Sorrel planting and care outdoors in spring

Sorrel (Rumex) is a perennial herb. It has been cultivated since the Middle Ages, in Russia for a long time it was considered an ordinary weed, therefore, as a garden crop, it began to be grown in recent centuries. The root system of the plant is pivotal, the fleshy root penetrates deeply into the soil. The leaf plates are large, long, gathering in a dense basal rosette.

Sorrel is one of the earliest vegetable crops, a breath of freshness after a long winter cold, a storehouse of useful elements. Green leaves reach for the sun as soon as the snow melts. In May, the first harvest can already be harvested - the length of the leaves reaches about 10 cm. During the season (harvesting should be completed in July), 4-5 cuts are carried out with an interval of 10-15 days. Then the leaves become coarse, the concentration of oxalic acid becomes high, which is not very useful for humans.

When to sow sorrel outdoors

When to plant sorrel in spring and before winter sowing dates

The plant is cold-resistant, its seeds begin to germinate at +3 ° C: growing seedlings is not required, you can immediately sow in open ground. When to plant sorrel?

There are three optimal sowing dates:

Early spring - Sow as soon as possible to till the soil. Get the harvest in the same season.
Summer sowing - Carry it out after harvesting early-ripening vegetables (June). Sorrel will have time to root well before the onset of the winter cold
Sowing before winter late autumn (late October-early November) - wait for severe cold weather with night frosts and dry weather, as the seeds should not have time to germinate before winter. When sowing in winter, it is useful to fill the rows with high-quality humus, mixed in half with garden soil.

In the latter two cases, sorrel will delight you with the first green harvest next spring.

It is best to sow sorrel in the spring when the soil is saturated with moisture. With summer sowing, regular abundant watering of the garden will be required.

Why the sorrel does not sprout

Often people make a gross mistake: they sow sorrel deeply, which is why the seeds do not break through the thick layer of earth. Sorrel seeds are very small, sow them no deeper than 1 cm. To do this, make the furrows "symbolic", only slightly indicating the direction of sowing with a hoe corner. After sowing, carefully cover the furrows with soil.

What variety of sorrel is best to plant?

The best sorrel variety is large-leaved, the yield is excellent, it easily tolerates cutting and grows quickly under the condition of regular watering. It does not degenerate for a long time and does not freeze.

Site selection

The plant thrives in moderate shade conditions.

The soil needs fertile, sufficiently moist, but without stagnation of water. The optimal occurrence of groundwater is at a depth of more than 1 m. It grows best on loamy and sandy loam soils rich in humus. A slightly acidic soil reaction is preferred.

How to plant sorrel seeds outdoors

1 g of weight contains about 1000-1 500 seeds. Seeds germinate for about 2 years.

Soil preparation

Dig up the area, free it from weeds. On depleted soils for digging, apply fertilizers: 6-8 kg of humus or compost, 20-30 g of superphosphate and 15-20 g of potassium chloride per 1 m².

How to prepare a bed for planting sorrel, look at the video:

How to plant sorrel seeds

Sow in rows, keeping a distance of 15-20 cm between them.
In the spring, plant the seeds to a depth of 8 mm-1 cm. Amicable shoots will appear in 8-11 days, and if the crops are covered with foil, they will appear in 3-5 days. After a week of growth, thin out, leaving a distance of 5-7 cm between the plants.
When sowing in summer, the soil must be saturated with moisture - a couple of days before sowing, water the bed well so that the soil is well wet.
When sowing before winter, the bed is prepared in advance so that the soil settles and the seeds are not washed away by precipitation into the deep layers of the soil.

It is necessary to sow as little as possible, the germination of seeds is excellent, and after germination of seeds, the seedlings must be thinned out so that the plants do not clog each other. Ideally, leave at least 2-3 cm between individual plants so that the sorrel is large and beautiful.

How to sow sorrel, look at the video:

Care and cultivation of sorrel in the open field

How to grow sorrel outdoors:

Watering

Water regularly and abundantly during active growth.
In hot weather and dry soil, the ground part will actively develop, which will provoke earlier unwanted flowering (under normal conditions, it should occur in the second year of growth).

To maintain the quality of green products, the stalks should be removed.

Top dressing and mulching

In early spring, loosen the soil, mulch the area to maintain the moisture level, add top dressing (1 bucket of mullein solution in a ratio of 1 to 6 with the addition of 10-25 g of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers per 1 m²).
To maintain the yield, after each leaf cut, you should feed it with a complex of mineral fertilizers, focusing on the nitrogen component.
In autumn, add 4-5 kg of humus or compost to the aisles.

