Sorrel: planting and care in the open field, when to plant seeds and how to feed

For many years, sorrel did not attract much attention from vegetable growers and was known as a wild plant. Today, it has taken a worthy place among cultivated plants in our household plots, as it has many valuable qualities. This is one of the first plants that in the spring gives tender leaves rich in nutrients. And given that planting and caring for sorrel in the open field does not cause much trouble, its cultivation is considered the easiest.

Features and characteristics of the plant

Sour sorrel, also garden or common sorrel (Rúmex acetósa), which belongs to herbaceous perennials from the buckwheat family, has been introduced into the culture. Forms a basal rosette of ovate-oblong leaves, pointed at the end. Refers to monoecious plants with cross-pollination. It has a taproot, branched root that penetrates deep into the soil.

When flowering, sorrel throws out a flower stem up to 70 cm with small, reddish-yellow flowers collected in a panicle inflorescence. Seeds are formed in the second year after sowing and are small triangular nuts. They mature in late summer and are suitable for breeding.

Due to its high frost resistance, it feels great in the northern latitudes, where it winters well and gives green vitamin products in early spring. Even return frosts and temporary cold snaps are not terrible for him.Seeds are able to sprout as soon as the soil thaws, but the best germination energy is observed in warm, moist soil.

Thanks to its unpretentiousness, the cultivation technique is quite simple. As with growing any vegetable crop, there are nuances, features and certain requirements that a plant makes for good growth.

Popular sorrel varieties

Breeders have worked on this green crop and thanks to them, varieties and varieties of sorrel sorrel were born, such as:

1. Belleville - refers to mid-early varieties. It has a raised and spreading rosette of leaves. Leaves grow on thick petioles of medium length. They are distinguished by their larger size, light green color and pleasant, slightly acidic taste. The variety is resistant to stalk and frost.
2. Malachite - represents a group of mid-early varieties: the time interval from germination to cutting is 45-50 days. The leaves are located on long petioles. They are elongated, spear-shaped, with wavy edges. They are slightly sour.
3. Broad-leaved is an early ripe variety. The first harvest can be obtained 40 days after planting. The leaf blade is ovate, medium to large. Differs in gentle, juicy leaves of medium acidic taste. High yield and shooter resistant.
4. Odessky-17 - bred as an early ripe variety. It has a raised and spreading rosette with elongated, oval leaves. One of the drought-resistant varieties that tolerates short-term lack of moisture.
5. Spinach is a representative of mid-early varieties with large leaves. It is distinguished by an upright and loose rosette, on which dark green, slightly bubbling leaves are located. They have a slightly sour taste and are rich in vitamin C.

In Europe, a subalpine species is popular, which grows well on rocky hills. In the USL, we love nodule sorrel, whose petioles are eaten. In the Caucasus, sorrel is grown, whose roots are used as food.

Sorrel planting dates

Based on when the owner wants to get a harvest of green products, the sowing time is selected. The seedling method is not needed when growing sorrel, as the seeds germinate well even in unheated soil.

The following sowing dates are the most optimal:

1. Early spring, as soon as the first snow melts. In summer, young shoots will get stronger, gain strength, and by autumn you can harvest the first crop of green leaves.
2. In early July, when the early harvest of radishes and lettuces is harvested. Over the remaining summer period, the plant will take root and grow stronger, and after winter it will actively grow.
3. Sowing in the autumn before winter is carried out when the first frosts began and warm days ended, so that the seeds did not have time to germinate, but simply overwintered in the ground. Active growth will begin in early spring, and by mid-summer it will be possible to cut the first leaves.

During summer planting, regular watering is important so that tender shoots do not dry out. And adult plants with a lack of moisture go to the arrow and begin to bloom, forming a small leaf rosette.

There is an unusual way to get a full leaf harvest in early spring. The rhizomes are dug up in autumn, the leaves are cut from them and left buried in the sand in the basement. In early spring, they are planted in a greenhouse, where the plant is actively growing. A month later, the leaves for green borscht are ready.

