Agronomist tips: grow leeks that are juicy and thick. Planting, care and storage of leeks (photo). Proper cultivation of leeks in open ground

Preface

Leeks - growing and caring for this popular and beloved plant has its own characteristics. Culture came to us relatively recently, but has become very popular and how medicine, and like everyday food product. And many summer residents are interested in the question of how to grow leeks in order to get good harvest greenery?

A little history

It is believed that leeks came from the Mediterranean, and were especially loved by the ancient Romans. Nero preferred to eat it with butter; such a mixture, according to the emperor, gave a special timbre and strength to his voice. And Marcus Valerius Marcione, an ancient Roman singer of the pre-Christian era, dedicated epigrams of his composition to leeks, in which he praised its healing properties. Leeks are widely used in cooking in America and Western Europe, but in the last decade they have confidently taken their place on our table.

Leek - biennial plant The Onion family, similar in appearance, but with thicker stems, grows it for feathers. Externally, the plant resembles garlic, the stem and leaves have a similar shape, but differ significantly large size. And just like garlic, leeks are used everywhere in food and for treatment. The main value is the white part of the stem, which does not have a round head, but only thickens towards the bottom. Green stems can be eaten while they are young, after which they become tough and practically unusable. Plants may vary slightly in appearance: for winter onions The stem is short and thick, while the summer one is elongated and thin.

The white part of the leek contains up to 24% dry matter, the leaves - up to 17%. This type of onion is rich in vitamins C, B1, B2, PP, minerals (K, Ca, P) and trace elements (zinc, manganese, selenium). From 100 g of product our body can get 40 kcal. Leeks are also convenient to store; they can be dried, frozen, or canned.

For dietary nutrition, this type of onion is of low value (compared to onions) content essential oils. It has almost all useful and healing properties onions, and can be eaten by people with gastrointestinal disorders.

Biological features

Leeks are cold-resistant enough that they can be cultivated in all regions of Russia. In the year of planting, a rosette and a false stem are formed in the form of a white or light green bulb, covered with one or two film scales. Its size, depending on the variety, can be from 2 to 6 cm in height and from 2 to 7 cm in diameter.

The dark green leaves have a slight waxy coating, reach a length of 90 cm, and a width of 3 to 6 cm. Closer to the root, the leaves tightly close into a stem, the length of which can reach up to 60 cm. The weight of one plant averages 200-300 G.

At the beginning of its development, leeks need intense light and long daylight hours. In southern latitudes, the plant can be left in the ground for the winter without any shelter and removed from there as needed.

The following summer, the plants form a flower arrow, at the end of which there is a spherical umbrella. It can contain up to 900 small bell-shaped flowers of white or lilac color. They appear towards the end of summer, so the seeds rarely have time to ripen under natural conditions in middle and northern latitudes, but they ripen well during storage and can produce a good onion harvest for several years. When stored at low temperatures, in addition to buds, aerial bulbs appear on the peduncle, which are also well suited for propagation.

Leeks have a powerful root system that tolerates any manipulation well. Interestingly, leeks are the only member of the allium family that does not have a dormant period. Unlike other types of green onions, leeks provide tasty and healthy greens up to late autumn, easily tolerating frosts up to 7 degrees. But if you intend to use the crop for storage, you should not delay harvesting too much.

For different regions of Russia, you can use varieties that correspond to climatic conditions.

• Early ripening - Goliath, Vesta.
• Middle early - Lancelot, Kilima.
• Mid-season - Tango, Casimir.
• Middle late – Premier, Asgeos.
• Late ripening - Karantansky.

Leeks - cultivation and care

• Crop rotation. It is better to choose light sandy loam or black soil for planting. It is optimal to place the plant in the place where winter crops were harvested. Also suitable are areas where early cabbage and potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, perennial herbs. As a precursor, leeks are very convenient because they are suitable for almost all vegetable crops. The only one he is not friends with is his closest relative, garlic. It is advisable to return the onion to its original place no earlier than after 3-4 years. When replanting, the number of pests and diseased plants increases noticeably.
• Soil cultivation. For leeks, soils with a neutral reaction, loamy or sandy loam are preferred. Manure is applied as a fertilizer, and this can be done in the fall before plowing or even before planting the previous crop. But the norms for spending in the fall are almost twice as high. In spring, cultivate per 1 sq.m. you need 2-3 kg of humus plus ammonium nitrate 15-20 g, superphosphate - 30-40 g and potassium salt 15-20 g.
• Seed preparation. The technology for treating (disinfecting) leek seeds involves the same actions as with cabbage seeds. Right before planting, the seeds are dipped in hot water up to 45 degrees, then cold. Sprout on a cloth soaked in warm water and leave for 2-3 days. Then they are slightly dried and sown. For seeds sold in stores, preliminary preparation usually not required. Also, soaking and germination are not required if winter sowing of leeks is planned.
• Growing seedlings. Leeks ripen late, so in the northern latitudes of our country, growing leeks is only possible through seedlings. Seed consumption per square meter– 8-10 g. Leeks are planted as seedlings in early March. Seeds germinated for 5-6 days are sown in boxes filled with a soil mixture consisting of: 1 part sand, 4 parts sawdust, 12 parts peat. For small volumes, you can replace the boxes with small pots in which 2-3 seeds are sown. Before germination optimal temperature is 22 degrees, immediately after the first sprouts appear, the pots or boxes are moved to a cooler room with a temperature of 18-20 degrees. Seedlings should be fed with a fertilizer solution in the following proportions - 15 g of ammonium nitrate, the same amount of potassium, 20 g of superphosphate per 10 liters of water.

Seedlings can be planted in open ground after about 1.5-2 months, in the first half of May. Prepare ridges with furrows 10-12 cm deep. Plants also require preparation - their leaves are cut off by 25% and roots by 30%. The planting pattern may vary depending on the characteristics and size of the site.

• Sowing seeds in the ground. Leeks can also be grown by direct sowing into the ground in the southern regions of the country. In this case, sowing is carried out in March-April. The exact date depends on the variety and weather conditions. Plant in rows with a distance of 60-70 cm between them. Seed calculation is 0.8-1 g per square meter. The sowing depth depends on the soil and ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 cm. When the plants are overgrown with one or two leaves, they are thinned out; this is done a second time when there are already 3-4 leaves. Ultimately, leave a distance of 10-15 cm between plants in the row.
• Care. In order to get the maximum white part of the stem, plants are hilled 2-3 times during the growing season. This also achieves the best taste of the false stem. Weeding, watering and fertilizing also have a good effect on the harvest. Leeks respond well to mullein solution in a ratio of 1:8 or fertilizer based on bird droppings(1:20). If only available mineral fertilizers, use nitroammophoska 20-30 g per 10 liters of water.
• Irrigation. To correctly calculate the frequency of watering and the amount necessary for plants moisture should be based on the composition of the soil, the location of the site and weather conditions. In other words, it is necessary to correctly determine the soil water availability and moisture content at the current moment.

