Growing beets in a greenhouse allows you to get the earliest harvests of a vitamin vegetable. We will find out how best to plant beets in closed ground, and how to care for them to get delicious root crops.
Greenhouse beet varieties
There are beet varieties specifically designed for greenhouse cultivation. They are suitable for open ground, but only in regions with a warm climate.
Varieties suitable for growing in a greenhouse:
Varieties for greenhouses can be grown in regions with a harsh climate, if planted in the summer.
Seedling
Growing beets with seedlings, you can bring the crop closer to 2-3 weeks. Seedlings are usually grown at home. They are sown so that they grow by the time when favorable conditions for growth and development are created in the greenhouse.
3-4 weeks pass between sowing seeds and planting seedlings in a greenhouse.
Seed preparation
Beetroot seeds are glomerular seedlings that are difficult to preplant. Purchased pelleted seeds are completely ready for planting - they can be sown without soaking and other processing, moistening only the substrate.
Many gardeners, wanting to activate the seed germination, are subjected to their processing before sowing. But it is carried out only in relation to seeds collected on their own, or unprocessed.
Stages of seed preparation:
- Sorting. Place the seeds in salted water. All that pop up - discard.
- Calibration Remove specimens that differ from the normal size - so that the shoots are friendly.
- Disinfection. Submerge the seeds in a fungicidal solution. Fitosporin, Vitaros and others will do.
- Soak. Fill the planting material in a canvas bag and place it for 24 hours in cool water. Then hold it for 24 hours in warm water (+ 35 ° C). This treatment accelerates the emergence of seedlings.
Features of beet planting
Beet seedlings are demanding on soil moisture, loves fresh air - but not drafts, and does not tolerate heat. Optimum temperature for its development: + 16 ° C.
Seedlings are sown in any container - go plastic, wooden, individual or general. In the second case, it is necessary to pick at the stage of the appearance of cotyledon leaves. The best option is glasses designed for one seedling, or peat pots.
How to sow seeds for seedlings:
- Prepare the ground. The best option is to buy a universal substrate. Add wood ash to it - a glass on a bucket of soil.
- Fill the seedling containers with soil. Seal it well, pour it with warm, settled water. Spill the substrate with Fitosporin or another fungicide to disinfect it.
- Sow seeds to a depth of 1-2 cm. If planting is done in separate glasses, center 1 seed in the center. In large containers, place the seeds in rows at intervals of 2-3 cm.
- Sprinkle the seeds with soil and compact with a plank. Cover the crops with foil or glass and place in a warm place.
Growing seedlings
In order to grow strong and healthy beet seedlings, it is necessary to provide her with appropriate care.
Optimal conditions for seedling growth:
- Humidity. Beetroot seedlings respond equally poorly to over-dried soil and stagnant water. When watering, it is important to maintain balance, avoiding drying out and waterlogging of the soil. Watering is carried out regularly, but in small portions. Water that accumulates in the pan after watering is poured. With increased air dryness, the seedlings are sprayed with water at room temperature.
- Illumination The best place is windows facing south. In regions with late spring, after 12 hours of daylight illumination is necessary.
- Temperature. Before germination, the temperature is maintained at + 18 ... + 20 ° С, and after their appearance, the transparent shelter is removed, lowering the temperature to + 16 ° С.
- Top dressing. When using a purchased substrate, do without additional fertilizers. If seedlings are grown in self-prepared soil mixtures, fertilizing may be necessary. Apply complex fertilizers on a mineral basis with a priority nitrogen content.
- Hardening. A week before planting, seedlings are taken out daily, gradually increasing the time of “walks” - from 20 minutes to several hours. It is also recommended to carry out night tempering, lowering the temperature by several degrees.
If seedlings were grown in a common container, a pick is carried out. She saves seedlings from a lack of light and thickening.
Features picking beet seedlings:
- At the stage of cotyledon leaves, seedlings are transplanted into separate containers.
- The soil in the new containers should be of the same composition as in the general container.
