in the last week of April and finish in the first week of May. The main thing is that the earth allows the seeds to germinate, and agrofibre or film can save from a drop in air temperature.

The seeds need to be prepared, for this they are dipped in very hot water (about 50 degrees) for 20 minutes, and then in ice cold water, then they are kept on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for a day. Before sowing, it is poured with a pink solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.

On a bed prepared in autumn, rows are marked at a distance of at least 60 cm from each other, and 30 cm are left between the holes for plants.In each hole, 2 or 3 seeds are lowered to a depth of 2 cm, they are poured, tamped, watered. It is advisable to cover crops for several days with agrofibre to create a greenhouse effect. After 5 - 6 days, the shelter is removed, by this time the first shoots should appear. Young plants are watered. From this time on, they need to be watered every five days, try to moisturize enough, but not excessively. A week later, a weak sprout is removed, leaving only one per hole, you do not need to pull it out, so as not to damage the one that we want to leave, it is better to just pinch off.

Since the root of Minovashi is very deep, some gardeners for this crop do not apply fertilizer from above. At the site of the future hole, with the help of a drill, a well is made about 60 cm deep and filled with fertile soil. Thus, they provide food for the plant throughout its growth. A very interesting way for such deep roots.

The harvest of spring planting is chosen from the beginning of July or a week or two earlier, it will not be possible to store it for a long time, so the roots go straight to the table. One or two plants can be left, or it is better to dig up, dry, and then plant again to get your seeds. Before the autumn cold, they will have time to ripen.

Planting in autumn

Autumn or winter planting is actually carried out in late July or early August, when daylight hours are waning. So the planting turns out to be quite summer, but the harvest is chosen in the fall, it is he who is laid for long-term storage.

The radish can be planted in a garden bed from which lettuce, onion or dill have been removed.It's good if organic matter has been introduced there since autumn, and mineral fertilizers can be applied right before sowing Daikon. You need to prepare the seeds and plant in the same way as in the spring, only there is no longer a need to close the crops from the cold. Sowing is usually carried out in well-moistened soil in rows to a depth of 2 cm. 60 cm is left between the rows, and up to 30 cm between the plants. After sowing, the earth is tamped and mulched with wet peat, the summer sun and mulch will create all the conditions for rapid seed germination. After the emergence of seedlings, they are thinned out, leaving one strong sprout in each hole.

Some Minovashi varieties give just giant root crops - up to 4 kg in weight, so with the early arrival of the autumn cold, they may simply not gain their maximum size - this is perhaps the only drawback of the autumn sowing of this vegetable, since the crop must be harvested so that it does not freeze ... But the delicious snow-white turnips of this vegetable can be perfectly stored almost until spring, saving us from vitamin deficiency and seasonal colds, delighting us with a pleasant taste and diversifying the winter menu.

Video "How to Grow Minovashi Radish"

This video will show you how to harvest a good radish crop.