Arugula: planting and care in the open field, how to grow with video

70% plant food and 30% animal food - the proportion of products necessary for a person developed by nutritionists. Plant foods are vegetables, fruits and, of course, greens. Its chemical composition represents a we alth of valuable vitamins and microelements. Arugula is a new, but already firmly established type of greenery. Many buy it, and some, having land plots, want to grow it. To do this, it is important to learn the rules of planting and care, although arugula in the open field is unpretentious.

Description of culture: varieties and varieties

This type of greenery is quite an entertaining plant. Represented by two types of salad:

• garden arugula, another designation for indau sowing, or eruka;
• wild arugula, another designation for two-row thin-leaved.

These types of greens have an original taste, providing ready-made dishes with a delicate nutty taste with a mustard tinge. Reproduction occurs through planting seeds.

Arugula is considered a type of lettuce, it belongs to the Cabbage family, genus Indau. Previously considered a weed, it became popular after Mediterranean cuisine gained a foothold in Europe.

There are many varieties of arugula, before planting it is recommended to familiarize yourself with their characteristics:

1. Cupid's Arrows. Greens are characterized by an average ripening period, the growing season is 35-38 days. The plant grows up to 30 cm, the leaves are narrowish and oblong. Outwardly similar to a dandelion, it constantly gives a good harvest.
2. Crazy. The vegetation period of greenery is 27-30 days, it grows up to 20 cm in height, has an upright stem, blooms in small inflorescences that have a creamy hue. Greens have a sweetish taste, there is no bitterness.
3. Poker - has an early ripening period, the growing season is 22-25 days. It is characterized by green leaves of a saturated shade, relatively large in size, one rosette has about 25 pieces. In height, greens grow up to 20 cm. It has a sweetish aftertaste with some bitterness. Seeds remain viable for up to 4 years.
4. Olivette. Type of early maturation, vegetation lasts 20-22 days, does not exceed 17-20 cm in height. This is a perennial variety, has slightly rounded leaves. Excellent yield, excellent palatability, some nutty flavor and low savory bitterness.

The nuances of growing arugula

Arugula is unpretentious, so it is recommended to grow it:

• in the open field: by sowing seeds or seedlings;
• in greenhouse conditions: sowing seeds or seedlings;
• at home: in a suitable container on the windowsill.

The important conditions for a good green harvest include a suitable planting site, soil type, watering, care and timely harvesting. To constantly have fresh greens, sowing is carried out at intervals of two weeks.

Selection of quality seeds

Subspecies is determined visually by the type of seeds. The double row has small, more similar to poppy seeds (up to 1.3 mm). Indau seeds are larger, about 2-3 mm in size.

If the seeds are purchased spontaneously, it is recommended to disinfect them by soaking them in a manganese solution. Purchased from specialist retailers, no preparation is required.

What neighbors can I plant with

Arugula is recommended to be planted next to corn, beans and cucumbers climbing on trellises. They create a slight shading for her. It gets along well with dill, carrots, onions, rosemary, potatoes. But you should not plant arugula near strawberries.

Growing arugula outdoors

Arugula is unpretentious, it is grown without problems in the country and in the garden in the open field. Growth technology includes following the methodology of soil preparation, sowing, caring for greenery and timely watering. One of the conditions for a quality harvest is the choice of a site for planting. In open ground, this type of greenery is planted in seedlings and non-seedlings.

Good and bad predecessors

It is recommended to plant greens on patches of land where tomatoes, carrots, pumpkins, potatoes and legumes previously grew.They are good predecessors. But after cabbage, radish, swede, turnip and horseradish, it is recommended to sow after 3 years due to the presence of similar diseases.

Sowing dates and soil requirements

For the cultivation of this plant in the open field, the appropriate planting dates have been determined. This period stretches from late April to mid-August.

Worth remembering! The earth should warm up to +10… +13 ^оС. When sown in cold soil, germination processes slow down.

The plant prefers heat, although it copes well with cold, withstands even short frosts down to -5 ^{oC. For a constant supply of fresh herbs during the summer, it is recommended to sow the seeds throughout the season constantly at intervals of 2 weeks. The most delicious and especially he althy leaves are 25 to 45 days old. In warm latitudes, autumn harvest is allowed from September to mid-November.}

In the south and in the middle latitudes, they are planted from the second half of April, in Siberia, in the Moscow region, it is recommended to use cultivation in greenhouse conditions or by seedlings. For seedlings, seeds are recommended to be sown in the last days of March or early April.

Seeds do not require pre-treatment, because they have good germination. Seedlings are grown in special boxes, glasses or regular pots.

Arugula is allowed to be sown before winter, and then it will be possible to collect early greens. Sowing is carried out with the onset of a persistent cold temperature without prolonged warming, they will provoke swelling, and the seeds will germinate, and the crop will die. Seeding is carried out approximately in October-November.

Recommendations for planting site:

• lighting is preferably moderate, ideally if at noon the greenery will be in shading;
• mostly neutral, alkaline or slightly acidic soils, it dies on acidic soils, and if the bushes have taken root, they will give poor-quality seedlings.

Green growing in a sunny area, goes to the arrow, becomes hard, with a bitter aftertaste, and in a dark area it loses its color and aroma.

