How peas grow: cultivation and care technology in the open field with video and photos

Peas are a common legume with high nutritional value. It is especially valued for its high protein content (from 26 to 30%). In this regard, it can be compared with meat, only vegetable protein is better absorbed by the human body. In addition, peas are rich in carbohydrates, vitamins (groups B, C, A, PP) and trace elements (phosphorus, potassium, manganese, iron).

Peas are unpretentious, bear fruit under almost any conditions. But to get a rich harvest, you need to know how peas grow and what are the features of growing them.

Peas: characteristics of culture

Peas (Pisum) - an annual herbaceous plant of the legume family (Fabaceae) with a weak rounded-faceted decumbent creeping stem, growing in length from 0.2 to 2.5 m. branches and does not fall. The branched root system of this crop has a rod type and goes deep into the soil. Beneficial nodule bacteria develop on the roots and in their immediate vicinity, which absorb and accumulate nitrogen from the air, thereby enriching the soil with it.

Complex feathery leaves consist of 2-3 pairs of small, elongated bluish-green leaf blades. The petiole of each leaf ends in a branched thin mustache, with which the pea clings to a support or neighboring plants . White, pinkish or purple flowers of moth type are located in the axils of the leaves in 1 or 2.In early ripening varieties, the peduncle appears after 6-7 leaves, in later varieties - after 12-23 (depending on the time it takes to reach maturity).

The culture is self-pollinating, a pod develops in place of the flower. A straight or curved cylindrical bean consists of 2 wings, between which smooth or wrinkled peas are placed in 1 row (from 3 to 10 pieces). The timing of pea ripening can be different (from 55 to 100 days from the date of planting).

All varieties of this crop are divided into 3 groups:

1. Peeling. The sashes are covered with a dense parchment layer from the inside and are not eaten. Only green, smooth, shiny peas are used, which are used for canning. The most popular varieties are Alpha, Early 301, Atlant, Vera, Viola, Emerald and others.
2. Sugar (pods). Delicate sashes break easily, because they do not have an inner leathery-fibrous layer.The beans are juicy, tasty and meaty. The entire pod is used for food. Varieties: Sugar brain 6, Inexhaustible 195, Sugar, De Grasse 68-28, Zhegalova 112 and others.
3. Semi-sugar. At first, the pods are tender and crispy, young beans are used together with the wings. With age, a hard parchment layer appears in the places where the halves are fastened together. The variety Karaganda 1053 is grown on the territory of Russia.

Growing peas of all varieties occurs according to one technology and is not particularly difficult. But there are a few important things to consider.

Choosing a place for planting peas in the garden

For peas, a sunny, well-lit area, calm and quiet is selected. Strong gusts of wind can break fragile stems. This culture can be placed along the fence or near the wall of the house, along which the stems will climb up.The plant tolerates light partial shade, but bears better and more abundantly when all foliage is well lit by the sun.

or in the garden within the power of any novice gardener, subject to simple rules.

Climatic conditions for growing peas

To get an early and abundant harvest, you need to try to create optimal conditions for growing peas. The culture loves good moisture, therefore, for the appearance of friendly seedlings, the seeds are planted in moist soil. Good and regular watering will allow the plant to develop quickly and increase yields. Constant moderate humidity is especially needed during budding, flowering and fruit set. With a lack of moisture, the pea bush sheds buds and ovary.

Peas can tolerate short-term drought because the long taproot draws moisture from deep-lying soil layers (more than 1m). But he does not like the proximity of cold groundwater, as the root system can rot.

This legume is cold-resistant, its seeds germinate already at +5 °C. Seedlings can survive short-term frosts down to -6 … -4 ° С. During the formation of the ovary, the optimal temperature should be within +13 … +15 ° С, for the rapid growth of beans, a temperature of at least +17 … +22 ° С.

What kind of soil do peas like?

Peas are undemanding to the composition of the soil, but it will develop better and bear fruit more abundantly on loose, moderately moist loams and sandstones with a sufficient content of phosphorus and potassium.In heavy clay soil, it is recommended to add coarse river sand and humus when digging (1 bucket per 1 m²). In sandy soil, which does not retain moisture and fertilizers well, clay should be added to increase the moisture capacity (1 bucket per 1 m²).

Culture prefers soils with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction, so acidic soils must be deoxidized with fluff or dolomite flour (300-400 g per 1 m²). Too rich and fertilized soils are also harmful for peas, because an excess of nutrients provokes the rapid growth of tops. In this case, the pods will be small and few. For specimens from which seeds will be collected for propagation, the soil is prepared especially carefully.

