Toilet      03/31/2019

Agronomist's advice: we grow leeks juicy and thick. Planting, care and storage of leeks (photo). Proper cultivation of leeks in open ground

Foreword

Leek - 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 how 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 bit of history

It is believed that the leek came from the Mediterranean, and was 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 Mark Valery Marcione, an ancient Roman poet of the pre-Christian era, devoted epigrams of his composition to the leek, in which he praised its healing properties. Leek is widely used in cooking in America and Western Europe, but in the last decade it has confidently taken its place on our table.

Leek - biennial plant Onion families, similar in appearance to, but with thicker stems, grow it on a feather. Outwardly, the plant resembles garlic, the stem and leaves have a similar shape, but differ significantly big 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. The green stems can be eaten while they are young, then they become tough and practically unusable. Plants may vary slightly in appearance: for winter bow a short thick stem is characteristic, and for summer it 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 the product, our body can get 40 kcal. Leek is also convenient in storage, it is dried, frozen, canned.

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

Biological features

Leek is cold-resistant enough to 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 filmy scales. Its size, depending on the variety, can be from 2 to 6 cm in height and from 2 to 7 cm in diameter.

Dark green leaves have a small waxy coating, reach a length of 90 cm, and a width of 3 to 6 cm. Closer to the root, the leaves close tightly 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, the leek needs intense light and a 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 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 under natural conditions rarely have time to ripen in the middle and northern latitudes, but they ripen well during storage and can produce a good onion crop for several years. On the pedicel, when stored at a low temperature, in addition to buds, air bulbs appear, which are also well suited for propagation.

Leek has a powerful root system that tolerates any manipulation well. Interestingly, the leek is the only representative of the onion that does not have a dormant period. Unlike other types of green onions, leek pleases with tasty and healthy greens up to late autumn, easily transferring frosts up to 7 degrees. But if you intend to use the crop for storage, you should not delay harvesting much.

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

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

Leek - cultivation and care

  • Crop rotation. Soils for planting are better to choose light sandy loam or black soil. 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 bow to its original place no earlier than after 3-4 years. When re-planting, the number of pests and diseased plants increases markedly.
  • Soil cultivation. For leeks, neutral, loamy or sandy soils are preferred. Manure is applied as a fertilizer, and this can be done in the fall for plowing or even for planting a previous crop. But the norms of spending in autumn are almost twice as much. In spring, under culture 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 of dressing (disinfection) of leek seeds provides for the same actions as with cabbage seeds. Immediately before planting, the seeds are dipped in hot water up to 45 degrees, followed by cold. Germinate on a cloth dipped in warm water and leave for 2-3 days. Then they are slightly dried and sown. For store-bought seeds, no pretreatment is usually required. Also, soaking and germination is not required if winter sowing of leeks is expected.
  • Growing seedlings. Leek ripens late, so that in the northern latitudes of our country, the cultivation of leeks is possible only through seedlings. Seed consumption for square meter- 8-10 g. Planting leeks for seedlings is carried out in early March. The seeds germinated within 5-6 days are sown in boxes filled with soil mixture consisting of: 1 part of sand, 4 parts of sawdust, 12 parts of peat. With small volumes, you can replace the boxes with small pots in which 2-3 seeds are sown. Before shoots optimum 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 fertilized with a solution of fertilizers 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 in about 1.5-2 months, in the first half of May. Ridges with furrows 10-12 cm deep are prepared. Plants also require preparation - their leaves are cut by 25% and roots by 30%. The landing pattern may be different depending on the characteristics and size of the site.

  • Sowing seeds in the ground. Leek can also be grown by direct sowing in the ground in the southern regions of the country. In this case, sowing is carried out in March-April. More exact time depends on the variety and weather conditions. Planted in rows, between which a distance of 60-70 cm is maintained. The calculation of seeds 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, the second time it is done when there are already 3-4 leaves. Finally, leave a distance of 10-15 cm between plants in a row.
  • Care. In order to get the maximum of the white part of the stem, the plants are spudded 2-3 times during the growing season. This also achieves the best taste of the false stem. Weeding, watering and top dressing also have a good effect on the yield. Leek responds well to a mullein solution at a ratio of 1:8 or fertilizer based on bird droppings (1:20). If only available mineral fertilizers, apply nitroammophoska 20-30 g per 10 liters of water.
  • Irrigation. To correctly calculate the frequency of watering and the amount needed by 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 water supply of the soil and the moisture content at the current moment.