Cultivation of sorrel in the open field

Before the seeds fall into the ground, you need to pre-soak them for a couple of days. Having saturated with moisture, they will give 100% germination. In the country, you need to prepare the site for planting in advance. It should be remembered that sorrel is a perennial crop and a small sprout in a few years will turn into a large sprawling plant. To grow Rúmex acetósa, you need to choose a slightly shaded and spacious area.

Choosing a place and soil for sorrel

Select a site and prepare it better in the fall by holding traditional events:

• space alignment;
• weed cleaning;
• digging.

Sorrel prefers moderate shade and slightly acidic soil. It grows well on loamy and sandy soils. He loves moisture, but its content should be moderate, so a site is selected where there is no closely spaced groundwater.

Soil preparation

Since the culture will grow in one place for several years, it is desirable to enrich the soil with nutrients:

• compost or humus;
• on depleted plots - complex fertilizers;
• 1-2 weeks before sowing - nitrogen.

Sorrel will grow in any soil, but will form a stiff or shallow rosette of leaves and may start flowering early. At the same time, the quality of green products will suffer significantly. You can avoid this by knowing how to saturate the soil with useful substances.

Sorrel sowing

How to plant the seeds of a green crop, even the "lazy" vegetable grower knows. A few simple tricks and the goal is achieved:

1. On the eve of sowing, the soil in the garden should be watered abundantly. You can wet the rows just before planting.
2. The bed is prepared in a few days so that the soil has time to settle and in loose soil the seeds do not end up deep in the soil.
3. The planting depth is no more than 1 cm. After emergence, they must be thinned out, leaving a distance of 2-3 cm between plants. After a year, after harvesting the next crop, thin out again, placing Rúmex after 10 cm.

After sowing the beds, it is best to lightly mulch with peat and cover with foil. At the same time, shoots will appear twice as fast - in 5-7 days.

Why doesn't sorrel sprout?

How to explain the reluctance of unpretentious leafy culture to come into the world? Seed germination is usually good, they hatch even under the most unfavorable conditions. The most common cause is deep seeding, when the nutrient reserves of the seed are not enough to get the sprout out.If the soil is too loose and subsequent waterings, the seeds can also go to great depths.

Can sorrel be transplanted?

How to transplant an adult sorrel bush? This is not difficult to do, given that he practically does not get sick during this procedure. Required:

• prepare a place suitable for growing green crops;
• choose strong plants;
• cut the largest leaves without touching the buds;
• long root cut slightly;
• transplant to a new location.

The best time to transplant is a warm autumn day, so that the plant gets stronger and takes root in a new place before frost.

Sorrel Care Rules

Care practices are traditional and include all the main agrotechnical activities: watering, loosening, mulching, top dressing.Having figured out how to properly care for a plant, from seedlings to an adult plant, you can get down to business and at the same time get delicious green leaves all summer long.

Regularity of watering

The soil should be kept moist at all times, but it's especially important to keep the soil moist while the plants are young. It is during the initial period of growth that they need a lot of moisture. Watering is carried out as needed. If the summer is rainy, then one watering per week is enough. During dry periods, water is required daily.

If the ground is dry, then sorrel can throw out a flower arrow in the first year of growth. In this case, all the forces of the plant are spent on flowering, and not on the formation of green mass. In the course of growth, flower stalks must be removed.

Weeding and loosening

Weeds clog bushes that stretch, lose color and taste. It is not difficult to get rid of them, once every two weeks we carefully weed out the rows.Loosening is also a mandatory procedure that helps to get rid of the soil crust that moisture and air have accessed to the roots.

You can loosen to a considerable depth (for adult bushes), since the root system lies deep. It is enough to loosen the ground 3-4 times during the season.

Mulching and fertilizing

It is desirable to mulch the soil in early spring when the first green leaves appear. As a mulch, it is preferable to use peat chips. So the earth will retain moisture longer and remain loose.

How to fertilize sorrel so that tender, juicy greens please the whole season? Three top dressings are carried out per season:

1. In springtime, mullein infusion (1:6) and complex fertilizer with potassium and phosphorus in the composition (according to instructions).
2. Nitrogen is introduced in summer, which promotes the growth of green mass.
3. In autumn, the aisles are covered with compost or humus, which will provide additional nutrition and become protection from autumn frosts.