If the average temperature per day does not exceed 15 degrees, watering is not performed. The water temperature for irrigation should not be lower than 15-18 degrees. The optimal time is morning and evening. The main methods of irrigation: drip irrigation and sprinkling.

1. Drip irrigation is the most progressive method of irrigation today. Moisture is evenly distributed throughout all plants and goes straight to the roots. In addition, this method is convenient for high-quality feeding of plants. It allows you to accurately dose the amount of mineral fertilizers supplied to each plant. Accordingly, the growth and condition of plants are also under constant control and at the same time, funds for fertilizers are saved. Into the water for drip irrigation Soil pest control agents can also be added. The only drawback of this method is the installation of appropriate equipment and its cost, but over time everything pays off with a good harvest.
2. Sprinkling also distributes moisture evenly among plants and makes it possible to correctly regulate watering rates. But due to the fact that the air is oversaturated with moisture, diseases spread faster with this method. In addition, when sprinkling, there is a possibility of exceeding irrigation norms, and this, in turn, causes secondary salinization of the soil. Over time, such soil becomes unsuitable for further use for agricultural purposes.

• Cleaning. Leeks can be harvested for storage in mid-autumn, with the plants first dug up. It is recommended to store in a dry basement at a temperature of 1 degree, lightly digging the plants into damp sand. For summer use of leeks, you can start digging much earlier, in August, removing them through the row.

“Onions cure seven ailments,” our grandmothers said, and this phrase has the most direct relation to the main character of the article. Grow and eat leeks and forget about all diseases!

Growing and caring for leeks, a herbaceous biennial of the amaryllis family, may seem excessively labor-intensive only in comparison with the cultivation of onions. For an experienced gardener, caring for this plant will not be difficult.

Considering the length of the growing season for leeks, vegetable growers in the central and northern regions Russian Federation It is grown using seedlings. In the southern regions they resort to the seedless method, sowing the seeds of this crop directly into open ground.

If you use seeds from your own garden to grow leeks, they must be disinfected (etched). To do this, they are placed in a thermos and, filled with water heated to 45 degrees, are kept in it for several hours.

After this time, the seeds are rinsed cold water and then germinated. This tactic significantly speeds up the appearance of the first shoots. After moistening a piece of clean cotton cloth with warm water, place disinfected seeds on its surface and keep it in a warm place (with an air temperature of at least 25 degrees) for two to three days.

The hatched seed material is slightly dried (so that the seeds do not stick to each other) and sowing is started immediately. Thanks to these manipulations, leek seeds, which normally do not absorb moisture well, accumulate the water they need for germination.

Seeds purchased from a specialized store do not need to be treated; you can only germinate them. There is no need for soaking and germination only for seeds intended for winter sowing.

Sowing

Sowing leek seeds for seedlings is carried out at the end of February or at the beginning of March, using sowing boxes (homemade or purchased) or pots with a diameter of at least 12 cm as seedling containers.

A soil mixture for seedlings can be prepared from 1 part garden soil, 1 part peat and 1.5 parts humus.

Growing instructions:

1. The seed boxes are filled with prepared soil, the soil is compacted and disinfected using a warm (temperature of 40-50 degrees) solution of potassium permanganate for irrigation.
2. When using separate pots, you can sow either one or 3-4 seeds in each of them (in the latter case, only the strongest shoot is left) to a depth of no more than 1.5 cm.
3. If boxes are used to grow seedlings, grooves 1-1.5 cm deep are made in the soil every 5 cm, seeds are planted in them and sprinkled with soil.
4. Having finished planting, the seedling containers are covered with glass or thick plastic film and transferred to a well-lit room. warm room, the air temperature in which does not fall below 25 degrees during the day and 21 degrees at night.
5. In order to avoid problems with the germination of leek seeds, it is necessary to strictly ensure that the soil in the seedling boxes is always moist, using settled water for watering room temperature.
6. Leek seedlings need long-term (at least 12 hours) lighting, so compensate for the lack sunlight possible by additional illumination of crops using special phytolamps.

Seedling care

1. After the first shoots appear, the film is removed from the seedling containers, and the temperature in the room is lowered to 15-17 degrees during the daytime and to 10-12 at night. This temperature regime should be kept for one week.
2. After seven days, the temperature in the room with the seedlings is raised again, bringing it to 17-20 degrees during the day and 10-14 at night. This temperature regime should be strictly adhered to until the seedlings are planted in open ground, since their presence indoors is too high temperature can provoke the formation of flower arrows in the first growing season (instead of the second).
3. 4 weeks after the appearance of the first shoots, the thickened plantings are thinned out, leaving a gap of 3-4 cm between neighboring plants.
4. When picking grown seedlings, use small cups with a diameter of at least 4 cm. To avoid picking, you can use peat tablets or peat humus pots.
5. In order to achieve thickening of the stems and good development of the root system, it is necessary to trim the leaves of young plants every 14 days to a height not exceeding 10 cm.
6. An important condition for the successful development of seedlings is good soil moisture. Allowing it to dry out is completely unacceptable.
7. Given the fragility of the stems of leek seedlings, they should be watered with great care.
8. In order for the bulbs to form correctly, soil should be added to the stems of young plants from time to time.
9. During the entire period of growing seedlings, it is advisable to feed young plants at least twice, maintaining a two-week pause between feedings. You can feed seedlings with either ready-made fertilizers (such as Kemira-universal) or self-prepared mineral mixtures dissolved in water. To prepare such a nutrient solution, you can mix 10 g of urea, 5 g of potassium chloride and 20 g of superphosphate, and then dissolve them in 10 liters of water.
10. 10 days before transplanting seedlings into open ground, it is necessary to begin hardening them, while simultaneously reducing watering. For the first time, seedling containers are kept on outdoors no more than two hours, each day gradually increasing the duration of the hardening procedure. So that the tender stems of young plants do not suffer from scorching sun rays, boxes with seedlings must be placed in a shaded place. By the time of transplantation into open ground, the duration of the leek seedlings' stay outside should be at least 24 hours.
11. The age of seedlings ready for transplanting into open-air beds, depending on the variety, can vary between 50-70 days. Mature seedlings must have a well-developed root system and at least three true leaves.

