Leek from seeds and seedlings

Leek is an indispensable part of many dishes, the imperious master of our gardens and greenhouses. This plant is rich in vitamins and nutrients, while its cultivation is extremely simple. What is the seeding principle? The seeds are pre-soaked in water for about thirty minutes, after which they are left on a damp cloth for two to three days. This method is suitable for planting seedlings, and when planting seeds in the soil itself in the beds. Agree, simple and accessible to everyone.

Leek is rich in vitamins and minerals.

It is better to take seeds that have lain down for two or three years; the agrotechnics of planting here must be strictly observed. When growing seedlings, special attention should be paid to pests and diseases to which onions are susceptible.

Planting leeks for seedlings

Leeks propagate in two ways: successful cultivation from seeds or using seedlings is possible. In this case, the method of sowing depends on where exactly the onion will be grown. So, for the southern regions, planting from seeds is also excellent, but for the northern and central regions, the use of seedlings is recommended.

Planting onions is done in this way:

• seeds are planted in seedling boxes in February (you can place them on windowsills);
• growing seedlings from seeds begins in mid-April (for glass greenhouses), at the end of April (for beds under film).

The depth of each groove in the boxes for seedlings of leek seeds should be up to 2 cm. It is recommended to pre-fertilize the soil for onions.

Growing from seeds is carried out according to the following technology:

1. The prepared soil is moistened, the distance between rows should be 5 cm.
2. The depth of each groove in the seedling boxes should be 1-1.5 cm.
3. Seeds (it is better to take those that have already lain for 2 years, even for seedlings) are sown in the soil, the box is covered with foil and placed in a well-lit place at a temperature of + 22-25 ° C.
4. When the first shoots appear, the film can be removed, the temperature during the day drops to 20 °, at night - up to 14 °.
5. A month later, a rarefaction should be carried out for seedlings, seedlings should dive into pots with a diameter of up to 4 cm. Planting seedlings in the ground begins in May, before that, it is recommended to shorten the roots and leaves of the prepared seedlings by about 1/3. In order for the survival rate of seedlings to be excellent, it is recommended to dip the roots in a mixture of mullein and clay in equal proportions. Growing from seeds is organized a little differently. It is recommended to pre-fertilize the soil for onions. It’s great if garlic, onions, carrots and cucumbers have grown on it before. The cultivation itself from seeds is simple, the scheme for planting is as follows:

• planting depth of each seed - up to 2 cm (for seedlings, this value increases slightly);
• scheme - 15x25 cm.

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Care rules: the secrets of experienced gardeners

Agrotechnics for growing leeks is quite simple, but it still needs to be followed exactly so that the plant becomes strong, healthy and tasty. The closest care is needed at the beginning, immediately after landing, then things will go much easier.

The first and most important rule is to carefully monitor that there are no weeds in the beds. Get into the habit of not only watering, but also checking the beds, removing all the weeds that have appeared on them.

The soil must be kept moist, not allowed to dry out, but a swamp should not be arranged either.

During the season, it takes two to four times to hill the plants to get a long, white leg, after each hilling, the leek, or rather the soil around it, is mulched with chopped straw, dry loose manure, mowed and slightly dried grass.

Onions do not tolerate fertilizers containing nitrogen, so the choice of top dressing should be taken carefully.

Leek has one distinctive feature: its growth does not slow down, it can grow even when put into the basement for the winter. Therefore, it is necessary to provide him with constant feeding. It is recommended to start doing this after the plant reaches 15-20 cm, it will have four to five leaves.

Agricultural technology allows the use of such a composition: for 10 liters of ordinary water, take 1 liter of mullein. The resulting solution is watered between rows, after which the soil along each bed. It is impossible to pour liquid on plants, onions do not tolerate this very well. But such a composition is suitable for poor soils, if the soil was previously well fertilized before planting, then watering can be dispensed with infusions of freshly cut grasses such as nettles.

Attention! When feeding leeks, do not use fertilizers with a high nitrogen content, as the leek can simply rot, especially if stored for a long time in the cellar!

Proper agricultural technology is very strict about watering plants. Onions require abundant watering, especially at a time when there is an intensive set of green mass of foliage (which occurs in June), during the formation of a false bulb (in July). The soil in the beds should always be moist, but not wet or dry, this must be monitored.

Leeks are harvested in late autumn, but if the winter is not too cold, then you can leave the plants on the ground, the onion is quite winter-hardy. In the middle lane, it is recommended to sprinkle it with coniferous spruce branches, straw, and light peat. In the spring, it begins to actively grow, at a time when the rest of the greenery is not even planted yet.

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Diseases and pests of leeks

When growing leeks, problems such as onion fly damage, black mold, fusarium, neck rot, onion rust, downy mildew are possible. Let us consider in more detail what lesions and pests can harm plantings:

1. Mosaic is a viral disease of the leek, carried by the common aphid. At the same time, spots of yellow color and longitudinal shape appear on the leaves, the onion stops growing. There are no measures to combat this disease, all affected plants are destroyed. Only preventive measures against aphids and mites can be carried out. It is also recommended to grow from seeds that have already lain for 2-3 years, during which time the virus has time to completely die.
2. Downy mildew is oval, fast-growing whitish spots. Leek, which is affected by this disease, becomes inedible, all affected plants must be removed, it is recommended that those remaining on the beds be sprayed with a solution of phytosporin and copper oxychloride. An excellent preventive measure against this disease is the correct agricultural technology.
3. Leaf rust manifests itself in this way: on the foliage you can see clearly visible bright yellow pads, which are clusters of spores of the fungus. These pads gradually mature, become dark, then blacken. All leaves that are infected begin to dry out. Affected plants must be immediately removed from the garden and destroyed so that fungal spores do not pass to neighboring garden plants.
4. Of the leek pests, the onion fly most often infects, which eats the leaves, leaving large bright passages in them. Fly larvae also cause a lot of trouble, they severely affect the underground part of the plant. As a result, if you do not take any measures in time, the bow will simply die. To scare away the fly, it is recommended to grow carrots nearby, the insect strongly dislikes its specific smell. At the same time, the onion itself must be watered with such a solution: one full glass of table salt is taken per 10 liters of water, after which the beds are watered under the root. It is recommended to sprinkle the soil itself with ground carrot or pepper seeds (per 1 sq.m. for a full teaspoon), wood ash (100 g / sq.m. each).