In one place, sorrel grows up to four years, then the bushes should be renewed. During this time, the soil is depleted and the leaves become less tender.

Features of care in the autumn period

Knowing how to prepare a green crop for wintering, you can count on an early harvest after the snow melts. At the end of autumn, the leaves are cut to the ground, without touching the buds. Aisles are mulched with humus, peat or compost to protect plants from freezing. In the autumn-spring period, mulch will help protect the plantings, and in winter they will be covered with snow.

Protection from diseases and pests

Knowing what sorrel can get sick with and what pests willingly consume it, you can confidently take up the fight, protecting your crop from "uninvited guests".

Most often sorrel is struck:

1. Rust is a fungal disease that causes brown spots to appear on the leaves. They merge and the leaf dries out. With a strong defeat, fungicides are used, and with a slight one, they are limited to folk remedies.
2. Downy mildew forms a grayish mold (plaque) on the surface of the leaf blade. Phytosporin, which is safe for the human body, helps to solve this problem.
3. Shavel leaf gnaw and sawfly caterpillar, which willingly eat up the plant. With their mass accumulation, an infusion of garlic or nightshade helps well.
4. Sorrel aphid sucks the juices from the leaves, which lose their elasticity and become lethargic. Infusions of burning herbs help from it: garlic or dandelion. It is useful to dust the leaves with ash.

It is better to process useful bushes with natural means so that poisons do not enter the body. Leaves grow quickly and chemicals do not have time to decompose, remaining in the plant.

Helpful solution of soap and garlic. The composition of the solution includes a piece of laundry soap, 3 liters of water and chopped garlic. Strained composition is sprayed on the leaves or wiped with a sponge. Watering with clean water is done only after two days.

Helps a mixture of hot pepper, dry mustard and wood ash. Pepper and mustard are taken 1 tbsp. l., and 1 glass of ash is added. The dry mixture is dusted with Rúmex, cracking down on most pests. Beetles are repelled by a mixture of ash and tobacco dust, but regularity is important here. Carry out this procedure daily for 5 days.

If you clean the site from weeds in a timely manner, observe crop rotation, loosen the ground and monitor the condition of the plant, then pests and diseases will not be afraid of sorrel.

Sorrel harvesting and storage

Leaves must be cut correctly, leaving petioles 3-4 cm long above the soil surface. It is important not to touch the apical buds of the plant. During the summer, the leaves are cut 3-4 times with an interval of about 20 days.

To get high-quality green products, flower stalks are cut off immediately when they appear, otherwise the leaves will form small and hard. If flower arrows are formed en masse, then cutting is stopped.

Leaves are well stored in plastic wrap in the refrigerator at -1C for up to two weeks. In room conditions, they do not lose their qualities for only 2-3 days. To have greenery all year round, you can grow sorrel as an indoor crop in a flower pot by digging a plant in the fall from a summer cottage.

Not everyone knows how to get sorrel seeds. For this, brown inflorescences with half-ripe seeds are cut, small sheaves are made from them and allowed to ripen in a well-ventilated room. The panicles are threshed and the seeds are placed in linen bags for storage. They remain viable for 2 years.

What can be planted after sorrel?

Crop rotation is necessary because the soil accumulates pest larvae and disease spores that affect specific crops. With a constant landing in one place, say, nightshade, they get sick every year. The same thing happens with other cultures.

Sorrel stands apart in the family of cultivated plants, since only it and rhubarb belong to the buckwheat family. They have their own pests, but some diseases coincide with pumpkin, for example, rust and powdery mildew. Therefore, after sorrel, you can plant any crops, except for melons, which can get sick in this area.

Sorrel is a beloved by many and very undemanding culture. Some vegetable growers do not take care of this plant at all: they plant it and forget it. Only if necessary, cut the leaves into different dishes. But with proper care, the leaves will be more tender, and the harvest will be plentiful.

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