Planting in open ground

Grow leeks from seeds in open ground is possible only in the southern regions of the Russian Federation, since in the climatic conditions of the middle zone this crop, characterized by a vegetative period that is too long (at least 7 months), simply does not have time to reach the maturity stage.

It is recommended to sow leeks in open-air beds in the spring (at the end of April or at the very beginning of May), after waiting for the soil to warm up well and the weather to become warm, since in the event of frost, fragile seedlings may die.

Optimal ambient temperature for sowing seeds: at least 20 degrees during the day and 8-12 at night. By sowing the seeds in open ground, by the end of July you can get excellent salad greens.

Site selection

1. The area where you plan to grow leeks must be well lit and able to retain moisture. The soil on it should have weak or neutral acidity.
2. Leeks are one of the crops that are extremely demanding on soil quality. It should not be planted in beds with heavy, acidic or light sandy soil. It will develop best in areas with light, fertile floodplain or loamy soils that have a neutral environment.
3. When choosing a place to plant leeks, you must follow the rules of crop rotation. The best predecessors of this plant are: tomatoes, legumes, garlic, carrots, cabbage, onion, cucumbers and potatoes (early, of course).

Step-by-step instructions for sowing seeds in open ground

Before sowing leek seeds, the soil is carefully dug up (to a depth of at least 20 cm) and fertilized, adding to each square meter a nutrient mixture consisting of superphosphate, urea, potassium salt (taken 40 g each) and 4-5 kg humus.

Growing instructions:

1. Having lightly compacted the dug up and fertilized soil, make rows of shallow grooves in it, leaving a distance of 20 to 25 cm between them.
2. Prepared seeds are sown in the grooves and sprinkled with a two-centimeter layer of soil.
3. To further compact the soil, pat the bed with your hand.
4. Grown seedlings, stretching up to ten centimeters in height, are transplanted to permanent place, leaving a 15-centimeter interval between plants and a 50-centimeter interval between rows.

Technology of planting seedlings

It is best to prepare a bed intended for growing leeks in the fall, adding at least six kilograms of compost to each square meter of soil.

In the spring, you can add some more compost or humus to it (at the rate of 3 kg per square meter). It is strictly not recommended to dig up the soil.

It is necessary to plant strengthened and hardened leek seedlings in a permanent place in early May:

1. The leaves and roots of seedlings are shortened by about one third before planting (the remaining root length must be at least 4 cm).
2. To improve the survival rate of young plants, their roots are dipped in a mash made from equal parts of clay, water and mullein manure.
3. To plant leek seedlings, dig holes (no more than 15 cm deep), not forgetting to place a certain amount of compost or rotted manure on their bottom.
4. Having planted one seedling in each hole, carefully cover the roots with soil, making sure that the hole is only half filled. After this, the plants are watered.

The beds in which leeks are grown can be:

1. Double row. With this planting scheme, a gap of 15 to 20 cm is left between seedlings, and no more than 35 cm between rows.
2. Multi-row. The distance between seedlings in such beds is from 10 to 15 cm, the row spacing is from 20 to 30 cm.

For growing leeks, narrow beds with wide row spacing are more convenient, in which you can plant leek-friendly crops: onions, carrots, celery, garden strawberries or beets.

How to plant leeks before winter?

Leeks can be planted with seeds before winter directly in open ground. Site preparation, consisting of digging up the soil and applying complex fertilizers, is carried out at the end of summer, and sowing of seeds is carried out in early November.

Growing instructions:

1. Having made grooves spaced 20 cm from each other, seeds are placed in them every 8-10 cm and sprinkled with soil. The seeding depth should be at least 10-12 cm.
2. It is impossible to carry out pre-winter sowing in too warm weather, since in this case the leek will sprout seedlings that will inevitably die during a cold snap.
3. Having finished sowing, the bed is mulched with a thick layer of sawdust, humus or peat, and in winter, pour as much snow on it as possible. The significant thickness of the snow cover ensures long-term snow melting. As a result, leek seedlings will appear only when the threat of return frosts has passed.

Plant care

Leek care consists of a set of standard procedures: regular watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil, hilling, removing weeds and protecting plantings from pests and diseases.

One of the conditions successful cultivation For leeks, hilling the stems is mandatory. The first hilling, which consists of adding soil to the stems, is carried out after they acquire a thickness of at least 7 mm.

The complete hilling procedure is carried out 6-8 weeks after transplanting the seedlings into open ground, and then, as necessary, it is repeated at least three times. Hilling should not be neglected, since it is thanks to it that the stems are bleached.

In plants with tall stems, the hilling procedure may not be enough to maintain a long white stem and perform high-quality bleaching. In this case, it is recommended to wrap the leek stems thick paper having a dark blue or black color.

Top dressing

During the vegetative period of planting leeks, it is necessary to feed at least 3-4 times:

1. The first feeding is carried out 21 days after transplanting the seedlings to an open-air garden bed. To water the soil, use a solution prepared from potassium salt (15 g), ammonium nitrate (20 g) and water (10 l). This volume is quite enough to fertilize a bed of 4 square meters. meters.
2. Organic fertilizers that involve introducing into the soil solutions of bird droppings (1 part droppings to 20 parts water) or mullein (1 part manure to 10 parts water) are very useful for leeks.
3. Before each hilling procedure, you can sprinkle wood ash under the leek stems (a glass for each square meter of planting).

Watering

Leeks, which are extremely sensitive to lack of moisture, will actively develop only if they are properly watered:

1. Newly planted seedlings should not be watered during the first three days.
2. After this time, it is necessary to water the leek beds every five days, using settled water. warm water(irrigation rate is 10 liters per square meter).
3. During periods of severe drought, the watering rate is increased to 20 liters per square meter of planting. Otherwise, the growth of leeks will stop.
4. At the same time, we should not forget that stagnation of moisture in the soil is detrimental to the root system of the plant.
5. In order to retain moisture in the soil, while simultaneously preventing the appearance of weeds, it is advisable to mulch the soil in leek beds.