Sorrel should be cultivated in one place for no more than 4 years, then the planting must be renewed.

Sorrel diseases and pests

Downy mildew is a possible disease of the sorrel culture. This will not happen if the seeds have been processed prior to planting.

The sorrel beetle can destroy your crops. Spray the plant with a solution of garlic, sprinkle with ash or tobacco dust.

The benefits of sorrel

Sorrel is rich in minerals (potassium, iron), proteins, sugars, organic acids (oxalic, malic, citric), contains vitamin C and carotene. In folk medicine, sorrel is used as a choleretic, hemostatic agent, the juice of the plant has an antiseptic effect, improves metabolism, and normalizes the stomach. Do not abuse it, as acids can have a negative effect on the kidneys.

Fresh sorrel leaves are used in the preparation of salads, sauces, mashed potatoes, everyone's favorite "green borscht", it retains its beneficial properties both fresh and canned.

Sorrel is an unpretentious summer cottage plant, which contains many vitamins and minerals that a person needs. So that you can be sure what a bountiful crop sorrel can give, planting and caring for it in the open field must be timely and correct. However, the plant takes root well in the wild.

Choosing a place for planting sorrel

Unlike many ornamental and horticultural crops, sorrel does not like open sunny areas. The best place is partial shade from trees. The acidity of the soil practically does not matter, sorrel gives a good yield both on neutral substrates and on acidic ones, it only prefers loamy soils.

Crop rotation for annual planting gives excellent results - plant sorrel where other greens, onions or pumpkin plants used to grow.

It is better to decide on the future sowing site in the fall in order to prepare the site in advance.It is necessary to dig up the bed and remove the weeds, and add compost and ash to the soil as organic fertilizer. Top dressing for planting sorrel in open ground is nitrogen fertilizers added to the soil 1-2 weeks before sowing. Immediately before sowing, the bed is re-loosened and leveled.

You should not take up a lot of space for sorrel - 1-2 square meters of beds are enough for a family.

When to sow sorrel outdoors: in spring, summer or autumn?

Depending on when you want to get the crop, the sowing time is selected:

So that the harvest can be harvested by autumn, sorrel is planted in early spring, as soon as the snow melts and the threat of the last frost subsides.
The second suitable time for sowing sorrel is from late June to early July, as soon as the early vegetable plantings are harvested (winter garlic and onions, lettuce or radish). In this case, the sorrel will take root in the garden by autumn and will well endure wintering. The main condition for caring for sorrel planted in summer is frequent watering.
Planting and caring for sorrel in the open field in the fall (in October-November) is carried out in order to prevent the seeds from germinating by winter and remain in the soil until spring. So already in the spring and summer of next year, you can get a bountiful harvest. This method is suitable for growing sorrel in a temperate strip on sandy soils.

Sorrel care secrets

After the planting has passed, caring for sorrel in the open field consists in periodic watering and weeding of the site. A bed with young shoots is mulched and fertilized with mullein three times (in proportions with water 1: 6). For best results, you can add purchased phosphate or potash supplements.

So that the sorrel does not bloom ahead of time, and all the strength of the plant was spent on feeding the succulent leaves, and not on the flower outlet, it is necessary to regularly water the garden bed. On hot days, you need to especially monitor this, since the peduncles develop quickly, and the quality of the leaves may deteriorate. If flower rosettes have already appeared, they need to be removed.

Before wintering, cut off the remaining leaves and mulch the soil, adding humus or compost to the aisles.

In the same place, sorrel grows well for 3-4 years, then the yield deteriorates sharply.

You can cut off adult leaves 4-5 times per summer. It is advisable to do this in the morning, after weeding the garden bed. After harvesting, it is necessary to loosen the aisles and lightly water the garden bed.

Sorrel in the open field: diseases and pests

In order not to lose the crop, you need to know what pests can infect sorrel, and how to deal with them:

Rust. It manifests itself in the form of yellow-brown spots on the leaves with spores visible to the naked eye.
Sorrel leaf gnaw and sawfly caterpillar. If bugs or larvae are sitting on the leaves, spray the plants with infusion of garlic or nightshade.
Sorrel aphid. In this case, you can not spray the leaves with store-bought poisons, so as not to be poisoned during harvesting. Try sprinkling ash on the plant, or pouring an infusion of garlic, dandelion, or any other stinging herb on top.
Downy mildew. It looks like a grayish bloom on the back of the leaves. A drug that is safe for the human body, but destructive for sorrel disease, is phytosporin. Apply it according to the instructions on the package.