The best neighbors of peas

Crop yield is strongly influenced by what plants were cultivated in that place in the previous year. Peas grow well after early potatoes, pumpkin (zucchini, pumpkin, cucumbers), cabbage, tomatoes.He will feel great in the garden next to corn, nightshade (potatoes), cruciferous (cabbage, radish). Other legumes (beans, chickpeas, soybeans, lentils and others) will be bad predecessors for this crop. With proper crop rotation, peas are planted in the same area no earlier than 3-4 years later.

Features of planting peas at their summer cottage

Peas are cultivated industrially in large volumes in many regions of the Russian Federation, they are grown in Russia, India, Greece, America, Japan, Ukraine and other countries. In the past few years, our country has taken the 1st place in the export of this crop.

However, when planting this plant in a garden plot or in a vegetable garden, a number of important points must be taken into account and special attention should be paid to proper soil preparation in the garden and pre-treatment of seed material.

How to prepare the soil for planting peas?

In order for peas to grow faster and begin to bear fruit, experienced vegetable growers recommend preparing a bed for planting peas in advance in the fall. When digging the site, it is necessary to add potassium s alt (30-40 g per 1 m²) and superphosphate (50-60 g per 1 m²). The plant responds well to soil fertilization with compost or rotted manure (4-5 kg per 1 m²).

This crop does not tolerate fresh manure, but grows well in the place that was fertilized in the previous year under its predecessors.

Peas need small doses of nitrogenous fertilizers, in the spring, just before planting, 2-3 g of ammonium nitrate per 1 m² are added to the ground. Sowing can be done with dry and hatched seeds. With pre-germination, germination will be much higher.

Preparing peas for planting

Pre-treatment and processing of pea seeds before planting consists of the following manipulations:

• seed material is sorted out, leaving only the highest quality and he althy ones (all damaged ones are thrown away);
• seeds are soaked in warm water for 16-20 hours to swell, the liquid is changed every 4-5 hours;
• the water is drained, the seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth and left for 2-3 days until hatching (the cloth is periodically moistened, drying should not be allowed);
• to accelerate the appearance of sprouts, you can treat the seeds with any growth stimulator (Epin, Novosil and others).

Dry peas before sowing are recommended to be warmed up a little in a warm (+40 … +45 ° С) solution of boric acid (1 g per 5 l of water) for 5-7 minutes. With the industrial method of pea cultivation, the seed material is not soaked, but is treated with pesticides (pickled) and microelements to increase resistance to diseases and accelerate the emergence of seedlings.

How to sow peas?

The correct technology for cultivating peas involves the following actions when sowing it:

• on the prepared bed make several furrows 7-9 cm deep at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other (for tall varieties, the distance between rows is about 30-35 cm);
• sprinkle a little mixture of humus with wood ash at the bottom of each furrow, then sprinkle with soil;
• furrows are abundantly watered with water;
• seeds are placed in the furrows to a depth of 5-6 cm, leaving 5-7 cm between them (in heavy, moist soils, the sowing depth is about 3-4 cm);
• cover with earth and lightly compact.

So that the crops are not pecked by birds, it is recommended to cover the bed with a fine mesh or translucent covering material.

Technology for growing peas, plant care features

Peas, the cultivation and care of which after sowing is especially important, will bear fruit better if all the rules of agricultural technology are followed. The timing of ripening and crop yield is affected by the correct irrigation regime, loosening the soil, removing weeds, as well as tying bushes to a trellis or support.

First steps after sowing

The technology of growing peas involves planting them in moist soil, as the plant will quickly die with a lack of moisture, even without having time to sprout. In the first time after sowing, it is necessary to carefully monitor the regularity and timeliness of watering. Prior to budding, it is watered once a week; during flowering and fruiting, watering is carried out at least 2 times in 5-7 days. In dry times, the amount of watering is increased.

Further outdoor care for this legume is to provide it with enough moisture. This is important throughout the growing season as fruits appear unevenly. When pods are already ripening in the lower part of the plant, its top continues to grow and form buds. But excessive moisture is also harmful, as it can provoke the development of fungal diseases.

Soil care

The soil under peas must always be kept in a loose state, because only in this case the right amount of oxygen will be supplied to the roots (with its deficiency, nodule bacteria develop poorly). During the period of active growth, close attention is paid to loosening the row spacing. The first time this procedure is carried out 10-14 days after planting, when young plants reach a height of 6-7 cm and form 5-6 leaves.

The soil between the rows is loosened (harrowed) to a depth of 7-8 cm and the plants are slightly spudded.In order not to damage the fragile root system of pea bushes, it is recommended to do this before watering, while the ground is still dry. Simultaneously with loosening, weeding is carried out so that weeds do not take away nutrients from the peas. In order to avoid the formation of a dense earthen crust after watering, the plantings must be loosened and mulched with humus, straw, sawdust or peat.