Disease Control

Leeks can suffer from fungal and viral infections that cause irreparable harm to plants and can completely destroy the entire crop:

1. The greatest danger to leek plantings is a viral infection called mosaic, which manifests itself by the appearance of longitudinal yellow spots on the leaves of the plant. Its carrier is aphids. It is impossible to get rid of this infection, so the only way to fight it is to prevent its occurrence. To do this, it is necessary to treat plants with insecticidal preparations, promptly destroy infected seedlings and regularly remove weeds.
2. Leek plantings often suffer from fungal diseases: downy mildew, rust and powdery mildew. By attacking the stems and leaves of leeks, they make the plants inedible. To destroy the fungus, the soil and aerial parts of the leek are sprayed fungicidal drug"Fitosporin" or copper oxychloride solution.

The main pest of leeks is onion fly, laying eggs in the soil and on the leaves of the plant, from which three days later larvae emerge, actively eating the leaves and stems. As a result, affected plants begin to rot and wither.

You can cope with an onion fly infestation using tobacco tincture prepared from 200 g of tobacco, two teaspoons liquid soap and 10 liters of hot water. The mixture, infused for 3-5 hours and filtered through cheesecloth, is used to spray leek plantings.

Cleaning

Leek harvesting must be completed before the first frost arrives, since this cold-resistant plant can withstand frost only down to -7 degrees. As a rule, leek harvesting begins after the air temperature drops to -3 degrees.

Armed with a shovel or a pitchfork (the latter option, which prevents damage to the bulbs, is preferable), the plants are carefully dug up and laid out for a short time on the edge of the furrow, allowing them to dry out a little. After this, having cleared the soil and shortened the roots to one centimeter, the leek is transported to the storage location.

In order to prevent rapid withering of leeks, which is fraught with the loss of their unsurpassed taste, you can trim the leaves by only one third. It is also unacceptable to completely cut off the roots, without which the leek will begin to rot.

Storage

To ensure that all efforts aimed at growing leeks are not in vain, the harvest of this crop should be stored correctly.

The main condition successful storage succulent stems is to ensure optimal and stable temperature conditions. The temperature in the room where leeks are stored can vary from -1 to +1 degrees, and humidity - between 85-90%.

You can use a refrigerator, basement or cellar as storage for leeks.

If leek stems are stored in a cellar, they are placed in boxes, at the bottom of which there is a five-centimeter layer of moistened river sand. Having placed them vertically, they are sprinkled with sand and stored in this form for six months.

In regions with mild winters, leeks placed in a box with damp sand can also be stored on the balcony if you provide them with good shelter.

For storage in the refrigerator, it is necessary to select the best specimens and, after trimming the leaves and roots, cool them to 0 degrees. After this, quickly arrange the stems (6-7 pieces each) in plastic bags, having perforations, you can store them in the vegetable compartment for 5 months at a temperature of -5 degrees.

Leeks can also be stored in the freezer if you chop up the previously washed and dried stems and leaves, spreading them in a thin (no more than 5 cm) layer in plastic bags.

During the winter storage of leeks, its white stem enlarges, creating the illusion that the onion continues to grow in the refrigerator. In fact, the juiciness of the white stem increases due to the influx of nutrients and plant juices coming from the leaves.

Among garden crops, leeks are not a guest, but a permanent resident in the garden beds. It is grown by all vegetable growers without exception. He is unpretentious, there is no need for him special care. But the benefits it brings are invaluable - it is a storehouse of vitamins necessary for the human body.

Growing leeks from seeds: when to plant?

Planting times vary. They depend on the specific region. In the warm climate that characterizes the southern regions, the earth warms up earlier and the summer is longer. Here, onions are planted directly into the ground. The seedless method is used. This, of course, saves a lot of time. Central Russia, for example the Moscow region, is characterized by frequent recurrent frosts. In addition, stable warm weather sets in here with a delay. Considering that leeks have a long growing season (about six months), they are grown in this area using seedlings.

Growing onions for seedlings occurs in mid-February. This period is extended in time, so it lasts until the middle of the next month. But this is not a necessary time for all varieties. For a variety such as the “Karantansky” leek, growing from seeds within the specified time frame is not suitable. Gardeners dream of growing seedlings healthy and in due time. The further development of plants and the harvest depend on this. If you plan to grow leeks from seeds, when should you plant the planting material in this case? It is better to do this at the very end of the first month of spring.

What container and soil should I plant in?

Containers for planting can be bought in the store or something can be adapted for them, for example, plastic boxes. But it’s better if you use peat tablets for this. In this case, the seedlings will not have to be planted.

To successfully grow leeks from seeds, you need to plant them in light, nutritious soil. If it is dense and clayey, you may not expect a harvest. Some people buy ready-made soil mixture, but it is better to prepare it yourself. To do this, mix 1/4 of the garden soil and peat and double the amount of humus. Before filling the planting containers with soil, it should be disinfected: pour boiling water over it or steam it in the oven.

Features of seed preparation

In order for planting material to germinate well, it must be processed - this is a prerequisite for any planting method: seed or seedling. It is important to know that the seeds will germinate amicably if their storage period does not exceed three years. When growing leeks from seeds, their preparation is carried out using different ways.

• You can do this: wrap the seeds in a soft cloth, place them in warm water for a day, then take them out and dry them.
• Place the seeds in a thermos with water at 40 °C for three to five hours. After this time, remove, rinse with water at room temperature and dry.
• You can simply treat the seeds with the Rostok solution.

Sowing seeds for seedlings

Growing leeks from seeds to seedlings is done in different ways. It depends on the size of the container. If sowing is carried out in a separate container, then one seed is placed in each, but it is better to have several to be on the safe side (in case they don’t sprout). When sprouts appear, remove all but the strongest. Picking in this case is not necessary. When growing leeks from seeds in a common box, they are scattered over the surface of the soil and buried in the soil. When the shoots appear and grow a little, pick them. The seed sowing technology is as follows:

• First you need to fill the container with the substrate, after moistening it.
• Then make grooves of small depth - one to one and a half centimeters.
• Spread the seeds four to five centimeters apart from one another and cover with soil.
• Sprinkle sand on top and water. The layer should be half a centimeter thick, no more.
• Cover the crops with polyethylene film and place them in a room with a temperature of 21-25 °C.

