Carrot is one of the most delicious and healthy root crops in central Russia. She is unpretentious in care, and therefore even a completely inexperienced gardener can grow it. However, sometimes it turns out that the roots of carrots crack while still in the soil, and also twist and grow ugly. To prevent this from happening, you should follow some rules for growing this plant. About why carrots crack in the ground, how to deal with this trouble, we will talk later in the article.
Why it is important to prevent carrot cracking
Before you begin to find out why carrots crack, let's see why this is actually undesirable, because a root crop with such a defect does not lose its taste and healthy qualities. Firstly, such carrots have a not very attractive appearance. Secondly, they are more difficult to clean. Yes, and cracked root crops are stored much worse than whole ones. Before you begin to deal with this problem, you need to find out the possible reasons for its occurrence. There are usually only four of them.
The first reason. Wrong watering
The most likely answer to the question of why carrots crack is improper watering. Many summer residents go to their suburban areas only on weekends. In a week, the soil on the carrot bed is very dry. Therefore, it is watered very abundantly as soon as possible. As a result, the walls of the root cells do not withstand the sharp pressure of the juice from the inside and simply burst. Gradually diverge and tissue.
In the event that the cause of cracking of carrots is improper watering, it is not so difficult to correct the situation. Arriving at the weekend at the cottage, do not fill the bed too much. Pour a little on Saturday, a little on Sunday. Thus, tissue destruction will be prevented. In the event that you have a raw site, it is worth alternating the rows of carrots with some moisture-loving crops. Excellent for maintaining moisture balance in the soil, for example, cabbage or salad.
Among other things, do not water the carrots in the heat. It can also lead to cracking. It is best to moisten the beds early in the morning or late in the evening. After the root crops have reached normal sizes, watering should be stopped altogether.
The second reason. Excess fertilizer
Sometimes it happens that the beds are watered on time and not too abundantly, but still the carrots crack. What to do in this case? Another reason for cracking may be an excess of nitrogen fertilizers in the ground. The fact is that in too greasy soil, root cells grow very quickly and reach enormous sizes. As a result, the fabric becomes loose and simply does not withstand the pressure of the soil - carrots crack in the ground. In this case, eliminating the causes of such trouble is also not difficult. Do not feed carrots too often. Nitrogen fertilizers should be applied to the soil only in the very first stage of plant growth. As soon as a root crop begins to develop in the soil, top dressing should be stopped immediately. In summer, only phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are added under the carrots. Organics, like nitrogen top dressing, cannot be used.
The third reason. Dense soil
Why does carrot crack even in the case of regular periodic watering and moderate top dressing? This trouble can also occur due to the fact that the area is too dense clay soil. In this case, strong pressure is also to blame. In the process of growth, the root crop, trying to break through dense heavy soil, begins to crack. Correct the situation by adding sand to the garden. In this case, it is better to use not a career, but a river. In addition, in the event that you have heavy soil in the garden, it is worth planting varieties of carrots with a thick and short root crop. It can be, for example, Chantane.
Sometimes it happens that sand is added to the ground and a suitable variety is used, but carrots crack in the ground anyway. In this case, there is only one way out - to make beds with external soil. To do this, dig holes in the soil with a depth of about 20-40 cm and fill them with loose light, fairly nutritious soil.
The fourth reason. Carrot overripe
To the question of why carrots crack, there is another answer. Some of its varieties can burst if they are not dug out of the ground on time. Therefore, harvesting carrots should be on time. If, for any reason, there is a risk of overexposing root crops in the soil, it is worthwhile to use varieties that are resistant to cracking when overripe (late).
Why carrots are curly
We think why carrots are cracking, now you are more or less clear. Another nuisance that can happen to this plant is leaf curling. In this case, the tops look "curly", and root crops begin to develop worse. Curly carrots can start for two reasons. The first is damage to the leaves of the umbrella leaf. This pest overwinters on coniferous trees. Therefore, in those areas where pines or spruce grow, it is worth planting carrots either very early (immediately after the snow has melted) or very late (after the cherry blossoms).
The second reason carrots foliage may curl is the lack of potash fertilizers. Leaf curling occurs in this case, usually in June. At the same time, they acquire a bluish tint. Correcting the situation in this case is very simple. It is necessary to spray the tops with diluted water with an ash extract.
Why carrot root vegetables can grow ugly
Thus, we have found out why carrots crack in the ground and why foliage may curl around it. Now let's see why the root crop is sometimes deformed. Ugly carrots most often grow due to the fact that the planting was not thinned out at the right time. You need to remove the extra plant immediately after the appearance of the first true leaflet. You also need to regularly loosen the soil on a carrot bed. This will reduce both the risk of the appearance of "freaks" and cracking of root crops.
Sometimes a large number of branched carrots grow in the garden. This root crop defect occurs if, upon growth, it stumbles upon a stone. Therefore, you need to prepare the beds as carefully as possible. Dig the soil to a depth of about 40 cm and remove all stones without exception. It is better to do this in the fall so that the soil settles well before planting. Loose soil is a guarantee that the “ugly” root crops will not grow, as well as the fact that for the gardener the question of why carrots crack in the garden will not become relevant. In general, in order to avoid branching and other defects, you need to protect the roots from any damage. Thin the carrots carefully and gently pull out the weeds.
Carrots "freaks" can also appear due to damage to root crops by the wireworm. You can deal with this pest by digging plastic cups with chopped carrot slices over the site. The beetle-parents of the wireworm can climb there, but to get out - no.
Often carrots with a large number of tails grows and with an excess in the soil of lime, ash or dolomite. The same nuisance can happen after adding potassium chloride to the soil. When growing carrots, it should be borne in mind that this root crop does not tolerate not only chlorine, but also large doses of calcium.
When preparing a bed for carrots, you should also mix the soil well. In the event that it will be located in layers of different densities, so-called “constrictions” will appear on root crops.
Shaggy and crooked carrot
To "shaggy" can cause the introduction of carrots of manure or humus. Sometimes a similar defect arises as a result of excessive irrigation. Too much nitrogen fertilizer can also lead to "shaggy". It so happens that the root crop grows crooked. When considering why carrots crack in the ground, we found out that this could be due to too dense soil. It is worth considering that heavy soil can also cause root crops to bend. Correct the situation by introducing river sand.
So, if carrots crack, the reasons are most likely in irregular watering, heavy soil, and an overabundance of nitrogen fertilizers. Moisten the soil under this plant on time, do not feed it with manure, weed carefully, and you get even, neat root crops that you can save until the new crop.