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

  1. Drip irrigation is the most advanced irrigation method today. Moisture is evenly distributed over all plants and goes straight to the roots. In addition, this method is convenient for high-quality plant nutrition. 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 may also be added. The only drawback of this method is the arrangement of the appropriate equipment and its cost, but over time everything pays off with a good harvest.
  2. Sprinkling also evenly distributes moisture among plants and makes it possible to correctly regulate watering rates. But due to the fact that the air is supersaturated with moisture, diseases spread faster with this method. In addition, during sprinkling, there is a possibility of exceeding irrigation norms, and this, in turn, causes secondary soil salinization. Over time, such soil becomes unsuitable for further use for agricultural purposes.
  • Cleaning. Leek for storage can be harvested in mid-autumn, while the plants are first dug up. It is recommended to store in a dry basement at a temperature of 1 degree, lightly digging the plants into wet sand. For summer use, leeks can be dug up much earlier, in August, cleaning through the row.

“Onion is from 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 overly laborious only in comparison with the cultivation of onions. For an experienced gardener, caring for this plant will not be difficult.

Given the length of the growing season of leeks, vegetable growers in the central and northern regions Russian Federation grow it from seedlings. In the southern regions, they resort to a seedless method, sowing the seeds of this crop directly into open ground.

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

After this time, the seeds are rinsed cold water and then germinate. This tactic significantly accelerates the appearance of the first shoots. After wetting a piece of clean cotton cloth with warm water, disinfected seeds are spread on its surface and kept 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 together) and immediately start sowing. Thanks to the manipulations done, the leek seeds, which normally do not absorb moisture well, accumulate the water they need for germination.

Seeds purchased in a specialized store do not need dressing, you can only germinate them. There is no need for soaking and germinating only for seeds intended for winter sowing.

Sowing

Leek seeds are sown for seedlings at the end of February or at the beginning of March, using seed boxes (home-made or purchased) or pots with a diameter of at least 12 cm as seedlings.

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

Growing instructions:

  1. Sowing boxes are filled with prepared soil, the soil is compacted and disinfected, using a warm (at a temperature of 40-50 degrees) solution of potassium permanganate for irrigation.
  2. When using separate pots, each of them can be sown either one or 3-4 seeds (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 earth.
  4. After planting, the seedling containers are covered with glass or thick plastic wrap 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 wet, using settled water for irrigation. room temperature.
  6. Leek seedlings need long-term (at least 12 hours) lighting, so compensate for the lack sunlight It is possible by additional illumination of crops with the help of special fitolamps.

seedling care

  1. After the first sprouts appear, the film is removed from the seedlings, and the temperature in the room is lowered to 15-17 degrees during the day 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 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 its presence in the room 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, thickened plantings are thinned out, leaving a gap of 3-4 cm between adjacent plants.
  4. When diving grown seedlings, they use small cups with a diameter of at least 4 cm. To do without picking, peat tablets or peat pots can be used to grow leek seedlings.
  5. In order to achieve a thickening of the stems and a good development of the root system, it is necessary to cut 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. It is completely unacceptable to allow it to dry out.
  7. Given the fragility of the stems of leek seedlings, they should be watered with great care.
  8. In order for the formation of the bulbs to be correct, it is necessary to add soil to the stems of young plants from time to time.
  9. For the entire period of growing seedlings, it is advisable to feed young plants at least twice, with a two-week pause between top dressing. You can feed seedlings with both ready-made fertilizers (such as Kemira-universal) and 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 start hardening it, while reducing watering. For the first time, seedling containers are kept on outdoors no more than two hours, every day gradually increasing the duration of the hardening procedure. So that the tender stems of young plants do not suffer from the scorching sun, seedling boxes must be placed in a shady place. By the time of transplanting into open ground, the duration of stay of leek seedlings on the street should be at least 24 hours.
  11. The age of seedlings ready for transplanting to open-air beds, depending on the variety, can vary between 50-70 days. Mature seedlings should have a well-developed root system and - at least - three true leaves.

