2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
A dessert vegetable, an artichoke, is not yet a frequent visitor to our gardens, but is gradually increasing interest in itself. Elderly people, as well as people suffering from diabetes mellitus, are especially interested in its cultivation. Indeed, one of the important components contained in the plant is the substance "inulin"
Soil requirements
The artichoke only outwardly looks like a thistle, which is a malicious, very unpretentious weed. It differs from a weed in a very whimsical attitude to the soil, preferring areas that are well fertilized with humus or compost.
Therefore, the future landing site must be prepared in the fall. We dig a landing hole to a depth of 60 centimeters. We arrange a drainage layer at the bottom, on top of which we pour a prepared mixture consisting of humus, garden soil and sand, taken in three parts, plus one part of peat.
Breeding artichokes
A perennial plant is propagated by seeds, seedlings, root suckers and layering.
Seed propagation is a long and laborious process. It should be used in the case when you need to get plants for cultivating a culture, that is, when there is no opportunity to purchase seedlings or there are no friends and neighbors who want to share cuttings and root suckers with you.
Seed propagation
When propagated by seeds, as a rule, the crop can please the plant only for the next year. To outwit nature and get the harvest this year, you need to germinate the seeds.
The germination procedure is as follows:
We fill the box with wet sand or sawdust. We put filter paper or burlap on them, on which we lay out the seeds in a thin layer. For five to six days we keep the seeds at a temperature of 20 to 25 degrees, waiting for them to hatch.
Hatching seeds at a temperature of 0 to 2 degrees must be kept in wet sand for two to three days, preventing them from freezing. After vernalization, which shortens the growing season, we sow seeds in boxes with an earthen mixture consisting of humus, turf soil and sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 1. We keep the boxes at plus 18-20 degrees until shoots appear.
When the first real leaf appears, we plant the seedlings in dung-earthen pots. We plant in an independent life when the threat of late frosts has passed. As you can see, this breeding method is very troublesome.
Reproduction by layering from root suckers
When you already have old artichoke plantings on your site, it is easier to reproduce with the help of cuttings from root suckers. When offspring appear on old plants in spring, we arm ourselves with a sharp knife and, partially capturing the rhizome, we cut them off.
So that the cut site is not attacked by viruses and microbes, it is sprinkled with wood ash. Such layers can be sent directly to a permanent location. But to get strong seedlings, it will be better if they are grown on beds well fertilized with humus, and only then transferred to a permanent place.
Artichoke care
The artichoke builds up a powerful vegetative mass, therefore, individual plants should be arranged in a square-nesting manner (70 by 70 cm), two in each nest.
Artichokes require regular and abundant watering.
Top dressing with mineral fertilizers or slurry is carried out at intervals of two weeks after the seedlings have taken root in place. The plant should be fed until August.
To compact the freedom-loving crops of artichokes, you can sow lettuce, radishes, and even early varieties of potatoes next to them.
Since when processing baskets, not so many useful raw materials remain from them, it is advisable to grow them larger. For this, on one plant, 2-3 peduncles, carrying 3-4 baskets, will be quite enough. It is better to remove the excess immediately.
It is necessary to collect the baskets in a timely manner, preventing them from blooming, which turns them into rough and unsuitable for eating. Although fresh baskets lose their taste very quickly, they can still be stored for 2-3 months if kept at 0-1 degrees.
Before winter, the upper part of the plant is cut off. Rhizomes should be spud and insulated with straw and leaves. In winter, it is advisable to keep more snow on the garden bed.
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