- Seedlings are deepened a little deeper than in the old tank.
- It is recommended to slightly shorten the root. Pinching allows you to get a larger root crop in the future.
Land preparation
Beets grow best on sandy and loamy soils. Not only the size of root crops, but also their taste depends on the quality of the soil. On waterlogged soils, beetroot grows tasteless, root crops differ in a liquid, unpleasant taste. On soils with a high sand content, a similar effect is obtained.
Soil preparation:
- Composition. For beets, as for most crops, loose, light, non-acidic soils are needed. Greenhouse soil is made from:
- garden land - 1 part;
- peat - 3 parts;
- humus - 1 part;
- sand - 1 part.
- Disinfection. The soil before use is disinfected with any of the existing methods:
- annealing;
- chemical means;
- freezing.
- Fertilizers Loosen the finished mixture and distribute it in the beds. Add ash - one glass per 1 sq. Km. m. and complex mineral fertilizer (dosage according to the instructions).
- Correction of acidity. Beetroot grows poorly on acidic and slightly acidic soils. To neutralize acidity, in the fall, under digging, add limestone or sand - 0.5-1 kg per 1 sq. Km. m
Growing beets in a greenhouse, as well as in open ground, it is necessary to observe the rules of crop rotation.
Desired predecessors:
- onion;
- cabbage;
- Tomatoes
- cucumbers.
It is forbidden to plant beets after rutabaga, turnips or celery.
Dates and methods of landing
In a greenhouse, beets are grown through seedlings or by direct sowing in soil. The first option allows you to get an earlier crop, the second - eliminates the stage of growing seedlings.
Beets are planted in the greenhouse around the second half of April. When landing, they are more oriented to air and soil temperature than to the calendar date.
Ways to plant beets:
- The seeds. Between the rows make spaces of 25-30 cm. Seeds are laid out along the grooves or on a special stencil. The distance between adjacent seeds is 3-4 cm. Seeding depth is 2-3 cm. Crops are mulched with peat or humus.
- Seedlings. When the seedlings reach 8 cm in height, it is planted in rows, observing intervals of 15-20 cm. Between the rows leave spaces of 30 cm.
Beet care in the greenhouse
Beetroot is a strong and hardy crop that can grow under adverse circumstances. But the task of the gardener is to get a good harvest. And the matter is not only in quantity, but also in the quality of root crops. The taste of beets will depend in many respects on the care - top dressing, watering, etc.
Watering and fertilizing beets
Beets are watered, focusing on the condition of the soil. As well as when growing seedlings, it is necessary to maintain a balance between waterlogging and drying out of the soil.
The principles of watering beets:
- Seedlings after planting are watered every 2-3 days. There is no exact norm of watering. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the soil - it must be moist throughout the depth of the roots.
- As you grow older, the frequency of watering decreases. Beets are watered about once a week.
- The average irrigation rate for adult plants is 10-15 liters per 1 square. m
- It is useful to water the plantings with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
If the soil is prepared and fertilized according to all the rules, then beet top dressing is not needed. Unless in the middle of the growing season it is worth adding wood ash to the soil - 100-150 g per 1 sq. m
Thinning
Beet seeds are a fertility, which give several shoots at once. Therefore, after sowing thinning can not be avoided.
Extra seedlings should be removed immediately after the appearance of the first leaves. Between neighboring plants should be about 8 cm - if a dessert variety is grown, and 10-12 cm - if you need to get larger root crops.
If the extra seedlings are not uprooted and removed using a small spoon, then they can be transplanted. But this must be done immediately, then the chances that the seedlings take root are very high.
Diseases and Pests
Beets have a fairly high immunity. Moreover, there are varieties that are particularly resistant to certain diseases.
In adverse circumstances and the absence of prevention, beets can be affected by such diseases:
- Rooted Man. It occurs due to waterlogging. It usually appears in the early stages of vegetation. Plants turn yellow and die. Disease Prevention:
- the introduction of boron dressing;
- liming;
- seed dressing.