With proper planting and caring for sorrel in the open field, pests appear very, very rarely.

Let's summarize:

For sorrel, it is worth choosing partial shade under the trees, but not a low wetland. The soil is suitable for any acidity, preferably loamy.
Before planting, the site is mulched, ash and humus are added.
To keep the leaves juicy throughout the summer, the sorrel is watered regularly and the emerging flower stalks are regularly pruned.
After planting, caring for sorrel in the open field - weeding, feeding and watering.
Infusions of burning herbs will help from pests, but not store-bought ones.

All about sowing sorrel - video

With the arrival of warm spring days, sorrel leaves are among the first to sprout in the garden.The green vegetable is often used in cooking for cooking. It has a pleasant sour taste, rich in vitamins and minerals. How to grow sorrel from seeds in the open field, we will tell in the article.

Leaf vegetable description

Sorrel belongs to the buckwheat family and is a perennial plant. Its root is pivotal and branched, so it can penetrate up to 25 cm into the soil. At the root, there are buds on the head, from which the deciduous mass develops. Their base can have different shapes:

heart-shaped;
annular;
arrow-shaped.

The leaf edge is always even. On fertile soils, the leaves can be up to 10-15 cm in size. On the leaves you can see a pronounced vein in the center. If you cut the leaves at the outlet, then the buds awaken more quickly. After that, the greens begin to grow again.

In the second year of life, sorrel can have erect, ribbed stems. If they are not cut off in time, they can grow up to 50-100 cm. Over time, reddish inflorescences form on the stems. The leaves then begin to coarse and become fibrous.

Sorrel is a highly sought after type of leafy greenery., because it contains many healthy substances:

carotene and ascorbic acid;
vitamins of group B, A and C;
iron and salts;
oxalic, malic and citric acid.

The amount of vitamins and minerals depends largely on the type of plant. They also differ in ripening speed, leaf shape. The most popular are the following varieties:

Altaic;
ordinary garden;
large-leaved;
broadleaf;
belleville;
Lyon.

Sorrel leaves are cut several times over the summer. The most delicious leaves of a popular vegetable are always in spring and autumn. The plant belongs to cold-resistant species and can germinate at a temperature of + 3-4 ° C.

Choosing a seat for landing

Sorrel does not like open sunny areas. Suitable for growing it place in partial shade from growing trees... The acidity level of the soil will also not affect its growth and development. However, the green vegetable loves to grow in loamy soils. It is recommended to sow sorrel seeds where onions or pumpkin plants grew before. There it will grow even better.

It is advisable to find a place for sowing seeds in the fall and prepare a site in advance. On the planned site, it is worth applying organic fertilizers in the form of compost and ash. Nitrogen fertilizers are suitable as top dressing. They are introduced into the soil 1-2 weeks before sowing seeds in open ground. The bed must be dug up, weeds are removed, loosened and leveled.

This culture grows well, so a small piece of land is enough to be enough for a family.

When to sow sorrel outdoors?

Since sorrel is a perennial plant, it grows in one place for 4 years. The most productive will be the first 2 years, after which the yield will begin to decline. Despite the unpretentiousness of the culture, you need to pay attention to the soil, and then you can get an excellent harvest.... It can be sown three times a year:

spring - at this time, the seeds take root best, since in spring the soil is moist and the seeds germinate in 2 weeks, the harvest is harvested in the same year;
summer - this period is very hot, therefore, after sowing, it is necessary to moisten the soil more often so that the seeds sprout, they can take root before winter and will delight them with fresh greens in the spring;
autumn - during this period it is very important to sow the seeds even before the frost begins, around November. This will harden them, but not germinate. If they start to sprout, the frost will destroy them.

The sowing time is determined by the gardeners themselves, depending on when they want to get fresh green leaves. However, the planting of sorrel in the spring is considered the most productive.

Planting sorrel seeds

In addition to the beds for sowing seeds, you should also prepare planting material... In order for the seeds to sprout together and then delight them with juicy and tasty leaves, they must be soaked in water. The planting material is wrapped in gauze and left in this form for a couple of days. They will swell, absorbing moisture, and then rise faster.

Nutritional fertilizers can be added to make the seeds more resilient and strong. This will give the best germination and a guaranteed yield. Dry seeds can also be sown. In moist and prepared soil, they will also sprout, but a little later.

