Sorrel: growing and care in the open field

Preparing the soil

Sorrel grows well on loamy or sandy loamy neutral soils, but it is quite possible to plant it in acidified soils. The soil must be nutritious enough, which must be taken care of in advance. The main thing is that there is moderate moisture, but the water does not stagnate.

You need to choose a place for the garden that is slightly shaded, it is good if the sun shines there before sunset. In the garden, and even nearby, there should be no weeds, especially dangerous is the neighborhood of a sow thistle, when it appears in the garden, it manages to braid the whole earth with its roots, impoverish it, because of this, vegetables grow poorly. In the fall, you need to free the area from vegetation, dig it up to the depth of a shovel bayonet, and apply fertilizer. Usually compost or manure (6 kg - per 1 square meter of area), superphosphate (20 g) and potassium chloride (20 g) are used. And in the spring, just before sowing, nitrogen fertilizers are applied, you can add 20 g of urea per square meter.

Video "Secrets for Gardeners"

Demonstration video for gardeners with the secrets of growing sorrel.

Agricultural technology of cultivation

You can sow sorrel in the ground in the spring immediately after the ground thaws, you can in the summer, when the early vegetables have already been harvested, or in late autumn. If you sow it in early spring, then this summer you can get a harvest. After harvesting radishes, lettuce or early onions grown for feathers, sorrel is planted in the middle of summer so that it can take root well before the cold weather, but the harvest from such plantings can be removed the next year. Autumn sowing is carried out at the end of October or in November, just before the very frosts. You need to orient yourself so that the seeds do not germinate before the cold weather, then they will overwinter, and as soon as the ground thaws, they begin to grow, in the summer it will be possible to harvest a good harvest.

Most often, sorrel is sown in early spring - this is the most convenient time. The soil is moist, the sorrel is not afraid of cold weather, after 2 weeks the seeds will germinate. And if the crops are covered with a non-woven cloth to create a greenhouse effect, the seedlings will appear in 5-6 days. Summer crops need care - watering, weeding, and the first leaves can be cut off only next year.

When sowing in autumn, it is difficult to guess the right time: if the seeds germinate, they will freeze in winter. Therefore, the most profitable option is sowing in early spring. A lot of space for sorrel is not allocated in the country, usually the garden bed does not take more than 2 square meters, up to 4 kg of leaves are harvested from it per season. In the prepared area, grooves are made with a depth of 1.5-2 cm at a distance of 25 cm, seeds are laid and covered with earth, from above it must be slightly compacted (trampled down). The seeds are planted infrequently, the usual consumption is up to 2 g per 1 square meter, and then they are broken through, forming the required distances between the bushes - up to 10 cm.

Sorrel care

There are many varieties of sorrel, they all differ in different ripening times, leaf shape, and flavor intensity. The most common of them: "Ordinary vegetable garden" (leaves are dark green, spear-shaped) and "Belleville" (an early variety with delicate, not very sour leaves). "Large-leaved", also an early variety, its leaves are large, almost oval in shape, the taste is medium acid. Sorrel "Altai" leaves are sharp in shape, they are green only in early spring, then turn red along with the cuttings.

"Lyons" variety is known for thick juicy leaves on short thick cuttings, leaves are yellowish-green, it is better to cover it for the winter so as not to freeze. It is not difficult to grow it on a windowsill or balcony, it is easy to plant and care for. For growing on a windowsill, you need to take a sufficiently deep dish, at least 30 cm, so that the roots can develop normally.

Caring for young plants is simple: you need to remove weeds, ensure timely watering, feed, loosen the ground next to the roots. When a plant feels a lack of moisture, it produces fewer leaves, but forms a peduncle faster. To increase the yield, you need to remove the peduncles, not to let them develop. The plants are fed every time the leaves are cut. Complex mineral fertilizers are suitable for this, but the emphasis should be on nitrogen. Fertilizers are applied in any way, in accordance with the weather - if it is wet, you can use dry dressing, if dry, apply liquid fertilizers. In the spring, after the first cut of the leaves, the plants are watered with nettle infusion or mullein solution.

In the fall, humus or compost is placed next to the plants, the bare roots of the bushes are covered with a mixture of earth and humus. In the second year, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is also necessary.

A month before the onset of frost, you need to cut off all the leaves, otherwise they will fall, thicken under the snow and prevent air and moisture from penetrating to the roots. Sorrel rarely gets sick if it has proper care, especially watering. And to scare off pests, you can plant certain plants nearby, for example, coriander, chamomile, calendula, garlic. Sorrel gives a good harvest in one place for 3-4 years, later the yield decreases, the leaves become smaller, and the threat of pests increases. Heather or radish is planted at this place, sorrel cabbage strongly acidifies the soil.

When grown on a windowsill, caring for sorrel is no different - regular watering, weed control, and rare top dressing are important. In a pot or a box, the earth will in any case be less than in the garden, after a year it will be depleted, you need to change the soil, plant new plants or regularly feed with mineral fertilizers, risking that the leaves will accumulate harmful substances. It is not necessary to sow on the windowsill only in the spring, because sorrel can be grown all year round, if you provide it with the right amount of light.

Harvesting

They begin to harvest sorrel when 5 leaves of the required size (corresponding to the variety) have grown on the bushes. Cut the leaves with a sharp knife, carefully so as not to damage the apical buds located nearby. Before that, the weeds are removed, and after that, the soil is loosened. Until the end of July, usually 3-4 harvests take place. The last time the leaves are cut a month before the cold weather, if you do it later, you can weaken the plant, which will certainly affect the next year's harvest.

Harvest in the morning after the dew dries. The leaves are sorted out, removing flower stalks and lethargic yellowed leaves. Then they are put in an air-permeable container, covered from light, removed for storage in a cool place. Sorrel does not require special care; on fertile soils, reasonable watering is enough, but planting it next to you - in the country house or the windowsill of a city apartment - means always having very useful vitamin greens at hand.

Video "All about sorrel and its cultivation"

Informational video detailing sorrel.