Landing in open ground

Grow leeks from seed open field 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 too long (at least 7 months) vegetative period, simply will not have time to reach the stage of maturity.

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 establish warm weather, since in the event of frost, immature seedlings may die.

Optimum ambient temperature for sowing seeds: at least 20 degrees during the day and 8-12 at night. By sowing 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 should be well lit and able to retain moisture. The soil on it should have a weak or neutral acidity.
  2. Leek is one of the crops that are extremely demanding on the quality of the soil. It can 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 for planting 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 (of course, early).

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

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

Growing instructions:

  1. Having lightly tamped the dug up and fertilized soil, rows of shallow grooves are made 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 earth.
  3. For additional compaction of the soil, the bed is slammed by hand.
  4. Grown seedlings, stretched to a height of ten centimeters, are transplanted to permanent place, leaving 15 cm spacing between plants and 50 cm spacing between rows.

seedling planting technology

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). Digging the soil is strongly not recommended.

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

  1. The leaves and roots of seedlings are shortened by about one third before planting (the remaining length of the roots should be at least 4 cm).
  2. To improve the survival rate of young plants, their roots are dipped in a mash prepared 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 some compost or rotted manure on their bottom.
  4. Having planted one seedling in each hole, the roots are carefully covered with soil, making sure that the hole is only half filled. After that, the plants are watered.

The beds on 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 on such beds is from 10 to 15 cm, the row spacing is from 20 to 30 cm.

For growing leek, narrow beds with wide aisles are more convenient, in which you can plant 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. The preparation of the site, which consists in digging the soil and applying complex fertilizers, is carried out at the end of summer, and the sowing of seeds is carried out in early November.

Growing instructions:

  1. Having made grooves spaced 20 cm apart, every 8-10 cm seeds are laid out in them and sprinkled with earth. The seeding depth should be at least 10-12 cm.
  2. It is impossible to carry out winter sowing in too warm weather, since in this case the leek will give shoots that will inevitably die during a cold snap.
  3. After sowing, the bed is mulched with a thick layer of sawdust, humus or peat, and in winter they pour as much snow as possible on it. The considerable thickness of the snow cover ensures long-term snow melting. As a result, leek shoots will appear only by the time 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 leek is a mandatory hilling of the stems. The first hilling, consisting in adding soil to the stems, is performed after they have acquired a thickness of at least 7 mm.

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

In plants with a high stem, hilling may not be enough to maintain a long white stem and perform high-quality bleaching. In this case, it is recommended to wrap the stems of the leek 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 top dressing is carried out 21 days after transplanting the seedlings to a garden bed in the open. For watering the soil, a solution prepared from potassium salt (15 g), ammonium nitrate (20 g) and water (10 l) is used. This volume is quite enough to fertilize a bed of 4 square meters. meters.
  2. Organic top dressings are very useful for leeks, involving the introduction into the soil of solutions of bird droppings (1 part of litter per 20 parts of water) or mullein (1 part of manure per 10 parts of water).
  3. Before each hilling procedure, wood ash can be poured under the leek stalks (a glass for each square meter of plantings).

Watering

Leek, which is extremely sensitive to a lack of moisture, will actively develop only if it is properly watered:

  1. It is impossible to water newly planted seedlings during the first three days.
  2. After this time, it is necessary to water the leek beds every five days, using settled warm water(irrigation rate - 10 liters per square meter).
  3. During a period of severe drought, the watering rate is increased to 20 liters per square meter of plantings. Otherwise, the growth of leeks will stop.
  4. At the same time, do not forget that stagnant moisture in the soil is detrimental to the root system of the plant.
  5. In order to retain moisture in the soil while preventing the appearance of weeds, it is advisable to mulch the soil on the beds of leeks.

Disease control


Mosaic

Leek 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 a mosaic, which declares 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 is to prevent its occurrence. To do this, it is necessary to treat plants with insecticidal preparations, destroy infected seedlings in a timely manner and regularly remove weeds.
  2. Planting leeks often suffer from fungal diseases: peronosporosis, rust and powdery mildew. By infecting 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 fungicide"Fitosporin" or a solution of copper oxychloride.