Seeds are sown in grooves, to a depth of 2 cm... The distance between the rows should be about 15 cm. After sowing, the soil on the bed should be mulched with peat. It is recommended to cover the bed with foil to create a greenhouse effect. This will help the seeds to sprout faster, and the first green shoots will appear in 5-6 days. Without the use of film, shoots appear in 2 weeks.

Growing sorrel outdoors

With the appearance of 3-4 leaves on the first shoots, sorrel can be thinned out. This plant needs watering at any time. Sorrel should be watered in spring and summer. Mature plants also respond positively to moisture. In arid land, the stem quickly throws out flower stalks.

It is also important to weed the garden in a timely manner, loosen the soil. By using mulching, you can reduce this amount of work. This must be done after each watering of the garden.

It is best to cover the sorrel roots for the winter.... For this, the following are suitable:

rotten sawdust;
humus;
compost.

It is recommended to apply top dressing after cutting the sorrel leaves. Usually gardeners use nettle infusion for this. Mullein infusion is also used. It is bred in a 1x10 ratio and watered abundantly with sorrel.

In spring, it is desirable in the process of loosening the soil add ash and humus... Top dressing will stimulate the growth of young leaves? and they will grow up faster.

A month and a half before the onset of frost, it is better to cut the leaves. Otherwise, at the first frost, they will go limp and fall. In this state, the leaves will block oxygen access to the root system.

Diseases and pests

Sorrel is infrequently exposed to various diseases and pest attacks. თ If such signs are noticed, it is necessary to eliminate them. The main pests and diseases of sorrel:

downy mildew - expressed in the appearance on the back of the stems of spots with a gray bloom, which can be eliminated with the help of a Bordeaux mixture;
rust - small spots of yellow-brown color with dark spores form on the leaves and petioles when the temperature and humidity conditions are violated;
sorrel aphid - sucks juices from the plant, however, during the collection of leaves, sorrel cannot be processed, this can be done in autumn with an infusion of bitter herbs: wormwood, oak bark;
larvae and beetles of sorrel leaf gnawing and sawfly caterpillars - you can get rid of them by spraying the plants with infusion of garlic, nightshade or tomatoes.

Sorrel rarely gets sick, but if there are similar symptoms, then you need to try to react immediately and not start the garden. It is also recommended to change the place for planting sorrel. The vegetable can be called unique because it is easy to grow. It will grow anywhere and will require minimal maintenance.

Probably, there is no such summer resident who at least once has not tried to grow sorrel in his summer cottage. This process is so simple that it can be called rather a pleasant hobby. Sorrel is not a particularly whimsical plant, rich in various vitamins and minerals, which has an excellent delicate taste. Today we will talk about the features of growing sorrel in the open field: planting and care, as well as its main varieties (photos are attached).

Sorrel: main varieties and varieties

Sorrel is a herbaceous perennial plant that can reach a height of one meter. It has a powerful root located deep in the soil, and rather large long leaves, basically collected in one rosette at the very root.Sorrel is practically not afraid of the cold and may well begin to grow even when the temperature is at around 2-3 degrees.

The plant begins to bloom only by the second year of its life. In one place, it yields no more than 4-5 years. After that, it requires a transplant to another place.

Many people like to use young leaves (they are the juiciest and have a pronounced sour taste) for cooking cabbage soup, borscht, pies, as an additive to salads, etc. Sorrel is rich in B vitamins (in particular B1 and B2), A, C, as well as proteins and sugars. In addition to all of the above, sorrel contains a considerable amount of various acids: malic, citric, of course, oxalic, as well as salts and iron.

There are many varieties of sorrel. All of them differ from each other in their acid content, ripening rate and plant shape. Consider the most popular sorrel varieties among gardeners (you can find detailed photos on the Internet):

Young sorrel leaves are used for cooking.

Large-leaved. Early ripening variety. The leaves grow oval and pale green in color. Nice taste, medium acidity. The variety is very fruitful and frost resistant.
Ordinary garden. One of the most popular varieties. The leaves grow spiky and dark green in color. The variety is very cold-resistant and produces an excellent harvest.
Altaic. The leaves are smooth, sharp, growing on a straight rosette. The variety is frost resistant.
Broadleaf. The leaves grow quite large in size, the taste is slightly sour, tender. The variety is not afraid of drought and heat, it gives a good harvest.
Lyons. The leaves of this variety grow very large, wide, dense. Resistant to big drawbacks.
Belleville. Gives the leaves a slightly sour delicate taste. The harvest is early and rich. Slightly afraid of frost.