Sowing seeds in open ground

This method of growing onions is used in southern regions with warm climates. With the onset of spring, when the weather settles, the soil warms up and there is no threat of return frosts, you can begin sowing seeds in garden beds. The technology is as follows:

• Seeds are processed in any way.
• The beds are being prepared. To do this, you need to dig them 20 cm deep, add 40 g of urea, potassium salt, superphosphate and four kilograms of compost per meter square area. After this, the area is dug up again.
• Then grooves are made, seeds are placed in them 10 cm apart and covered with soil.

Seedlings: care after planting

Growing leeks from seeds at home is a common practice for gardeners. When the shoots appear, and this happens after 14-21 days, the containers with seedlings should be moved to a cool room in which the temperature during the day reaches 15-17 °C, at night - 10-12 °C. This regime is maintained for one week. After this time, the temperature is again raised to 18-20 °C during the day and 13-15 °C at night. This regime should be maintained until the seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place of growth. For plants to develop well, they need 12 hours of daylight. When planting early, seedlings should be provided with additional lighting from artificial sources.

Watering seedlings

Small plants need watering, which should be abundant and frequent. Their stems are delicate, so procedures must be carried out carefully. When watering, the soil settles; you need to periodically pour it into the container, otherwise the bulbs will form incorrectly. For good growth Leeks need moist soil, so it should not be allowed to dry out.

Trimming onion stalks

When exactly a month has passed after the sprouts appear, they need to be thinned out, leaving three to four centimeters of free space between them. For normal seedling growth, it is very important that the roots develop well and the stems become thicker. This is achieved by pruning plants at least twice every 28 days. But you can’t get carried away; the height of the bow should remain at 10 cm.

Feeding seedlings

Plants grow well when provided useful substances in a nutrient medium. It is enough to carry out only two feedings. The first time this is done is after 14 days. , after the first shoots appear. The next feeding is done seven days before planting the seedlings in their permanent place of growth. For this purpose, ready-made complexes are used, for example “Kemira-universal”, or self-prepared fertilizer. Potassium chloride (5 g), superphosphate (20 g), and urea (10 g) are dissolved in 10 liters of water. But it’s better to feed the plants with bird droppings: take half a kilogram of dry matter per 10 liters of water, dissolve everything and mix it. The soil is watered, the seedlings must remain dry.

Hardening off seedlings

If leeks are subsequently grown on garden bed, plants must get used to environment. This is why they are hardened. A week before planting, containers with seedlings should be taken outside, first for a short time. When the plants get used to it, they can be left in the fresh air for a longer time, but always in the shade. The sun should not hit the stems.

Picking

If the seeds are immediately planted in separate cups, this procedure is not necessary. If leeks are grown from seeds in a common container, seedlings are picked in dense plantings. Before the procedure, the soil is watered. You need to give time for the water to be well absorbed. Then, very carefully, take out the plants along with a lump of earth and transfer them to a separate cup or plant them in a box, but at a sufficiently large distance from each other so that the roots are not crowded.

Planting seedlings in the ground

If leeks will be grown indoors for the entire time, the seeds are sown so that the seedlings are not planted later. Plants grow in one place from beginning to end. But if seedlings grown from seeds are planned to be planted in beds in the garden, then this should be done when three or four leaves form on the plants, that is, 55-65 days after the sprouts appear. It is advisable to prepare the soil in the fall, but if it doesn’t work out, don’t be upset, there is still spring in stock. The entire area is first divided into separate beds, which are dug up along with fertilizers applied to the soil.

Leeks do not grow in acidic soils. This crop requires neutral soils. If you are not sure about the acidity of the soil required for onions, it is better to play it safe and add dolomite flour or limestone, but first crush it. Good neighbors for this crop are beets, strawberries, carrots, and celery. Planting beds should be alternated. But in any case, the place where onions are planted needs to be changed every three years.

Before planting, the tops and roots of the seedlings should be pinched. This way the plants will take root faster and the greens will be of better quality. You need to add a little humus and ash to each hole. To plant seedlings, dig holes 11-13 cm deep, 15-20 cm apart from one another. The row spacing should be 35-45 cm. With this scheme, hilling the beds will be easy.

Plant care

It doesn’t matter where the onions will grow, indoors or in the garden, caring for them consists of the following procedures:

• Polivov.
• Feeding.
• Loosening and weeding.
• Hilling up.
• Treatments for infections and pest damage.

The most important thing in caring for leeks is hilling. Thanks to this procedure, the lower part of the stems is bleached. Plants can be earthed up when the thickness of the stems reaches a little less than a centimeter, but the soil must be poured under them carefully so as not to break them. Only two months after planting the seedlings in a permanent place can the plants be truly earthed up. This should be done four to five times per season. If you ignore this procedure, a green “trunk” with an unpleasant taste will grow.

Leeks should be watered frequently. To keep his feathers juicy, this needs to be done every four to six days. In dry weather - more often, but there should be no stagnation of water, nor should the soil dry out. This leads to diseases. Throughout its entire life, onions need feeding. It is better to use organic matter, in particular bird droppings. To prepare the solution, take one part of the substance and 20 of water. In addition to the above procedures, onions need regular weeding to remove weeds and loosening of the soil.

Late varieties

They are distinguished by a long growing season - up to 200 days, so they are not bred in areas with cold climates. In warm climates, they need shelter if plants grow in beds. At home there are no problems with this; the crop grows in its usual way.

• Leek "Carentan": The ancient Egyptians and Romans were involved in growing from seeds, but on our table there is delicious and healthy vegetable appeared relatively recently. Leek of this variety is a biennial plant, differs from its counterparts in terms of ripening, appearance, taste qualities. During the first year of life, leaves form: they are wide and long - up to one meter in height. Later, a stem is formed, which is called “false”. This part of the plant is considered the most valuable and tasty, and the vegetable is cultivated for its sake. The white part has cylindrical shape, length up to 25 cm, diameter - four centimeters. By the second year, a stem one and a half meters long with spherical inflorescences is formed. The seeds have small size and black color. Their germination lasts for two years. Greens form before frost. It is used for making salads. In the southern regions it is grown by seeds, in middle lane- seedlings.
• Leeks "autumn giant": growing from seeds of this crop Dutch selection Gardeners in our country are successfully engaged in this activity. The variety is distinguished by a large white “leg”, its length reaches 30-40 cm, diameter - eight centimeters. Harvesting lasts about two months and is preserved for a long time without changing its taste or commercial qualities.