Features of feeding peas

To increase yields, stimulate flowering and better formation of the ovary, planting peas must be fertilized. Shoots that have just appeared, while nitrogen-fixing bacteria still do not work well, are fed with infusion of weeds (1 kg of any grass per 1 bucket of water) so that the plants do not suffer from a lack of nitrogen. For the same purpose, plantings are watered with a solution of mullein (1:10) with the addition of nitrophoska (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water).

During the formation of buds and the setting of pods, the culture is fertilized with any mineral complex (30 g per 10 l).When the plant blooms profusely, it is recommended to feed the peas with dry granules (25 g per 1 m²). With the industrial method of cultivating this crop, when it is grown in large areas, varieties that are undemanding to nutrition are used, which do not need top dressing.

Tie bushes

The procedure for tying bushes is included in the list of mandatory measures for the care of pea crops. If this is not done in time, then weak stems will fall to the ground from the weight of the fruit and their own weight. Lying whips are not ventilated and can rot, moreover, much less ovaries are formed on them. When placed vertically, the ground part of the culture warms up well and is blown by the wind, which avoids a large number of diseases.

After the appearance of the first whiskers, when the seedlings reach a height of 7-10 cm, it is necessary to tie up young plants. There are several ways to install the support:

1. Wooden stakes, metal rods or just branches are stuck along the row at a distance of 1-1.5 m from each other. Between the stakes, a rope or wire is stretched horizontally, on which the whips are placed. The rope is stretched along the entire perimeter in several tiers at different heights.
2. A plastic mesh is installed between 2 adjacent rows, clinging to which the peas will stretch up.
3. Seeds are sown along the perimeter of the hole, in the center of which a support rod is then placed.
4. Supports (sticks, rods, branches) are simply stuck along the furrows.

Main diseases and pests of peas

Growing peas in the open field is sometimes accompanied by damage to plantings by various diseases and pests.

Most often the culture is exposed to such diseases:

1. Powdery mildew. It develops due to the strong thickening of crops and excessive moisture. Loose white spots form on the upper part of the leaf plates, spores are located on the underside. The plaque covers the entire green mass, then the stems and leaves die. For treatment, use an infusion of thistle field (0.3 kg per 10 liters of water, insist 8-10 hours). Sprayed twice with a break of 5-7 days.
2. Mosaic. The plant develops poorly, the leaves become jagged and curly. An incurable disease, all affected bushes are immediately destroyed.
3. Ascochitosis. It appears as dark brown bordered spots on the leaves. The plant dies. Fruits that have ripened are unsuitable for food.
4. Rust. From above, yellow spots appear on the surface of the leaf, from below - a characteristic yellow, loose coating containing spores. The bush grows poorly, dies over time. To combat, spraying with Bordeaux liquid (1%) or sulfur-containing preparations is used.

Peas are sometimes attacked by such pests:

1. Pea codling moth (leaflet). Caterpillars gnaw and damage peas. For the fight, garlic infusion (20 g per 1 liter), a decoction of tomato leaves (3 kg per 10 liters) and dusting with tobacco dust are used.
2. Nodule weevil. The insect eats away the growth point (top), the larvae eat the roots and pods. Plantings are sprinkled with wood ash and tobacco.
3. Pea aphid. Sucks juice from all parts of the plant. The stems wither, the flowers fall off. Bushes are washed with soapy water (250-300 g per 1 bucket of water), treated with acaricidal preparations (Iskra, Fastak, Fitoverm and others).
4. Pea weevil. The larva of the black bruchus beetle winters in the seed material, then gnaws through the pods and eats the peas. The fight against it consists in early planting and careful selection of seeds, which are treated before sowing in a solution of common s alt (3%).Items that pop up are thrown away.

In case of severe damage, special systemic preparations (fungicides and insecticides) are used. As a preventive measure, it is recommended: crop rotation, deep autumn plowing, careful destruction of plant residues and good planting care.

Peas: how to get a rich harvest

To enjoy a bountiful harvest for as long as possible, peas must be harvested in a timely manner. If you do not collect ripe pods on time, then the next fruits will ripen later. Regular constant collection stimulates fruiting.

The first milky pods are harvested approximately 21-25 days after flowering. Timing is determined by variety. Sugar varieties, which are eaten with shoulder blades, are plucked 12-15 days after mass flowering. Green fresh peas of brain varieties are ready in 18-23 days.The bottom pods ripen first.

Harvest is better in the morning, when the air is still cool, then the beans will not wither. Cleaning is done 1 time in 2-3 days in good warm weather and 1 time in 4-5 days in cool and cloudy weather. Experienced gardeners practice sowing peas with different ripening periods and phased planting of seeds in the ground with an interval of 15-20 days. The earlier the planting was made, the earlier the harvest can be obtained.

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