How to plant fodder beets?

Fodder beets are an indispensable resource for the rural industry. It is these roots that turn out to be one of the main sources of nutrients for animals in the winter.

Before planting fodder beets, it is necessary to properly prepare both the site and the planting material itself.

Peas, corn and grains such as rye or wheat are considered optimal precursors for fodder beets. The culture will also feel good in the beds where zucchini, squash or pumpkins used to grow. However, even in this case, the culture is not recommended to be planted in the same place for several years in a row. Despite the regular application of fertilizers, nutrients in the soil will still be lacking. Moreover, after the first year, a sufficient number of pests, fungi and viruses accumulate in the ground that can negatively affect the next harvest. It is strictly forbidden to locate the culture in the former habitat of a sugar beet, perennial grasses or Sudanese.

The best soil for fodder beet is considered to be black soil, and the worst soil is sandy, clayey and marsh, which require at least fertilization to correct the composition and quality of the soil. The acidity level should be low or at least neutral, within the range of 6.2-7.5 pH. In principle, the culture is able to adapt to low-saline lands.

The composition of the preparatory work is determined depending on the condition of the soil. So, nutritious chernozem, sandy loam and loam do not require any additional fertilizers. Poor soils can be fed with organic matter and mineral components, but areas that are too salty, too acidic and prone to waterlogging will have to be abandoned.

The planned bed must be cleared of weeds, remnants of roots and other debris. If the weeds are represented mainly by cereals and dicotyledonous annuals, then they will need to be weeded twice, withstanding a two-week break. The fight against powerful perennials is carried out in the fall with the obligatory use of systemic herbicides. The active components of such drugs, getting on the surface of weeds, will move to the growth points, contributing to their death.

Digging the soil is also carried out in the autumn. This procedure is accompanied by the introduction of compost and wood ash. Each hectare will require 35 tons of the first component and 5 centners of the second. Immediately before planting seeds, the earth is again dug up and enriched with nitroammophos, 15 grams of which is enough for 1 running meter. It is important that the earth turns out to be loose, consisting of small lumps and slightly moistened.

Seeds collected independently or purchased in unreliable places must be disinfected. To do this, it is recommended to soak them for about half an hour in any disinfector, for example, potassium permanganate. Besides, 5-7 days before sowing, it is customary to pickle the material with such pesticides as "Scarlet" or "Furadan", which will further provide the crop with protection from pests. Processing the seeds for 24 hours with growth stimulants will accelerate the emergence of seedlings.Just before planting, the seeds will need to be slightly dried.

Some gardeners, wanting to ensure the uniformity of sowing, pre-calibrate the seeds by size, and then sow the formed groups separately. It also makes sense to soak the grains in clean water for 1-2 days in advance so that the pericarp can swell.

Plant fodder beets at such times that they have sufficient time for all stages of the growing season, lasting 120 to 150 days. This suggests that it will be necessary to plant seeds in open ground somewhere from the second half of March to the first week of April. In the northern regions, work continues from early April until the second half of May, in the middle zone it is limited to mid-March, and in the south of Russia it is organized even earlier, in early March. Of course, all these terms may vary depending on weather conditions. In any case, it is important that by this moment the temperature of the soil at a depth of 12 centimeters is plus 8-10 degrees.

Before planting beets, it is necessary to moisten the earth, and, on the contrary, dry the seeds themselves. According to the rules, the entire bed is divided into furrows with a distance between them equal to 50-60 centimeters. The material is buried to a depth of 3-5 centimeters. According to the scheme, at least 20-25 centimeters are also left between the individual holes. If everything is done correctly, then there will be 14-15 seeds per running meter, and for planting one hundred square meters, you will need to use 150 grams of material.

Next, the bed is covered with earth. Different sowing methods allow you to compact it manually or using a special roller. If the average temperature does not drop below +8 degrees, then the number of days that will be required for the emergence of the first shoots will be no more than 14. Warming up the air to +15 degrees will help the beets to sprout in 4-5 days.