• Leeks “Russian size”: Growing from seeds in the garden is possible only in warm climates or at home. IN open ground seedlings obtained from seeds are planted. This is due to the long growing season, like all late varieties. It is distinguished by the presence of a white, weakly defined bulb, which has the ability to gradually transform into a false stem with a light green color and long leaves. Stem length - 60 cm, diameter - seven. Each plant produces up to 15 leaves. They and the stem are used for food; they are very useful, as they contain microelements from almost the entire periodic table.

Mid-season varieties

They are called autumn ones. They form a “leg” 30-40 cm in length, it is powerful and thick. The varieties are characterized by large leaves with a bluish tint, the overall color is bluish-green. Mid-season leeks can be stored for up to two and a half months. When overwintering in a garden bed, it grows back in the spring and produces seeds.

• Leek "Casimir": Growing from seeds directly into the ground is rarely used. Basically, seedlings are obtained from them, which are planted in beds in the garden or continue to be grown at home. This variety is highly productive. The bleached “leg” is dense, of high quality, its length is 30 cm, the formation of the bulb is weakly expressed. The tall plant has leaves that are arranged vertically and do not lie down. Due to its size, leeks need a lot of water, so they need to be watered frequently.

• Leek "winner": Growing from seeds means sowing them to obtain planting material, since this variety is propagated by seedlings. It is grown as an annual and perennial crop. The leaves have a gray-green color with a bluish tint. The white part has a length of up to 20 cm and a diameter of four. The variety has high frost resistance, which is why it is grown in regions with cold climates.

Increasingly, new garden crops can be found in summer cottages. This is a leek. It appeared in Russia relatively recently - in the middle of the last century. This is an ancient culture that is widespread in many countries. Leeks are extremely popular and can be eaten fresh, dried, pickled, salted and frozen. Grow leeks on your own summer cottage Anyone can do it, because this garden crop is not capricious and will adapt to a temperate climate.

In Europe, onions are called “pearl” due to their high nutrient content. The base of the stem is of great value white. Its taste is weak with a slight pungency. Onions contain a large number of vitamin C, so the stems are included in diets for obesity, to support the body during exacerbation of diseases such as atherosclerosis, kidney stones, and liver failure.

Leeks can be called a universal product not only because they can be consumed in any form. There are two more features of this plant: first, onions can be grown in any soil, they are not afraid of temperature changes, and also, after the harvest is harvested, many useful substances are retained in it. In addition, during storage the amount of this vitamin only increases (the stems “share” nutrients with the “leg”).

Of particular value is the bleached onion stalk or “leg”, also called “false”. The stems can be eaten throughout the growing season. Try to collect only young onion shoots, they are very tasty and juicy. Young leaves can be used to make nutritious salads or cook delicious and healthy soup. They contain a large amount of potassium, which activates metabolism.

Leek. Photo:

How to grow leeks from seeds

This is a biennial plant. In the first year after planting, a medium bulb with a dense, light-colored stem and leaves is formed. The length of the stem can reach up to 70 cm (this depends on the plant variety), the diameter of the “leg” ranges from 3 to 10 cm.

You can distinguish a leek variety yourself by the shade of the leaves - early-ripening varieties have a light shade of “feathers,” but late-ripening plants will have dark-colored stems.

The annual plant can be eaten, including all parts of the onion. Young shoots are consumed for a long period of time (added to salads, cooked as first courses). When the stem and bulb ripen (with the onset of autumn), you can harvest and stock up on vitamins for the winter.

The second year differs from the previous one in that the plant forms a round arrow. Its color can be white or lilac. Subsequently, the ball will turn into a seed box with small black grains.

It is best to grow onions from seeds, but for this they need to be properly prepared. If you do everything according to our advice, the seeds will be able to remain viable for up to 3 years.

It is important to properly prepare the planting material. In order for the seeds to be active, they must be pickled or disinfected.

How it's done:

1. Take 2 deep bowls.
2. Pour hot water into one container and cold water into another.
3. Place the seeds in a bowl with hot water(temperature +40-43 o C).
4. Then the water needs to be drained and the seeds placed in a bowl of cold water.

If you would like to receive good germination, then don’t be lazy to germinate the seeds. They need to be placed on a piece of cloth (like a handkerchief), moisten the napkin with water (temperature +25 o C maximum) and place the seeds on the cloth. You need to leave such a mini-greenhouse for 3 days, after which it is advisable to dry them to make it easier to plant in the soil. These rules must be followed if you collected seeds from your site yourself. In the case when the seeds are purchased in a specialized store, it is not necessary to pickle them, but you can germinate them. If you have never grown this garden crop yourself, then we suggest you opt for early ripening varieties, for example "Columbus" or "Goliath".

Since the growing season lasts within 200 days, leeks must be grown from seedlings. Prepared seeds can be sown in special seedling boxes at the end of February or beginning of March. It is necessary to fill the container halfway with soil (a mixture of sand and turf soil, the proportions are: 1 part sand and 2 parts soil). It is very important to follow sowing recommendations so that the grains are distributed evenly in the soil. In the future, when the seedlings become stronger, it is not advisable to pick them, as young shoots may die.

A little trick - when you sow the seeds, place a thin layer of snow on the soil (up to 2 cm) and use paint roller press it into the soil. Next, you need to sow the seeds very quickly. Since they are dark, the planting material is clearly visible on the white snow, because our task is to maintain the distance. There should be a space of 2 cm between grains, and 4 cm between rows.

After planting, when the snow is absorbed into the soil, it is advisable to sprinkle the seeds with dry soil in a thin layer (up to 1 cm). Next we proceed according to classic scheme planting plants and leeks: water with settled water at room temperature and cover the boxes with planting material dense polyethylene or glass to create a greenhouse effect.

In order to grow high-quality and strong seedlings, and in the future to harvest a good harvest of leeks, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime in the room. So, the air temperature during the daytime should not fall below +18 o C, and at night +14 o C.

In a week, shoots should already appear; just when you see the first green stems, it’s time to start hardening procedures. Boxes with seedlings should be placed in a cold place overnight (temperature up to +16 o C). This will help you grow quality seedlings without shooting.

To prevent onion seedlings from falling (they are very thin and fragile), try to add soil more often. If you do this regularly, the bulb will form correctly, it will be dense with a long stem.

When growing seedlings, it is important to water the onions abundantly and fertilize them. Every 2 weeks you need to apply any universal fertilizer (only the concentration must be reduced so as not to burn the seedlings).

After 50 days, when the seedlings have grown and become stronger, you can plant the onions in open ground.