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

You can cope with the onion fly invasion with a tobacco tincture made 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 gauze, is used to spray leek plantings.

Cleaning

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

Armed with a shovel or 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 that, having cleared the soil and shortened the roots to one centimeter, the leek is transported to the storage site.

In order to prevent the leek from fading quickly, fraught with the loss of its unsurpassed taste, you can cut the leaves only by one third. It is also unacceptable to completely cut off the roots, without which the leek will begin to rot.

Storage

In order for all the efforts aimed at growing leeks not to be in vain, the crop 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 the leeks are stored can range from -1 to +1 degrees, and the humidity can range from 85-90%.

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

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

In regions with mild winters, a leek placed in a box of damp sand can be kept on a balcony if it is well covered.

For storage in the refrigerator, it is necessary to select the best specimens and, cutting the leaves and roots, cool to 0 degrees. After that, quickly spreading the stems (6-7 pieces) into plastic bags perforated, you can store them in the vegetable compartment for 5 months at a temperature of -5 degrees.

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

During the winter storage of a leek, its white stem increases, creating the illusion that the growth of onions in the refrigerator continues. In fact, the juiciness of the white leg increases due to the influx of nutrients and vegetable juices coming from the leaves.

Leek among garden crops is not a guest, but a permanent resident in the beds. It is grown by all vegetable growers without exception. He is unpretentious, he does not require special care. But the benefits that it brings are invaluable - it is a storehouse of vitamins necessary for the human body.

Growing leeks from seeds: when to plant?

Landing dates vary. They depend on the specific region. In the warm climate that characterizes the southern regions, the earth warms up earlier, the summer is longer. Here, onions are planted immediately in the ground. The non-seedling method is used. This of course saves a lot of time. The central zone of Russia, for example, the Moscow region, is characterized by frequent return frosts. In addition, stable warm weather is set late here. Given that the leek has a long growing season (about six months), in this area it is bred using seedlings.

Growing onions for seedlings occurs in mid-February. This period is extended in time, so it continues until the middle of the next month. But this is not a mandatory time for all varieties. For a variety such as the Karantan leek, growing from seeds within the specified time frame is not suitable. Gardeners dream of growing seedlings healthy and at the right time. The further development of plants and harvest depends on this. If leeks are to be grown from seed, when should the planting material be planted? It is better to do this at the very end of the first month of spring.

In what container and soil to plant?

Planting containers can be bought at the store or adapted for them, for example, plastic boxes. But it is better if you use peat tablets for this. In this case, the seedlings do not have to dive.

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

Features of seed preparation

In order for the planting material to germinate well, it should be processed - this is a prerequisite for any planting method: seed or seedling. It is important to know that the seeds will germinate together 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 with a soft cloth, place them in warm water for a day, then take them out and dry them.
  • Put the seeds in a thermos with water at a temperature of 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 Rostock solution.

Sowing seeds for seedlings

Growing leeks from seeds for seedlings is carried out 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 several are better for safety (suddenly they will not sprout). When sprouts appear, remove all but the strongest. Picking in this case is not needed. When growing leeks from seeds in a common box, they are scattered over the surface of the soil and buried in the soil. When shoots appear and grow a little, they pick. The seed sowing technology is as follows:

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

Sowing seeds in open ground

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

  • Seeds are processed in any way.
  • The beds are getting ready. To do this, they need to be dug 20 cm deep, add 40 g of urea, potassium salt, superphosphate and four kilograms of compost per meter square square. After that, 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 shoots appear, and this happens after 14-21 days, containers with seedlings should be transferred to a cool room, where the temperature during the day reaches 15-17 ° C, at night - 10-12 ° C. This mode 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 mode should be maintained until transplanting seedlings to a permanent place of growth. For the development of plants to be good, they need 12 hours of daylight hours. When planting early, seedlings should be provided with additional lighting from artificial sources.

Watering seedlings

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

Trimming onion stalks

When exactly a month has passed after the appearance of the sprouts, they must be thinned out, leaving three to four centimeters of free space between them. For the normal growth of seedlings, 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 the level of 10 cm.

