Content
Daikon Minowasi is a variety that is preferred only by experienced gardeners. The reason is that the plant is only able to develop when daylight hours are waning. When planting early, the root crop certainly goes in the direction.
Late-ripening vegetables must be planted in the ground in the second half of summer, which disrupts the usual rhythm of agricultural work.
History of variety selection
Daikon is a type of radish and radish. However, unlike them, it does not have a specific bitterness. Japan is considered the birthplace of the root vegetable. There, daikon is in first place in terms of crop area.
In Russia, the culture did not receive such a spread. However, some gardeners grow vegetables. Daikon Minowashi is one of the few popular varieties. In 2005, the Avista company applied to register Minovasi. And since 2007, the variety has been included in the State Register of the Russian Federation.
Description of the Minowashi daikon
The length of the root crop of the Minovasi variety reaches 60 cm, and its diameter is 10 cm. The root weight reaches 1.5 kg. The shape of the fruit is cylindrical, tapering towards the tip.The foliage in the rosette is located vertically upward, the outermost one leans towards the ground. The leaves are dissected, dark green with a gray tint, medium size.
The pulp of the Minowasi root vegetable is juicy, tender, and dense. There is no such thing as porous and loose. The taste is sweetish. The skin is thin, white, green near the base.
Characteristics of the variety
The Minowasi daikon variety is recommended for cultivation in all regions of the country. Late ripening variety. Biological maturity of the fruit occurs approximately 70-75 days after sowing the seeds. But you don’t have to wait for this period, but consume daikon 7-10 days earlier. In order for a vegetable to have a long shelf life, it must be fully ripe, its taste retained for up to six months.
There are also other “doubles” of the variety.
Productivity
According to the varietal characteristics of the Minowasi daikon, from 1 sq. m harvest up to 13 kg of crop. After harvesting, the fruits are shaken off the ground, dried a little and transferred to a dark place. Favorable storage temperature is 0-5 °C. Shelf life 2-3 months.
Resistance to diseases and pests
If agricultural practices are incorrect, the Minowasi daikon suffers from the following bacterial diseases:
- vascular and mucous bacteriosis;
- mosaic;
- clubroot;
- blackleg.
To cope with the infection and remove it from the garden, you need to use antibacterial drugs, such as Planriz and Binoram.
Among the pests that pose a real danger to root crops are slugs, cabbage flies, cruciferous flea beetles, cutworms, and aphids. You can fight parasites using laundry soap, a low concentrated solution of potassium permanganate, hot red pepper and other folk methods. Or resort to bioinsecticides in the form of “Bitoxibacillin”, “Actofit”, “Lepidotsid”. They should be used according to the attached instructions.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The daikon variety Minowashi is characterized by the following positive qualities:
- precocity;
- productivity;
- the possibility of planting daikon after the previous batch of vegetables has already been collected;
- excellent taste;
- valuable mineral composition of the root crop;
- absence of increased requirements during the growing process;
- environmental friendliness, the vegetable does not accumulate harmful substances.
Now about the disadvantages. Firstly, it is low frost resistance. Air temperatures of + 10 °C and below will be considered unfavorable for daikon of the Minowashi variety. Secondly, long daylight hours. As a result, the root crop blooms and loses valuable taste. The vegetable is planted in early spring or late summer.
Planting and caring for Minowasi daikon
Growing daikon is as easy as growing any other vegetable. The only difficulty is choosing the right time for planting. Everything depends not even on the climatic characteristics of the region, but on the weather conditions on the day of landing. It is important that the vegetable goes to the root and does not begin to bloom.
Landing dates
There are spring and summer plantings of daikon.
In spring, it is better to plant vegetables as early as possible. You should not be afraid of cold weather; the seeds will survive even severe frosts. However, the fruit of spring daikon cannot be stored for long.It, like radishes, should be consumed after ripening. This vegetable is also more prone to bolting. When growing in greenhouses, it is better to plant at the end of March or early April. For open ground, the time shifts slightly - the last week of April or the beginning of May.
In summer, daikon varieties Minowasi are planted from early July to early August. Usually, root crop seeds are sown in beds after dill, green onions, and lettuce. The advantage of summer planting is that there are fewer pests during this period, and such a vegetable is capable of long-term storage. However, the root crop may not have time to grow to its maximum size.
Preparing the bed
It is advisable to choose a sunny site for daikon. When growing a plant in the shade, the foliage will be thin and long, and the root crop itself will be small and gnarled. The beds where tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, and onions were previously grown are well suited. Radishes and cabbage are not the best predecessors. The Minowasi daikon variety is undemanding in terms of soil composition. The only thing is that it is harder to pull a ripe vegetable out of dense soil.
Preparing a site for planting daikon involves digging up the soil, which has been previously fertilized. For 1 sq. m need:
- humus with a volume of 10 liters and 200 g of wood ash;
- 10-15 g of potassium sulfate and urea;
- 20-30 g of nitroammophoska.
This mineral complex is used to replenish the soil, restoring reserves that have been used up.
Landing rules
Having decided on the timing of planting the Minowashi daikon, you should move on to the immediate process of planting and care afterwards.
- Furrows are formed on the bed at a distance of 50-60 cm from each other, 3 cm deep.
- Water the soil with warm water and wait until it is completely absorbed.
- Seeds of the Minowashi daikon variety are planted every 20 cm.
- Sprinkle with earth and tamp down a little.
- For faster germination, the area is covered with film or agrofibre.
- After 5-6 days, the shelter is removed.
Aftercare
Further measures for caring for vegetable crops include regular watering, loosening, and weeding.
Minowashi daikon should be watered regularly and moderately. Lack of moisture makes it bitter, dry and harsh in taste. Excessive moisture leads to cracking of the fruit. On average, it is enough to water once every 5 days. On hotter days, the procedure should be done more often. During the rainy season - less often. It is necessary that the soil around the daikon is moist. Dry soil will have negative consequences.
During the entire growing season, you need to ensure that no weeds grow near the plant and that the soil is loose. After each moistening procedure, the soil must be weeded and loosened. When the roots appear on the surface, they begin to hill up to protect them from possible damage.
Collection and storage
2 weeks before harvesting, stop watering the Minowashi daikon variety. And moisten the soil slightly before harvesting. The root crop itself is dug up and carefully dragged by the tops. The main thing is that it doesn’t break off. Deformed, broken, diseased plants cannot be stored for long periods of time. They are used first.
After drying, remove the soil and leaves.You can store the vegetable in the refrigerator or cellar. The shelf life for the Minovasi variety is up to six months.
Pest and disease control
Preventive measures will help protect vegetables from health problems:
- comply with crop rotation requirements;
- prepare seeds for planting;
- delete weeds, loosen the soil;
- timely treat root crops against pests;
- plant marigolds next to the Minowasi daikon bed.
Conclusion
Daikon Minowashi is a late-ripening variety. Under favorable weather conditions, its weight reaches 4 kg. The root vegetable is valuable for its medicinal properties. When planted in summer, the vegetable will be stored almost until spring and will relieve the body of vitamin deficiency and colds.