Hardening off leek seedlings:

• a week before planting in open ground, take the boxes with seedlings outside;
• First you need to leave the seedlings outside for 2 hours. Choose a place in the shade so that the sun does not burn the young shoots;
• every day, the length of time the leek stays outside should be increased by several hours;
• within a week, the seedlings should get used to the new weather conditions and stay in the air all day long.

Leek. Growing and care

So that when growing this garden crop you do not have any questions about how to grow leeks, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with these recommendations:

1. Don't forget to fertilize the soil. Suitable for growing onions: wood ash, sawdust, compost or mineral fertilizers. You can make a mix of useful ingredients. For example, take 2 jars (liter) of sawdust, pour a little water to make them wet, and add 500 ml wood ash. If you use mineral fertilizers to enrich the soil, add a little urea.
2. It is important to dig up the soil well after fertilizing (depth up to 20 cm).
3. When planting, first make furrows with a depression of up to 10-12 cm.
4. The distance between rows is 25 cm.
5. The time for planting onions is the beginning of May.
6. Predecessors are cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, potatoes and legumes.
7. Before planting, the roots need to be trimmed a little and placed in a nutrient mixture. Take equal amounts of mullein and clay, mix and dip the root part into the mash.
8. Place rotted compost or manure in the prepared hole (depth 10 cm).
9. We plant 1 seedling per hole, cover the roots with soil and water generously.

There are several schemes for planting leeks:

1. Two-row – seedlings are planted at a distance of 20 cm. The width between rows is 30 cm.
2. Multi-row – space 10 cm between seedlings, 30 cm between rows.

According to experienced gardeners, leeks are best grown in a narrow bed, like all vegetables. Between the rows, to save space, you can plant beets, celery, onions, strawberries or carrots.

Leek. Care

It is not difficult to care for the plant; you just need to water the onions on time, loosen the soil and remove weeds. If the height of the garden crop allows, then you can loosen the soil and hill it up to cover the lower leaves. It turns out that the lower part of the plant will be underground, which will allow you to get juicy and long stems, and most importantly, bleached ones. During the season you can hill up the soil up to 4 times.

Leeks love light and moisture, so they must be constantly watered with water (it must be settled and warm). During drought, the plant needs to be watered every 5 days; 20 liters of water per 1 m2 is enough. After planting seedlings in open ground, it is allowed to apply fertilizer for the first time after 20 days.

If the plant stems are tall, it is necessary to hill up the soil and fill the trenches with soil. To maintain a long “leg” and achieve high-quality whitening, you can’t get by with just a supplement. Therefore, you can do this: take dark paper (black or of blue color) and wrap the leg with this material.

Harvesting

A feature of this plant is the constant growth of leaves. Literally until late autumn, you can remove young leaves from the stem. Onions can withstand the cold well, even the first frosts (down to -1 o C) are not scary for them. But you still need to adhere to the harvest deadlines - at the end of October, in order to be in time before frost, you need to dig up the onions.

It is best to dig up the plant not with a shovel, but with a pitchfork, so as not to damage the bulbs. After the harvest is harvested, you need to shake off the soil and trim the roots to a centimeter. It is also advisable to trim the leaves, leaving only 1/3. Large stems do not need to be trimmed so much, leaving a stem up to 30 cm long.

After digging, disassemble the onion into separate parts and dry. A container will do; fill the container with wet river sand. By deepening the plant in the sand, you will preserve fresh leeks until spring (in the basement or on an insulated loggia). The stems will retain a large amount of vitamin C, even more than when harvesting.

Do not rush to throw away leaves damaged during harvesting; they also have great nutritional value for humans. Wash them, dry them and chop them. This product is used as a seasoning or as a substitute for breadcrumbs.

How to grow onions on a windowsill

If you have a great desire to replenish your vitamin reserves during the cold season, you can grow onions yourself on the windowsill. Go to the store and select a large leek with long roots. Place the stem in a glass of water. You need very little liquid, only 1 cm. Every day the water needs to be changed to new (warm and settled).

A week later, when you see the first green shoots appearing from the central part of the stem, you can transplant the plant into a pot of soil (choose light and fertile soil).

In a few weeks, the onion will grow 30 cm, and literally a month after transplanting into the pot, it will be possible to cut off fresh leaves. Don't forget to dig up the light part of the stem as the plant grows.

Freshly cut leek stems can be eaten immediately or stored in the refrigerator for short-term storage. To do this, simply wrap the leaves in plastic film with holes. Place 5 leaves in 1 bag. It is best to store the plant at a temperature of +2 o C and air humidity up to 80%.

You can easily grow leeks in your summer cottage if you follow all the details when sowing seeds and planting seedlings in the ground. The plant is easy to care for and is not afraid of diseases and pests.

How to grow leeks. Video:

Leeks - loved by gourmets around the world ancient plant, which ranks third in popularity among the numerous representatives of the onion family. This is a universal vegetable crop: when fresh it is added as an ingredient to soups, hot dishes and salads, and also salted, pickled, canned, dried and frozen. Leeks prepared with properly selected seasonings can be served as an independent dish and used in a diet menu.

Many people know that the benefits of leeks also lie in their ability to improve the functioning of the liver and gallbladder, stimulate metabolism, increase hemoglobin and immunity. Thanks to these beneficial properties, as well as high nutritional value, novice gardeners are trying to figure out how to plant leeks correctly in order to grow this miracle crop in their own garden plot.

Leeks are considered an unpretentious crop: growing and caring for them will not cause any trouble even for an inexperienced gardener. So growing leeks from seeds at home is absolutely not difficult, the main thing is to follow a few basic recommendations. This crop can be grown without seedlings or in seedlings. As a rule, sowing leeks directly into open ground is practiced in southern regions with a long warm period. In other areas, it is preferable to use the seedling method.

Processing leek seeds

In order for the cultivation of leek seedlings to be as successful as possible, it is necessary to carry out some preparatory procedures. They involve processing in a special way seed material. To speed up germination and increase germination, leek seeds are immersed in hot (about 40 degrees) water for 25-30 minutes, after which they are dipped in cool water. Then the seeds must be placed in a damp cloth, kept in this form for 3-5 days until they hatch and dried for ease of sowing.

