2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Scorzonera, or goat (lat. Scorzonera) - a genus of perennial herbaceous plants or dwarf shrubs of the Asteraceae family, or Astrovye. The most common representative of the genus is Scorzonera Spanish, or Black Root, or Spanish Coselet, or Sweet Root. In a number of countries, the plant is cultivated as a vegetable crop. Natural area - Mediterranean and East Asia. It grows mainly in arid regions. In Russia, the plant is grown everywhere, it is also found in Azerbaijan, Dagestan and Georgia. The genus has about 200 species. The name of the plant comes from the Italian word "scorzon", which means "poisonous snake".
Characteristics of culture
Scorzonera is a biennial or perennial plant that forms a large rosette of leaves and a root crop in the first year of life, and flowering stems and, accordingly, seeds in the second year. Basal leaves are lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, long, whole-edged, pinnately dissected or pinnatipartite, alternately arranged. Stem leaves are small enough, lanceolate or subulate. The root system is pivotal, forms a fusiform or cylindrical root crop with a rough surface.
The average weight of the root vegetable is 60-70 g. The skin of the root vegetable is dark brown or black, the flesh is white and juicy. The stem of the scorpion is highly branched, up to 100 cm high. The flowers are yellow, up to 4.5 cm in diameter, collected in baskets, have a pleasant vanilla aroma. The fruit is a narrow, slightly ribbed, cylindrical, long yellow-white achene. Seeds of medium size, elongated, remain viable for 1 year. The plant is cold-resistant, hibernates without any problems in the soil without shelter, with the exception: regions with a cold climate.
Growing conditions
Scorzonera prefers loose, deeply cultivated, moderately moist, fertile, neutral or slightly acidic soils. Thanks to a well-developed root system, the plant tolerates summer drought without any problems, however, the roots in this case are formed small and tasteless. Prolonged drought often negatively affects the development of scorzonera, it prematurely enters the stalking phase, bypassing the root crop. The culture has a negative attitude towards soils fertilized with fresh manure. The best precursors are cucumbers, tomatoes, peas, onions, and potatoes. It is not forbidden to grow the plant with other perennial vegetable crops.
Soil preparation and sowing
The plot for scorzonera is prepared in advance: the soil is dug to a depth of 35-40 cm, breaking all the lumps, rotted manure, compost or peat (30-40 kg per 10 sq. M.), Ammonium nitrate (300 g), superphosphate (300 g) and potassium salt (400 g). You can also fertilize with wood ash (1.5 kg per 10 sq. M.). Scorzonera is sown directly into open ground. This procedure can be performed in early spring, summer and late autumn. Spring crops are preferable. Seeds are soaked in warm water before sowing. The crops are covered with foil. You should not be late with sowing, otherwise the root crops will not please with good taste characteristics and a large harvest. Scorzonera is sown in a narrow-row method according to the scheme 30 * 20 cm or in a wide-row method - 45 * 15 cm. The seeding rate is 10-15 g per 10 square meters. m. Embedding depth - 2-3 cm.
Care
With the emergence of 2-3 true leaves on the shoots, the crops are thinned out, leaving an interval between plants of 15-25 cm. The culture has a negative attitude towards thickened plantings, often the plants prematurely switch to stalking. When the plants reach a height of 6-7 cm, the soil on the ridges is mulched with peat. Before applying mulch, the soil is thoroughly loosened and watered abundantly. Further care consists in feeding and watering. For top dressing, it is best to use liquid complex fertilizers.
Harvesting
Harvesting is carried out in the fall, before the onset of stable frosts and freezing of the soil. Root crops are carefully dug, cleaned from the ground, the leaves are removed by rolling, sorted and tied into small bunches. Scorchonera root vegetables are stored in wooden boxes in the basement or cellar. You can sprinkle the fruit with wet sand.
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