Recently, daikon, a he althy and tasty root crop, so common in the Land of the Rising Sun, has become increasingly popular in Russia. It has excellent taste, rich in fiber, pectin, minerals (calcium, potassium) and vitamins (C, B1, B2, E, PP).
Daikon is used for medicinal purposes in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and colds, and is also used as a prevention of diabetes. This juicy root crop is consumed fresh, s alted, stewed or boiled. Its taste is more tender than that of a radish, spicy-sweet.
The main varieties of the daikon root crop. Growing and care
Classification of varieties is based on the shape of the daikon and its position in the ground. Sweet radish can be of various shapes: conical, spindle-shaped, cylindrical. In central Russia, the most common varieties are Elephant's Fang, Minovase, Sasha, Dubinushka, Miyashige, Tokinashi, etc. If you want to grow a valuable and he althy vegetable on your site, opt forroot crop called daikon. Growing and caring for this crop does not require too much effort, and as a reward for your efforts, you will receive a tasty, fragrant and well-kept fruit.
Sweet radish - daikon. Planting and seedling care
Daikon prefers fertile loose light sandy soil. It is advisable to allocate a sunny area for the plant, since in the shade its growth is seriously slowed down. Before sowing seeds, the soil is prepared: it is dug deep enough, and, if necessary, fertilized with humus and compost. On such soil, the daikon will feel good. When to plant it? The vast majority of varieties of these Japanese root crops are planted from mid-June to the end of July. But there are plants planted later - in the first half of August. For planting, beds are formed (narrow and high) and, using a flat cutter, holes are made (about 10 cm deep). Next, they pave the way for the future daikon root - they “pierce” the substrate in the hole with a pin or pitchfork. It is advisable to add Nitrofoska fertilizer to the soil prepared for sowing seeds. Some gardeners use potassium s alt, superphosphates and ammonium nitrate. The seeds of the root crop are placed in the holes at a distance of up to 20 cm from each other, and 65 cm recede between the rows. After that, the planting material is watered from a watering can and the soil is raked (about 2 cm), tamping it a little. Thus, planting a daikon is not particularly difficult. All that is required of the gardener is to choose the right place, prepare and fertilize the soil,buy seeds and sow them. And shoots of Japanese radish will appear within 7 days. It is actively growing and quickly gaining leaf mass.
Daikon: cultivation and care (watering and pest control)
This sweet radish loves moisture, so especially in dry weather, it needs to be watered abundantly. After that, you should carefully loosen and weed the bed. Daikon also needs to be protected from pests. Most often, the root crop is affected by bedbugs, cabbage fly and cruciferous flea. In order to get rid of pests, you can use wood ash (dusting plants). Daikon does not tolerate even small frosts (from -2 ° C to -3 ° C), it freezes and loses its taste. Therefore, when cold weather sets in, it is necessary to protect root crops by covering them with non-woven material and film.
Daikon: cultivation and care. Harvest and storage
This root crop is a very early maturing plant, maturing in 50-70 days. For harvesting, a non-rainy day is chosen, at the end of October - the first decade of November. Daikon is carefully dug up with a pitchfork or a shovel, cleaned of soil and cut off the tops. The box is not touched. Sweet radish roots are stored for a long time (for 3 months), always in a cellar or basement in wet sand. It is also convenient to keep daikon in plastic bags in the refrigerator.