Sowing seeds for seedlings

To decide when to sow leeks, you should proceed from the chosen growing method. At direct sowing seeds are planted directly in the garden after May 15. It is better to sow leeks for seedlings in boxes in late February - early March, approximately 55 days before the planned date of planting them in the ground. But different varieties This crop may have different planting and ripening times, so it is better to look at the seed package for recommendations on when to plant leek seedlings. The latest varieties, for example, have a growing season of 200 days, so it is advisable to sow them through seedlings in the southern regions. In addition, growing leeks for seedlings is also possible in an area under a film cover, but using this method, the seeds should be sown no earlier than the end of April.

The best crop varieties to grow

Experienced gardeners agree that the best ones for growing at home are Vesta, Bastion, and Karantansky.

Vesta - very productive early variety, bred by breeders specifically for cultivation in the Moscow region. Semi-sharp in taste, universal use, not susceptible to disease. Total weight exceeds 200 g.

Among all mid-season varieties, Bastion is considered the earliest. The bleached part of the bulb of this variety reaches about 30-35 cm in length. The plant is used fresh in cooking, dried and canned.

Like all late-ripening varieties, Karantansky leeks grown are slightly inferior in yield to early-ripening ones, but they are characterized by higher frost resistance, excellent shelf life and can be stored until next summer. This variety has been known for a very long time, has excellent taste, and is semi-sharp in taste. The weight of one plant reaches 200-325 g.

Conditions for growing seedlings

Successfully growing leeks from seeds is impossible without meeting certain conditions. To make the seedlings strong and healthy, Special attention It is necessary to pay attention to two parameters: temperature and lighting.

Before sprouts appear, the room temperature should not exceed 22-24 degrees Celsius. After the emergence of seedlings, for the first seven days they should be placed in a cool place with a temperature of +15 - +17 degrees, then before planting the seedlings in the ground, it must be maintained at a level of +17-+20 degrees. Higher temperatures can trigger the appearance of flower shoots.

Young plants will need a sufficient amount of light, so immediately after sowing, the containers with future seedlings are placed in a dark place, and after the sprouts appear, they are moved to the windowsill.

Also, the conditions for growing leeks include providing a moderate watering regime and periodically pruning the leaves. This crop is very moisture-loving, so the soil must be kept sufficiently moist. But you also can’t overdo it with water, otherwise the roots will rot and the plant will die. To help leeks develop a stronger root system and thicker stems, the leaves should be periodically trimmed to no more than 10cm in length. At the stage of growing seedlings, it is necessary to carry out one, and ideally two, fertilizing with a solution of mullein or complex fertilizer for vegetables.

Hardening is considered a prerequisite for obtaining strong and stable seedlings. This procedure should begin approximately one and a half to two weeks before transplanting the plants into the garden bed. In the first days, using regular ventilation, it is recommended to reduce the air temperature in the room or greenhouse, then containers with seedlings can be placed outside for a couple of hours. In the last days before planting, the seedlings, covered with a cloth, can be left overnight outside.

Leeks do not like picking, therefore, in order to avoid this procedure, which is traumatic for the sprouts, it is better to sow the seeds quite rarely or sow them initially in separate containers (for example, peat tablets).

Leek in snail

You can grow leeks in a snail, which will allow you to plant them directly in the ground, bypassing the picking stage. For this method you will need a regular construction substrate, film, soil, seeds and rubber bands. A strip about 15 cm wide should be cut from the substrate, onto which the soil should be placed, lightly compacted. Seeds are placed on the ground using tweezers or manually, maintaining a distance of 1-2 cm between them. After this, the strip, along with the soil and seeds, is rolled into a roll, which is secured with rubber bands. Next, the resulting “snail” must be placed in a container with water, covered with polyethylene and placed in the warmest place. After the first shoots appear, it is better to remove the film.

Planting seedlings in open ground

Before planting leek seedlings in the garden, you should make sure that the area is well prepared for this crop. Preparation should begin in the fall by fertilizing the soil with organic fertilizer and digging it. In the spring, you should re-apply mineral fertilizers and dig up the area. Fertilizing with chicken or cow droppings has a particularly positive effect on the growth of leeks.

Leeks produce good yields in illuminated areas with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. You can often hear the question: how to grow leeks in acidic soil? It should be said right away that acidic soils are absolutely unsuitable for this crop, but they can be adapted by neutralizing them with lime. Leeks will also like well-moistened sandy or loamy soil.

It has been noticed that growing leeks at home is more productive if its predecessors in the garden are potatoes, cabbage, legumes, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

This crop develops poorly in areas where carrots, garlic or onions were previously grown. In addition, if onions have been growing in the garden bed for the past few years, then leeks should not be planted there due to the fact that nematodes or rot-causing bacteria can multiply in the soil.

You can plant leek seedlings in the garden when the sprouts have at least three leaves. Before planting, young plants should be watered generously and the leaves and roots should be trimmed by a third. It is also useful to dip the roots in a solution of cow dung with added clay.

The seedlings are planted in long furrows to a depth of about 15 cm. The bottom of the furrows must be well fluffed and fertilized with rotted manure. The recommended distance between rows of seedlings is 35-50 cm, and between plants in the same row - 10-15 cm.

Rules for caring for leeks in open ground

Typically, all care for leeks in open ground consists of several simple measures, the main of which is systematic watering. For good development, this plant will need a large amount of moisture; its lack can have a bad effect on the harvest. Irrigation along furrows is considered the most effective and convenient. To retain moisture in the ground as much as possible and avoid the appearance of weeds, it is better to mulch the seedlings with straw or peat.

Also, leeks in open ground need hilling. This procedure is the basis for proper plant care and the key to the formation of a beautiful, large and pleasant-tasting false stem. During the summer, as they grow, leeks need to be hilled at least twice. The first - immediately after planting the seedlings and their rooting, the second - in August. Before hilling, it is useful to add wood ash to the soil.

Control of possible pests

The advantage of leeks over onions is their higher resistance to various pests and diseases. However, when growing this crop, you should still be aware of insects that are potentially dangerous to it. First of all, this is the onion fly, which, contrary to its name, affects many others vegetable crops. The proximity to regular carrots, the smell of which the insect cannot stand, will help protect leeks from this pest. Tobacco thrips is another one possible pest leeks, to combat which special pesticides are used.

The plant may also be susceptible to powdery mildew, the main cause of which is high humidity with sudden changes in temperature. For minor lesions, diseased leaves should be removed and the onion can be used for its intended purpose. It is better to completely remove a completely affected plant from the garden bed. An effective drug In the fight against powdery mildew, Fitosporin is considered, the solution of which is sprayed on plants.