- Phomosis. Brown spots appear on the lower leaves, and then black dots. Treatment:
- introduction under the root of borax - 3 g per 1 square. m;
- spraying with a solution of boric acid (10 g of water - 5 g).
- Cercosporosis. Light spots with a red border appear on the leaves. Then the leaves dry, and the root crops deteriorate. Treatment comes down to treatment with fungicides. Seeds are treated with “Agatom-25” before sowing. Potash top dressing is also recommended.
- Fusarium rot. Affects damaged plants. Cracks appear on the root crops, and the lower leaves fade. Need preventive spraying with boron.
Most often, beets are affected by such pests:
- scoops;
- shield socks;
- aphid;
- fleas;
- common and mining flies.
Landings are best treated with folk methods, using insecticides only in the most extreme situations.
Ways to combat insects:
- Against aphids, an infusion of onion husks or wormwood helps. On a bucket of water take 1 kg of finely chopped dry mass. Boil for 15 minutes. Insist 3 hours and filter.
- Aphids and shieldfish scare away wormwood branches laid between rows.
- The flea is expelled by dusting with ash or tobacco dust. Also helps spraying with infusion of ash. It is prepared by diluting 1.5 tbsp. l in a bucket of water. Insist ash 1 day.
- Bacterial preparations or insecticides are used against flies, shield insects and other pests, such as Actaru, Karbofos, Iskra.
Growing beets in a greenhouse in winter
To grow vegetables year-round, greenhouses are made heated. Then vegetables can be harvested year-round. True, their cost due to heating costs will be significantly higher, so this method is usually used when growing vegetables for sale.
Greenhouse requirements
In a year-round greenhouse, plants should be equally comfortable at any time, including in winter.
Requirements for a winter greenhouse:
- the ability to provide the desired temperature and humidity;
- a lot of sunlight and artificial lighting;
- strong foundation;
- optimal design - with a pitched roof;
- the presence of a vestibule and double doors;
- the possibility of airing;
- heating source - for example, an electric boiler or a wood stove;
- on both sides - pipes for heating.
It is recommended to deepen the greenhouse to reduce heating costs.
The most popular design of the greenhouse is a welded frame. And as a coating use:
- industrial tempered glass;
- plastic wrap;
- cellular polycarbonate.
Seedling preparation
Seedlings for growing in the winter in the greenhouse can be grown in two ways:
- At home. This option allows you to save on heating.
- In the greenhouse. This option is usually used when a large number of seedlings are needed. It is recommended to grow seedlings in a separate greenhouse, as the conditions for seed germination differ from the conditions in which adult plants grow. At the germination stage, lower temperature and higher humidity are needed.
Agricultural technology seedlings for winter cultivation is the same as for the spring-summer season. The soil is prepared according to the same plan as when planting in unheated greenhouses.
Care Features
To grow vegetables in the winter in the greenhouse, you need increased attention to the growing conditions and careful care.
Conditions in the greenhouse in winter:
- The average daily temperature is maintained at a level of +18 to + 22 ° C.
- When there are severe frosts on the street, airing is canceled.
- When the temperature outside rises, the greenhouse is aired twice a day.
- Planting is watered 1-2 times a week, as the soil dries.
- The water temperature should be the same as the air temperature in the greenhouse.
Beet yield when growing in greenhouse conditions
In greenhouses, mainly varieties with early ripening are grown. The yield of early beets in the greenhouse depends on the variety and growing conditions. It can be from 1.8 to 8.2 kg per 1 sq. Km. m
Ways to increase productivity:
- Use suitable primers. It is forbidden to use podzolic and sandy soils.
- Compliance with watering standards. Overmoistening is prohibited.
- Fertilizer application. It is forbidden to bring manure into the greenhouses. Fertilize the soil with humus and superphosphate.
- Good seeds are selected by calibration, sorting and soaking.
Growing beets in a greenhouse is not a priority - this crop grows well in open ground. But if the gardener expects to receive early harvests, greenhouse conditions cannot be avoided.
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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