Carrots are the most accessible source of carotene for humans. In addition, this root vegetable is very tasty and almost never bothers. It is used not only as an addition to any dish, but also as the main ingredient. From carrots you can make juice, salad, diet vegetable soup, sweet cake and even jam.
Another advantage of carrots is that it is very easy to grow. It is sown in open ground, bypassing the seedling stage. Seeds are very small, so usually they plant a little more than necessary, and then thin out. Harvest of carrots more than half depends on the variety and weather conditions, and much less on the regime of watering and fertilizing. Nevertheless, sometimes you still need to think about how and how to feed carrots. For example, if the garden is divided on loamy or acidic soils.
How to feed carrots and what not
The crop is very sensitive to organic matter in the soil, so you cannot fertilize the beds with fresh manure. Due to the high content of organic substances in carrots, the growth point “cauterizes”, and it becomes “horned”. In addition, the taste properties of root crops deteriorate, and they are poorly stored. The high content of nitrogen fertilizers also negatively affects the storage of vegetables. There are no other restrictions: carrots can be fed with phosphorus and potash fertilizers, peat, humus, ash, etc.
How to feed carrots before planting
It is about moisturizing and nourishing the seeds. They contain a large amount of essential oils that impede moisture and inhibit swelling and germination. That is why carrot seeds are kept in a special solution before planting: a third of tsp. boric acid and half a teaspoon nitrofoski per liter of water. Another solution: in a liter of warm water, potassium permanganate is diluted to obtain a red color and half tsp is added. complex dry (or liquid) fertilizer. Seeds are immersed in the solution for one day, then washed with water and placed in a damp cloth. Then the seeds are kept in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, after which they can be dried and planted.
How to feed carrots in spring
Spring top dressing means fertilizing before planting. Mineral fertilizers should be applied in such quantities: nitrate - up to 25 g / m²; superphosphate - 25 g / m², potassium chloride - up to 30 g / m². Before planting, clay peat and sand are added to clay soils at the rate of 1 bucket per 2 m² and a mineral mixture. It is necessary to add 1 bucket of peat, half a bucket of humus and a mixture of mineral fertilizers into sandy badlands.
How and what to feed carrots during the growth period
During the growth period, carrots can be fertilized with mineral mixtures, humus or peat. The first top dressing can be done after thinning, combining this procedure with watering. The second can be done after two or three weeks after the first. In early August, feeding with ash is most effective - 100 g of ash per meter of furrow.
And the last one. Before deciding how to feed carrots, think about how soon you will harvest. We are not talking about the planned harvesting of all root crops, because quite often gardeners pull out small young carrots. In this case, the use of fertilizers is undesirable, since at least two weeks should elapse between the last feeding and eating carrots.