It is necessary to add a few words about the accelerated cultivation of fodder beets. In this case, we are talking about the initial soaking of seeds and their germination at home for 3-5 days. As soon as the seeds hatch, they are planted in a greenhouse or greenhouse to receive seedlings. At this stage, the beets are fertilized twice with a mixture of 10 buckets of water, 1 bucket of mullein and 0.5 buckets of ash. From late May to early June, the plant can be transplanted into open ground.

Caring for fodder beets is not particularly difficult.

• The culture needs a lot of liquid, especially at first, when the seeds germinate, and the seedlings are strengthened. Irrigation should be carried out throughout the summer and increase significantly when the temperature rises to plus 30-35 degrees. However, waterlogging of the soil should not be allowed, and therefore it is recommended to organize special holes in the aisles for the withdrawal of excess.

• It is customary to accompany each watering by loosening the row spacings. This procedure does not allow the earth crust to solidify, and therefore provides uninterrupted oxygen access to the root system. The number of irrigations increases during the growth of fruits, and 3-4 weeks before harvesting, irrigation stops. This is done in order to strengthen the roots and improve their keeping quality.

• Weeding of the area should be regular. When two pairs of leaves appear on each specimen, the most thickened parts of the garden will need to be thinned out, leaving 4-5 seedlings on each running meter. During the procedure, it will be necessary to leave only the largest and healthiest specimens to grow further, located at a distance of at least 25 centimeters.

• Mineral fertilizers are needed for fodder beets twice a season. The first time feeding is organized immediately after thinning young plants, and the second time - 2 weeks later. During the first half of the growing season, the culture requires nitrogen - about 120 kilograms per hectare, and foliar feeding helps it more with the development of fruits. Potassium in the amount of 200 kilograms per hectare, as well as 120 kilograms of phosphorus for the same area, are embedded in the soil either in the spring or in the fall during plowing. Alternatively, it is proposed to use ammonium nitrate as the first fertilizer, which, together with water, is introduced into the soil in a proportion of 12 grams per running meter. After 14 days, it will be necessary to use already other mineral mixtures.

• Another feeding scheme involves the use of a nitrogen-containing mixture after thinning. For its preparation, 3 grams of ammonium nitrate, potassium sulfate and double superphosphate are taken, as well as 1 liter of water. The resulting amount is just enough to process 1 running meter of beds. From organic matter, mullein, diluted in a ratio of 1:10, or bird droppings, prepared in a ratio of 1:15, are suitable for beets.

• When the root crop begins to grow, for each running meter, you will need to add 4 grams of double superphosphate and potassium sulfate, combined with a liter of water. If desired, at least 15 days after the second feeding, fertilizers are applied for the third time. This procedure is possible if by that time there is still a month left before harvesting. The final feeding is carried out using 50 grams of calcium nitrate, 20 grams of potassium magnesium and 2.5 grams of boric acid. The dosage of the components corresponds to 1 square meter, but boric acid will need to be diluted in 10 liters of liquid before adding.

• Fodder beets often suffer from fungal diseasessuch as rust, powdery mildew or phomosis. In order to prevent the development of phomosis, even at the stage of seed preparation, it is worth using powder polycarbacin, 0.5 grams of which is enough to process 100 grams of planting material. Already affected plants are treated with boric acid in the amount of 3 grams per square meter. Regular application of mineral fertilizers can protect against the vital activity of leguminous aphids, bugs, fleas and other pests. Adding compost or wood ash to the soil in the fall is also a preventive measure.

• The appearance of a dirty white bloom on the leaf blades indicates a powdery mildew infection. To cure the beets, they are immediately treated with fungicides. The appearance of pale spots with a reddish border is evidence that the plant is suffering from cercospora. The problem is solved by introducing mineral compounds, as well as moistening the soil. Infected with phomosis, beets rots from the inside, and this insufficient boron content in the soil provokes. The introduction of the necessary component can correct the situation. Finally, stem and root rot is most often the result of waterlogging of the soil, which is quite easily corrected.