Preparing before landing

Before sowing, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work: loosen and level the soil. With very acidic soil, it is necessary to carry out liming, for this you need to add crushed chalk, lime or dolomite flour to it. The concentration is selected based on the condition of the soil, per hundred square meters is about 25-55 kg.

If liming was carried out in the fall, in the spring, before sowing, 35-38 g/sq.m azofoski or "Kemira". If in previous years the soil was thoroughly fertilized, it is not necessary to apply additional fertilizing for this plant. When the land needs nutrition, it is recommended to introduce when digging 35-45 g per m^{2 of urea or an appropriate amount of nitrophoska.}

Sowing seeds

To sow the seeds of arugula, no preliminary preparation is required, the seeds have good germination. Sprouts will appear on the 6th day after sowing.

Sowing is done in prepared holes up to 15-20 mm deep. The gap between the rows is 25-35 cm, it is recommended to leave 5 cm between the holes. Seeds are laid in each hole 2-3 pieces.

When two leaves are strengthened on the sprouted shoots, the shoots need to dive into separate containers, and the strengthened shoots are subsequently transplanted to an open area along with a clod of soil so as not to injure the roots.

Arugula care

When the shoots sprout, they need to be thinned out, for this a gap of 5 cm is left between them, and then at the next thinning - 10 cm. Greens growing too densely lose their taste.

Optimum temperature - +15… +18 ºС. Can withstand short frosts. If a prolonged cold snap is expected, it is recommended to build a protection from polyethylene film.

After watering, the ground is mulched, such actions allow you to save moisture and save greens from soil pollution. Mulched with grass-chopping or humus. The thickness of the mulch is increased by a couple of centimeters each time. It is distributed under the bushes so that the leaves are not located on the ground.

Organization of watering

The plant prefers moist soil. Watering is carried out three times a week. In stable heat, it is recommended to do it daily.

If there is not enough moisture, the plant will become bitter, will release a pedicel and become unfit for consumption. Arugula prefers moisture, but when watering it is unacceptable to stagnate it in the upper levels of the soil.

Weeding and loosening the soil

For good growth, loose soil is needed, respectively, after watering (it is possible every other time), it is recommended to plow a piece of land. At the same time, weeding is also carried out.

If weeds are not removed, they thicken crops and provoke the occurrence of fungal diseases. The presence of weeds is reflected in the taste of greenery.

Feeding plants

The land for sowing is well fertilized. Then, during the growth period, one or two top dressings are carried out. The use of complex mineral preparations is not recommended, since the toxins collected in the plant will not disintegrate over a short period of growth.

As a top dressing, it is recommended to use a solution of chicken manure or rotted manure. If desired, you can use nitrogen supplements, but it is worth remembering that the green part quickly accumulates nitrates.

Diseases and pests of arugula

Arugula is classified as an early ripening plant, therefore, chemical treatment is not carried out.

However, protection from fungal infections is necessary, these diseases develop mainly in moist soil. If the roots are affected, the stem part will begin to wither. The roots themselves are covered with small bubbles of a brownish hue. When these signs appear, it is necessary to remove the affected sprout, and treat the ground with antifungal drugs.

The formation of brown spots on the green indicates a disease with downy mildew, and yellowed leaves indicate a lesion with Fusarium.

Changing the color of the leaves, the formation of spots, lethargy of greenery, or if the leafy part is in the holes, all this indicates a disease or the presence of pests. To prevent such phenomena, prevention is carried out:

• thorough soil preparation;
• recommend to sprinkle the soil with wood ash;
• accounting for predecessor plants;
• weed removal;
• use quality seeds.

When signs of fungal and bacterial diseases appear, the use of biofungicides is allowed. Processing is carried out in accordance with the instructions. In case of a large-scale defeat, it is better to remove the arugula and destroy it.

The plant exudes a lot of essential oils, their smell scares pests.Although the greenery of arugula attracts cabbage caterpillars, cabbage moths and other lepidoptera, as well as slugs. Arugula greens can also be damaged by cruciferous flea, they also eat radishes and other types of greens. When covering tender crops with lutrasil, harmful insects will be forced to look for other food.

Effectively spilling the earth and plants with tobacco dust or fine, pre-sifted ash. Spraying with infusions of herbs, in particular wormwood, is not recommended. Remaining on the greens, the solution will give it an unwanted flavor.

During the growth period of arugula, slugs and caterpillars, if there are not many of them, are removed manually. You can apply a bioinsecticide treatment to the plant, as recommended.

Harvesting and storage of crops

Experienced gardeners know that overcooking arugula leaves will become tough and taste bitter. It is important to collect greens from the garden on time. The first of the indicators of maturity - the length of the leaves should be at least 10 cm.

It's important to remember! The taste properties of greens after the appearance of a flower-bearing arrow fall.

Large sockets need to be cut off at the root, the rest of the bushes partially. The leaves are used fresh in salads. In a cold and dark place, the greens are stored, packed in cling film, for several days.

If you follow the simple recommended growing rules, arugula greens will delight for a long time, during the favorable growing time. And if you master the technology of planting and care at home, the greens in the diet will be all year round.

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