Seedling feeding

Plants grow well when given useful substances in a nutrient medium. It is enough to spend only two dressings. First time doing it after 14 days after the first shoots appear. The next top dressing is done seven days before planting seedlings in a permanent place of growth. For this, ready-made complexes are used, for example, "Kemira-universal", or self-prepared fertilizer. Potassium chloride (5 g), superphosphate (20 g), urea (10 g) are dissolved in water with a volume of 10 liters. But it's better to feed the plants bird droppings: half a kilogram of dry matter is taken per 10 liters of water, everything is dissolved and stirred. The soil is watered, the seedlings must remain dry.

Seedling hardening

If leeks will be further grown on garden bed plants need to get used to environment. For this, they are hardened. A week before planting, containers with seedlings should be taken out into the street, first for a short time. When the plants get used, they can be left outdoors for a longer time, but always in the shade. The sun should not fall on the stems.

picking

If the seeds are immediately planted in separate cups, this procedure is not needed. If the cultivation of leeks from seeds is carried out in a common container, the picking of seedlings is carried out with dense plantings. Before the procedure, the soil is watered. It is necessary to give time for the water to be well absorbed. Then the plants are very carefully taken out together with a lump of earth and transferred to a separate cup or planted 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 throughout the entire time, the seeds are sown so that the seedlings do not dive later. Plants from the very beginning to the end grow in one place. But if the seedlings grown from seeds are planned to be planted on the 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 whole section is first divided into separate beds, which are dug up together with fertilizers applied to the soil.

Leeks do not grow on acidic soils. This culture needs neutral soils. If there is no confidence in the acidity of the soil necessary for the onion, 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, celery. Planting beds should be alternated. But in any case, the onion planting site must be changed every three years.

Before planting, the tops and roots of seedlings should be pinched. So the plants will take root faster, and the greens will be better. A little humus and ash should be added to each well. For planting seedlings, dig holes 11-13 cm deep, 15-20 cm apart. Row spacing should be 35-45 cm. With this scheme, it will be easy to hill the beds.

plant care

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

  • Watering.
  • Top dressing.
  • Loosening and weeding.
  • Hilling.
  • Treatments for infection and pest damage.

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

Leek should be watered frequently. To keep his feathers juicy, this must be done every four to six days. In dry weather - more often, but there should be no stagnation of water, as well as drying out of the soil. This leads to diseases. Throughout the entire period of life, the onion needs top dressing. It is better to use organic matter, in particular bird droppings. To prepare the solution, one part of the substance and 20 of water are taken. In addition to these procedures, onions need regular weeding from weeds and loosening the soil.

Late varieties

They are distinguished by a long growing season - up to 200 days, therefore, they are not bred in areas and regions with a cold climate. In a warm climate, they need shelter if the plants grow in the beds. At home, there are no problems with this, the culture grows in its usual mode.

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

  • Leek "Russian size": growing from seeds in the garden is possible only in a warm climate or at home. IN open ground seedlings are planted from seeds. This is due to the long growing season, as in all late varieties. It is distinguished by the presence of a white, slightly pronounced bulb, which has the ability to gradually turn into a false stem with a light green color and long leaves. Stem length - 60 cm, diameter - seven. Each plant forms up to 15 leaves. They and the stem are used for food, they are very useful, as they contain trace elements of almost the entire periodic table.

Mid-season varieties

They are called autumn. They form a "leg" 30-40 cm long, it is powerful and thick. The varieties are characterized by large leaves with a touch of a bluish hue, the general color is blue-green. Leek of mid-season varieties is stored for up to two and a half months. When wintering in the garden in the spring, it grows and produces seeds.

  • Leek "Casimir": cultivation from seeds directly into the ground is rarely used. Basically, seedlings are obtained from them, which are planted on beds in the garden or continue to grow at home. This variety is highly productive. The bleached "leg" is dense, with high quality, its length is 30 cm, the formation of the onion is weakly expressed. In a tall plant, the leaves are arranged vertically, do not lie down. Because of their size, the leek needs a lot of water, so it needs to be watered frequently.

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

Increasingly, in summer cottages you can find a new garden crop. 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. The popularity of leeks is huge, they can be eaten fresh, dried, pickled, salted and frozen. Grow leeks on your suburban area everyone can, because this garden culture is not capricious and will adapt to a temperate climate.

