Leek for seedlings - the rules for growing leek seedlings. How to properly sow and transplant leek seedlings into the garden

Leek - served marinated, dried, steamed, boiled, fried and of course fresh. It is used in the kitchen as a separate product, and as an additive in other dishes, in the preparation of winter preparations, even he found himself as a kind of seasoning. A little care and work, and a real storehouse of vitamins will appear on your table.

Features of growing leeks

This is a biennial culture, on which the bulb does not grow like a turnip that is familiar to everyone. In the first year of the plant, it forms a false stem, in the form of a cylinder.

The plant has broad leaves growing in a fan shape around the stem. For food, they mainly use a false stem, which grows up to 7 cm in diameter, bushes grow up to 30 cm in height.

In the second year, the leek throws out an arrow, at the end of which an inflorescence resembling a ball appears. At the end of the season, you can collect seeds from it. Germination of seeds occurs at a temperature of about 2 degrees.

Leek sprouts cannot withstand frost, but after the seedlings take root, small frosts become fearless for him. It is grown from seedlings, or by direct sowing of seeds in the garden.

Plot for growing leek seedlings

To get a good crop of leeks, it is necessary to take beds with fertile, well-cultivated soil under it.

For this crop, a site with neutral or slightly acidic soil is suitable. Leek for seedlings should be sown in places where it will be well supplied with moisture.

It develops well on damp loamy soils, but if they are clayey, then sand must be added to the beds - otherwise the plant develops with difficulty and may even die.

To feed the beds intended for planting this crop, use potassium salt, superphosphate, urea and good compost.

Getting seedlings of leeks from seeds

In order for onion seeds to germinate quickly, you need to properly prepare them.

To do this, they are dipped in hot water for 20 minutes, after which they are removed and dipped in cold water.

After this procedure, the seeds are kept in a warm place for three days.

When the seeds begin to sprout, they are dried a little on gauze and planted in the soil.

Sowing leeks for seedlings

To get good leek seedlings, you need to choose the right time to sow the seeds.

In most regions, it is best to sow in February. It is almost not necessary to take care of the seedlings of this type of onion, regular spraying and watering the soil while drying the top layer is all that is required.

If you do not have a place at home, and the seedlings will grow in a greenhouse, then sowing leek seeds should be done in the second decade of April. At the end of the month, or in the first decade of May, seedlings can be transplanted to a permanent place.

A container for seedlings is filled with a soil mixture, without filling the boxes to the edge of 2 cm. Grooves are made in them every 5 cm, 1-1.5 cm deep, and seeds are sown in them. After that, the boxes are transferred to a warm place and covered with a film. Inside such a kind of greenhouse, the temperature reaches about 25 degrees. Immediately after the appearance of seedlings, the film is removed and the boxes are transferred to a room where the temperature is maintained at 17 degrees during the day and 12 degrees at night. After a week, you can raise the temperature for leek seedlings to 20 degrees during daylight hours and 14 degrees at night.

Leek seedling care

After the appearance of sprouts, you need to start caring for seedlings, this directly affects the outcome of all work.

Leek is a plant that develops well only with sufficient moisture. For this reason, it is necessary that the soil is constantly slightly moist, but the plants should not be watered too much, they may develop root rot.

Moisten the soil with warm water, the procedure is performed carefully so as not to wash the root system and not damage the stems of the seedlings. In addition to watering, plant nutrition is important, it must be carried out 1-2 times before transplanting into the ground. In order for the roots of the plants to grow well, and the edible part of the stem to turn out thick, the leaves of the leek are cut off when planting. They should be left no longer than 10 cm.

Planting leek seedlings

Transplanting seedlings to a permanent place is performed after hardening. To do this, for 35-40 days, the seedlings are watered less and taken out into the street during the day.

Planting plants in open ground is most often necessary in the last decade of April, or in the first decade of May. Before planting seedlings, it and the site must be prepared. In seedlings, leaves and roots are partially cut, they are planted in pre-cut grooves in a permanent place. Which are done after 0.5 m, onions are planted in rows after 10 cm, so it will be easier to spud them, and this will allow the plants to grow a false stem well. Plants are immersed in the soil, a little deeper than they grew in boxes.

Leek care

Planting leek seeds for growing seedlings is still not enough to order the required amount of product.

The most difficult thing in this case is the proper care of weak seedlings.

The basis for obtaining a good harvest of onions are two factors: timely care of the plants and the organization of the right top dressing at the right time for the leek.

In addition, to obtain a crop, regular weeding of the beds and loosening the soil are necessary.

Water the onions as needed, the plants respond well to feeding with chicken manure, diluting it with clean water, in the ratio of the amount of manure to water - 1:20.

When a young plant forms powerful roots, fertile soil must be added under the stems of seedlings.

At about the age of 2 months, you need to spud the leek for the first time, then, if necessary, hilling is repeated until the very harvest.

Plants develop better if wood ash is added to the soil before hilling.

This culture requires regular removal of weeds, onions do not tolerate nearby rivals in sunlight and nutrition.

Protection of leek seedlings

Like any other crop in the garden, leeks can also get sick and are also threatened by pests. But compared with onions, its main advantage is more resistant, less likely to be exposed to diseases or invasion of harmful insects.

By following the basic rules for caring for this crop (compliance with agrotechnical requirements and proper cultivation of leek seedlings), you can grow it strong and healthy.

However, there are also insects that are dangerous for leeks, for example, an onion fly is very harmful to it. But carrots growing near the beds with onions will help resist the pest.

Tobacco thrips can also cause trouble. Destroy it will help special chemical compositions. Also, nature has created an enemy for this pest - a predatory tick.

One of the most common diseases is powdery mildew, which can cause great harm. Bordeaux liquid will help save crops from it. If, however, the plants show signs of white rot disease, then know that the time has come to lime the soil.