Planting plants in open ground

The choice of a place for growing sorrel should be taken very seriously. This plant loves moisture, a little shade and lack of wind, so the site for planting should be just like that. The soil must be fertile, otherwise there will be problems with obtaining a good harvest. The best soil for growing sorrel is considered to be peat, sandy loam and loam with a small content of humus.

Although sorrel is traditionally planted in early spring, the soil needs to be prepared in the fall. Be sure to dig up the area selected for planting the plant.

Sorrel seeds

Then add a nutrient mixture of humus (5-7 kg), superphosphate (25 g) and potassium chloride (25 g) to the soil. All figures are per square meter.

In the spring, almost before sowing, the soil is fertilized again, but with a slightly different composition: potassium salt (2 g), urea (40 g), superphosphate (3 g) and a slightly different amount of humus - 4-5 kg. All figures are also given on the basis of one square meter.

For planting seeds, we prepare wide beds (about 1 meter) in an ordinary way, leaving a free space between them within 30 cm. Seeds can be sprinkled quite often.

Advice. In order to get a rich sorrel crop, a large amount of space is not required - a couple of square meters is quite enough.

Sorrel care

Sorrel care is fairly straightforward, but be very careful and do it right.

Watering and soil cultivation

Remember that sorrel most of all needs a sufficient amount of water, so watering a young plant should be abundant and regular, regardless of whether it is spring in the yard or a hot summer.

If you miss the moment and let the sorrel "feel thirsty" - it will begin to bloom almost immediately and you can say goodbye to a rich, juicy harvest. In addition to constant watering, a young plant also needs weeding (especially in the spring). The soil on which sorrel is grown should always be well fluffed and loose.

Advice.In order not to burden yourself with too frequent "trips" to the sorrel with a hoe, after each weeding and watering of the plant, try to mulch the young shoots properly.

Keep in mind that sorrel yields a crop only once a year, so it is important to take care of its wintering for growing young leaves next year: the remnants of the roots must be covered with either humus or rotten sawdust.

Fertilizing and feeding plants

Sorrel does not require a large amount of dressing, it is enough to add a nutrient mixture from a mullein with the addition of potassium and phosphorus (15 g each) a couple of times a month. Remember that the ratio of mullein to water should be at least 1: 5.

After each mass collection of young leaves, be sure to feed the plant with an infusion of grass, nettle or, again, mullein (in a ratio of 1:10 to water). In the fall, use compost (4 kg per square meter) as an additional nutrient and support for the plant before wintering.

Sorrel does not need frequent feeding

Plant propagation by seeds

Seeds are the only way to grow sorrel. The advantage of this process is that the seeds do not require special treatment before sowing. So, in order to get a good harvest and a strong plant, it is enough just to soak the seeds in warm water for several days, and then wrap them in cheesecloth so that they dry well.

If desired, you can hold the seeds in nutrient solutions for a short time, but this procedure is not necessary, since with proper and timely care, you can get an excellent harvest of sorrel leaves.

Caution: diseases and pests

Sorrel is not particularly afraid of various pests and is not very susceptible to diseases. With proper care, especially for cleaning weeds, constant weeding and thinning of the plant, not a single pest will touch the sorrel. If it did happen, then you should know what you are dealing with. So, sorrel most often affects the following diseases:

Downy mildew. It manifests itself in the form of dark spots with a gray bloom, located on the underside of the leaves. Control method: Bordeaux liquid. But processing with this composition can be carried out no later than 10 days before harvesting.
Sorrel aphid. It deprives the plant of all nutrient juices. Leaves should not be processed with anything. Only after harvesting can the plant be watered with some bitter infusion: garlic, dandelion or potato tops.
Sorrel leaf gnaw. The plant is attacked by beetles and larvae of this pest. Control method: garlic / tomato infusion.

Sorrel gets along well with any garden crops

Combining sorrel with other plants

Sorrel is a neutral plant, so it cannot be said that there is a good / bad combination with other crops. Sorrel harvesting can be started when at least 5-6 leaves of sufficient size appear on the rod. They must be cut very carefully, closer to the soil, so as not to damage the upper buds of the plant. During the summer period, sorrel usually yields several times.

We have introduced you to the peculiarities of growing sorrel in the open field. Follow the tips provided in the material and you can grow a luxurious plant that will delight you with a rich harvest. Good luck!

How to plant sorrel: video

Growing sorrel: photo