In Europe, onions are called "pearl" because of the high content of nutrients. The base of the stem is of great value. white color. Its taste is weak with a slight spiciness. The bow contains a large number of vitamin C, so the stems are included in diets for obesity, to maintain the body during an exacerbation of diseases such as atherosclerosis, nephrolithiasis, and malfunctions in the liver.

Leek can be called a universal product, not only because it can be used in any form. There are two more features of this plant: the first is that 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 stored 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", it is 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. From young leaves, you can make nutritious salads or cook a delicious and healthy soup. They contain a large amount of potassium, which activates the metabolism.

Leek. Photo:

How to grow leeks from seeds

This is a biennial plant. In the first year after planting, a medium bulb is formed with a dense stem of a light shade and leaves. The length of the stem can reach up to 70 cm (depending 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 are distinguished by a light shade of “feathers”, but late-ripening plants will have a dark color of the stems.

An annual plant can be eaten, and all parts of the onion are completely. Young shoots are consumed for a long period (added to salads, boiled 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 purple. 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, then 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 for 20 minutes in a bowl with hot water(temperature +40-43 o C).
  4. Then the water must be drained, and the seeds should be transferred to a bowl of cold water.

If you wish to receive good germination, then do not be too lazy to germinate the seeds. They need to be put on a piece of cloth (like a handkerchief), moisten a napkin with water (temperature +25 ° C to the maximum) and put the seeds on the cloth. You need to leave such a mini-greenhouse for 3 days, after which it is advisable to dry them so that it is more convenient to plant them in the soil. These rules must be followed if you have collected seeds from your site yourself. In the case when the seeds are bought in a specialized store, then it is not necessary to pickle them, but you can germinate them. If you have never grown this garden crop on your own, then we suggest that you opt for early ripe varieties, such as "Columbus" or "Goliath".

Since the growing season lasts within 200 days, leeks must be grown from seedlings. Prepared seeds can be sown in special boxes for seedlings as early as late February or early March. It is necessary to fill the container halfway with soil (a mixture of sand and soddy soil, the proportions are as follows: 1 part sand and 2 parts soil). It is very important to follow the recommendations for sowing so that the grains are evenly distributed in the soil. In the future, when the seedlings get stronger, it is undesirable to dive, as young shoots may die.

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

After planting, when the snow is absorbed into the soil, it is advisable to sprinkle the seeds with dry earth, in a thin layer (up to 1 cm). Next, we act on classical pattern planting plants and leeks: pour 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 crop of leeks, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime in the room. So, the air temperature in the daytime should not fall below +18 ° C, and at night +14 ° C.

After a week, shoots should already appear, just when you see the first green stems, it's time to start hardening procedures. Boxes with seedlings for the night should be put in a cold place (temperature up to +16 ° C). This will help you grow quality seedlings without shooting.

So that the onion seedlings do not fall (they are very thin and fragile), try to sprinkle the earth more often. If you do this regularly, then the bulb will form correctly, it will be dense with a long stem.

When growing seedlings, it is important to water the onion abundantly and fertilize. 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 grow up and get stronger, onions can be planted in open ground.

Hardening seedlings of leeks:

  • a week before planting in open ground, take out boxes with seedlings on the street;
  • first you need to leave the seedlings for 2 hours on the street. Choose a place in the shade so that the sun does not burn the young shoots;
  • every day, the duration of the stay of the leek on the street should be increased by several hours;
  • in a week, the seedlings should get used to the new weather conditions and stay in the air for a whole day.

Leek. Cultivation and care

So that when growing this garden crop you do not have 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 components. For example, take 2 cans (liter) of sawdust, pour some 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 the soil well after top dressing (depth up to 20 cm).
  3. When planting, first make furrows with a recess of up to 10-12 cm.
  4. Distance between rows - 25 cm.
  5. Planting time for onions is early May.
  6. Predecessors - cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, potatoes and legumes.
  7. Before planting, the roots need to be cut a little and put in a nutrient mixture. Take the same amount of mullein and clay, mix and dip the root part into the mash.
  8. In the prepared hole (depth 10 cm) we put rotted compost or manure.
  9. We plant seedlings 1 unit per hole, sprinkle the roots with earth and pour plenty of water.

