How to grow horseradish Katran on your site
Horseradish Katran belongs to the group of perennial plants, the Cabbage family. The culture differs not only in appearance from ordinary horseradish, but also in taste. The plant is not picky, but in order for it to decorate the territory for a long time, you need to follow simple rules.
Horseradish Katran: description of the appearance of the plant
There are many different varieties of Katran horseradish in nature, but the most popular are:
- pathway;
- Oriental;
- steppe or Tatar;
- nautical;
- Crimean.
The horseradish bush forms rosettes that are slightly raised upward. Flowers are white. They are all the same size. In the loose form, the diameter of the buds does not exceed 1 cm. At the end of flowering, fruits in the form of elongated pods are formed in their place.
The homeland of this amazing plant is the coast of the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Atlantic. Less often it can be seen on the lands of the Caucasus.
Katran: growing from seed
Even a schoolboy can plant and grow this type of horseradish on the site. All this is not due to the finickyness of culture. The main thing is to correctly prepare the planting material and have information on the correct planting of the grains.
Stratification of Katran seeds at home
This is an important point when propagating Katran by seeds:
- Initially, you need to soak the grains in clean water, the temperature of which is from +180 From to +200 C. You can also use a solution of potassium permanganate (1%).
- After two hours, transfer the planting material to a cloth napkin, and after a few minutes mix it with fine-grained, wet sand.
- Keep the resulting mixture at zero air temperature for 3 to 4 months. A great option is the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or basement.
Choosing a landing site
Planting seeds is best done on sandy, loamy soils. The soil should also be with a minimum acidity. In heavy substrates, grains germinate very poorly, and adult plants are capable of losing their appearance, which negatively affects the nutritional properties of the root.
The best place is areas where groundwater passes very close.
Seeding rules
Before starting the procedure, you need to prepare a landing site. The first thing that needs to be done is to dig up the garden bed. Then add 1 m2 from 3 to 4 kg of humus. If it is not possible to use organic matter, then you can replace it with purchased fertilizers based on phosphorus or potassium. An excellent option is "Kemir-Super", "Azofoska".
It is necessary to sow the grains to a depth of no more than 3 cm. The optimal width between rows is considered to be about 65 cm. Planting is carried out by the belt method. In each of them, you need to form 3 lines. They should be spaced 35 cm apart.The width between the belts themselves should be within 65 cm.
After planting plot mulch... For this, you can use peat or humus. Mulch is especially important if sowing is carried out not in spring, but in autumn. Re-cover the rows with humus immediately after the first shoots have appeared.
Proper care of horseradish Katran
After sowing the seeds, the bed is left alone until the first shoots appear. Then comes the time of painstaking work.
Irrigation
The first shoots must be thoroughly watered with settled water, and after the appearance of two pairs of leaves, they must be thinned out. The optimal distance between specimens is 30 cm.
During the dry season, plants are often watered. Starting from May, watering is increased. If there is a high air temperature outside for a long time and no rains are observed, then irrigation is carried out at least twice a week.
Loosening the soil
This procedure is carried out often, especially if the plants are still small. It is not necessary to loosen the soil very deeply, otherwise the root system can be disturbed.
Top dressing horseradish Katran
The first batch of fertilizer is applied at the time when thinning is carried out. For this use saltpeter... 1 m2 it is recommended to add up to 10 g of the drug. The second feeding is carried out after the appearance of 5 leaves of 15 g of potassium salt and 7 g of nitrate.
If possible, it is best to fertilize Katran with liquid preparations.
Increased yield
In order for the roots to be as thick and long as possible, it is necessary to cut off the head of the plant by 3 cm in the second year. After that, the culture will not spend all its energy on the development of the peduncle, but will give them to form the root crop.
Harvesting horseradish Katran
You need to dig up the roots in the fall. This is best done in the last week of September. Before starting the procedure, you must initially cut off all the leaves. This will make it easier to determine where the spine is and not damage it.
Harvesting can be carried out in the first year after planting horseradish.
With proper care from 1 m2 you can dig up to 1 kg of the crop. In order for the product to lie down as long as possible, it is recommended to place the roots in wet sand. The horseradish container is kept at low air temperatures. A cellar or basement is well suited for this. It is in these places that the humidity indicators are within 85%.
Green mass and roots are used both in medicine and in cooking. Young leaves are added to salads raw, and the shoots are boiled or steamed like asparagus. Seasoning is made from the roots - horseradish, and added to conservation. Some people bake root vegetables in the oven. Due to the high air temperature, they become very soft and juicy. Such vegetables are less spicy, which makes it possible to eat them for people with stomach diseases.
Horseradish Katran is a unique plant that will become a real find in the kitchen. With proper cultivation, the root crop will delight everyone with its not only spicy taste, but also saturate the body with all the necessary vitamins and microelements.