Parsley on the windowsill: how to plant and grow
Fresh parsley contains a lot of vitamins, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and other substances irreplaceable for the body. Such an addition to many dishes makes them both healthier and tastier. But with the onset of winter, the beds go under the snow, and the greens bought in the store are not for the better different from those grown on their own plot.
Parsley grown in an apartment will help to compensate for the deficiency of vitamins and not to let you miss the summer. How to grow parsley on a windowsill, and what conditions are necessary to obtain juicy strong foliage? The plant is quite unpretentious and, subject to some care rules, easily tolerates growing in a container or flower pot.
Conditions for growing parsley on a windowsill
The soil for parsley should be light, loose and nutritious enough for the plant to actively develop in a limited pot.
A mixture of one part of peat, the same amount of humus and twice the amount of garden soil is suitable for this culture. Before mixing, the earth is spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate to eliminate pathogens. When the mixture is ready, if necessary, it is lime and phosphorus and potassium additives are added to the soil. If you can use small peat pots or seedling containers to plant parsley, then the plant that forms a powerful taproot will need a deeper container.
When choosing a pot for growing parsley on a windowsill, it is better to turn to those that have:
- depth from 20 cm;
- drainage hole;
- sufficient volume for the required number of plants.
A drainage layer of 1.5-2 cm is made at the bottom of the container. Now you can proceed to planting, and then growing on the windowsill parsley.
How to grow parsley from seeds on a windowsill
If you grow parsley from seeds, you can try the first green leaves from your own garden on the windowsill 1.5–2 months after the seeds get into the ground.
This method requires more time and effort, but the plants will delight with lush caps of greenery for two years. Before planting parsley, you should select the seeds. According to experienced gardeners, it is better to give preference to varieties of early ripening, which will bring the first cut of greens closer than a week. And curly parsley on the windowsill shows itself less sensitive and to insufficient watering, and to the dryness of the air, which is quite important in the conditions of an apartment and working heating.
Parsley seeds are distinguished by long germination, you can speed up the pecking by soaking them for a day in warm water, which will have to be changed periodically. Before planting, the seeds are dipped in a dense pink solution of potassium permanganate for several minutes in order to protect future sprouts. How to plant parsley in an apartment:
- The distance between the holes is about 5 cm. If the seedlings are thicker, they will have to be thinned out when two or three leaves appear on the shoots.
- Prepared seeds are planted in moist soil to a depth of 0.6–1.5 cm, sprinkled with earth and gently watered again.
- The pots are covered with foil and placed in a lighted place with a temperature of 17–20 ° C.
- Until, after 10-15 days, sprouts appear, you need to make sure that the soil does not dry out, or mold does not appear on the soil surface.
The sprouts that turned out to develop quickly. At this time, the film is removed, and special attention is paid to watering and lighting the plants. Parsley on the windowsill should receive water 2-3 times a week, and top dressing is combined with watering and carried out 1-2 times a month, starting from the moment when the plant has formed a good rosette of greenery.
Growing parsley from root vegetables
To obtain greenery by planting root crops, it is better to choose large healthy rhizomes, weighing about 65 grams.
If the root is too long, do not bend or fold it. Before planting parsley, such roots are cut with a sharp knife so that the apical bud is 12-15 cm.
The place of the cut is powdered with crushed charcoal and treated with root roots, for the fastest rooting.
- Rhizomes can be planted at intervals of 3 cm, making sure that the points of foliage growth during backfill remain above the soil level.
- While acclimatization is in progress and the parsley root system is being restored, the pots are darkened and placed in a cool place, where the temperature would be in the aisles of 12-16 ° C.
- The appearance of the first greenery is a sign that it is time to put parsley on the windowsill, where the temperature is slightly higher, 18–20 ° C.
From this moment on, the parsley on the windowsill can be watered and fed once a month, dissolving 5 grams of complex fertilizers per liter of water.
Caring for parsley on the windowsill
Describing how to grow parsley on a windowsill, you cannot get around the issue of caring for plants while they are actively producing greens. To keep the foliage bright, juicy and lush, you cannot do without regular watering, and it is better not to use water poured from the tap. It contains many elements that negatively affect the condition of plants and the quality of foliage.
- The moisture intended for watering must be defended and made sure that it is not cold.
- On hot days, as well as in winter, when the heating is on in the apartments, parsley on the windowsill is sprayed with warm water.
- When a crust forms on the soil, the soil is loosened carefully, trying not to damage the root.
If parsley is grown on a windowsill in autumn and winter, when natural light is clearly not enough, special ones are suspended above the plantings, for example, white spectrum LED or fluorescent lamps.
The duration of daylight hours for parsley should be at least 13 hours, otherwise the petioles begin to stretch, the foliage becomes smaller and grows worse.
Lighting is especially important for young plants at the stage of true leaf formation. You can collect greens when it grows to 10–17 cm, the leaf is well formed, and there are other, younger ones to replace it. Cutting begins with the lowest leaves, carefully cutting them off and leaving the stalks of 3-5 cm. And with careful attention and care, parsley on the windowsill gives high-quality greens all year round.