There are several schemes for planting leeks:

  1. Double row - seedlings are planted at a distance of 20 cm. The width between rows is 30 cm.
  2. Multi-row - step back 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 take care of the plant, you need to water the onions in time, loosen the ground and remove weeds. If the height of the garden crop allows, then you can loosen the soil and hill it up to sprinkle the bottom sheets. 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. In a season, you can hill the soil up to 4 times.

Leek is very fond of light and moisture, so it must be constantly watered with water (it must be separated and warm). In a drought, you need to water the plant every 5 days, 20 liters of water is enough for 1 m 2. After planting seedlings in open ground, it is allowed to apply fertilizer for the first time after 20 days.

If the stems of the plant are tall, it is necessary to hill the soil and fill the trenches with earth. To keep a long “leg” and make high-quality whitening, one bedding is not enough. 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, young leaves can be removed from the stem. Onions perfectly withstand the cold, even the first frosts (down to -1 ° C) are not afraid of him. But still, it is necessary to adhere to the harvesting dates - at the end of October, in order to be in time before frost, you need to dig 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 crop is harvested, it is necessary to shake off the earth and cut off the roots to a centimeter. It is also desirable to cut the leaves, leaving only 1/3. Large stems can not be cut so much, leave 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 keep fresh leeks until spring (in the basement or on the insulated loggia). The stems will retain a large amount of vitamin C, even more than when harvested.

Do not rush to throw away damaged leaves during harvesting, they are also of great nutritional value for humans. Wash them, dry them and grind them. Such a product is used as a condiment or as a substitute for breadcrumbs.

How to grow onions on a windowsill

If there is a great desire to replenish vitamins in the cold season, you can grow onions on the windowsill yourself. Go to the store and choose a large root leek with long roots. Place the stem in a glass of water. You need quite a bit of liquid, only 1 cm. Every day, the water needs to be changed to a new one (warm and settled).

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

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

Freshly cut leek stalks can be eaten immediately or sent for short-term storage in the refrigerator. To do this, simply wrap the leaves in polyethylene film with holes. Put 5 pieces of leaves in 1 package. 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 subtleties when sowing seeds and planting seedlings in the ground. The plant is unpretentious in care, not afraid of diseases and pests.

How to grow leeks. Video:

The leek is the oldest plant loved by gourmets all over the world, which ranks third in popularity among the numerous representatives of the onion family. This is a universal vegetable crop: fresh, it is added as an ingredient in soups, hot dishes and salads, as well as salted, pickled, canned, dried and frozen. Cooked with the right seasonings, leeks can be served on the table as an independent dish and used in the diet menu.

Many people know that the benefits of leeks also lies in its ability to improve the functioning of the liver, gallbladder, stimulate metabolism, increase hemoglobin and immunity. Thanks to these useful 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 backyard.

Leek is considered an unpretentious crop: growing and caring for it will not cause trouble even for an inexperienced gardener. So growing leeks from seeds at home is absolutely easy, the main thing is to follow a few basic recommendations. You can grow this culture in a seedless and seedling way. As a rule, sowing leek 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.

Leek Seed Processing

In order for the cultivation of leek seedlings to be as successful as possible, it is necessary to carry out some preparatory procedures. They consist in the processing of seed in a special way. 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 dry for ease of sowing.

Sowing seeds for seedlings

To determine when to sow leeks, you should proceed from the chosen method of cultivation. At direct sowing seeds are planted directly in the garden after May 15. It is better to sow leeks for seedlings in boxes in the last days of February - early March, about 55 days before the planned date of planting it in the ground. But different varieties This crop can have different planting and ripening dates, so recommendations on when to plant leeks for seedlings are best looked at on the seed package. 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, the cultivation of leeks for seedlings is also possible in a plot under a film cover, but using this method, the seeds should be sown no earlier than the end of April.

The best crop varieties for growing

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

Vesta - very fruitful early variety, bred by breeders specifically for cultivation in the Moscow region. Semi-sharp in taste, universal use, not susceptible to diseases. The total weight is over 200g.

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 in cooking fresh, dried and preserved.

Like all late-ripening varieties, the Karantan leek cultivation is slightly inferior in yield to early-ripening ones, but it has higher frost resistance, excellent keeping quality and can be stored right up to next summer. This variety has been known for a very long time, has excellent taste, peninsular in taste. The weight of one plant reaches 200-325 g.

seedling growing conditions

Successful cultivation of leeks from seeds is impossible without certain conditions. To make seedlings strong and healthy, Special attention It is necessary to pay attention to two parameters: temperature and lighting.

Before the appearance of sprouts, the temperature in the room should be no higher than 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 until the seedlings are planted in the ground, it must be maintained at + 17 - + 20 degrees. A higher temperature regime can provoke the appearance of flower arrows.

Young plants will need a sufficient amount of light, therefore, 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 provide for a moderate watering regime and periodic pruning of leaves. This culture is very moisture-loving, so the soil must be maintained in a sufficiently moist state. But it is also impossible to overdo it with water, otherwise the roots will rot and the plant will die. To help the leek develop a stronger root system and a thick stem, the leaves should be trimmed periodically, leaving no more than 10 cm in length. At the stage of growing seedlings, it is necessary to carry out one, and ideally two top-dressings with a solution of mullein or complex fertilizer for vegetables.

A prerequisite for obtaining strong and stable seedlings is hardening. This procedure should be started approximately one and a half to two weeks before transplanting plants into the garden. In the first days, with the help of regular ventilation, it is recommended to reduce the air temperature in the room or greenhouse, then the containers with seedlings can be put outside for a couple of hours. In the last days before planting, seedlings covered with a cloth can be left to spend the night on the street.

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

Leek in a snail

You can grow a leek in a snail, which will allow you to plant it directly into the ground, bypassing the picking stage. For this method, you will need a conventional building substrate, film, soil, seeds and stationery gum. A strip about 15 cm wide should be cut out of the substrate, on which the soil should be laid, lightly tamped. Seeds are placed on the ground with tweezers or manually, keeping a distance of 1-2 cm between them. After that, the strip, together with the soil and seeds, is rolled up into a roll, which is fixed 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 appearance of the first sprouts, 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 site is well prepared for this crop. Preparation should begin in the fall, fertilizing the soil with organic top dressing and digging it up. In the spring, mineral fertilizers should be re-applied and the site dug up. Especially good for the growth of leeks is fertilizer with chicken or cow droppings.

Leek pleases with good yields in lighted 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 not suitable for this culture, but they can be adapted by neutralizing with lime. Also, leeks will 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 the area where carrots, garlic or onions were previously grown. In addition, if onions have grown in the garden over the past few years, then leeks should not be planted there due to the fact that nematodes or rot 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 abundantly and cut off leaves and roots by a third. It is also useful to soak the roots in a solution of cow dung with the addition of clay.

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

Rules for the care of leeks in the open field

Usually, all care for leeks in the open field consists in carrying out several simple activities, the main of which is systematic watering. For good development, this plant will need a large amount of moisture, its lack can adversely affect the yield. Furrow irrigation is considered the most effective and convenient. In order to retain moisture in the ground as much as possible and to avoid the appearance of weeds, it is better to mulch the seedlings with straw or peat.

Also, leeks in the open field need hilling. This procedure is the basis of competent plant care and the key to the formation of a beautiful, large and pleasant-tasting false stem. During the summer, as it grows, it is necessary to spud leeks at least twice. The first - immediately after planting seedlings and its rooting, the second - in August. Before hilling, it is useful to add wood ash to the soil.

Possible pest control

The advantage of leek compared to onions is its higher resistance to various pests and diseases. However, when growing this crop, you should still be aware of insects potentially dangerous to it. First of all, this is an onion fly, which, contrary to the name, affects many others. vegetable crops. The proximity to ordinary carrots, the smell of which the insect does not tolerate, will help protect leeks from this pest. Tobacco thrips - another possible pest leek, for which special pesticides are used.

Also, the plant may be susceptible to powdery mildew, the main reason for which is high humidity during sudden temperature fluctuations. With minor lesions, diseased leaves should be removed and the onion can be used as directed. It is better to completely remove a completely affected plant from the garden. An effective drug in the fight against powdery mildew, Fitosporin is considered, with a solution of which the plants are sprayed.