Content
Many novice gardeners at the end of the season are faced with a problem when carrots crack in the ground in the garden. This is mainly due to non-compliance with the rules of agricultural technology. And in order to prevent this in the next season, you need to find out the root cause of the problem and eliminate it. Otherwise, the carrots will crack constantly. You should also find out which varieties are more stable and maintain the integrity of the fruit even if mistakes are made in care.
Cracked root vegetables cannot be stored for long periods of time
Why do carrots crack and burst in the soil in the garden bed?
There are several main reasons that cause carrots to crack in the ground. All of them can be avoided if the gardener provides care and growing conditions taking into account the basic requirements of the crop.
Improper watering
Carrots belong to the category of plants that require watering. If this rule is violated, it will crack. It is necessary to irrigate the bed with root crops regularly in the absence of seasonal rains, but at the same time avoid overflowing.In the spring, after the snow melts, the soil is saturated with moisture. And during the active growing season, carrots do not need watering.
But with the arrival of summer, the moisture gradually evaporates, and the development of the root crop slows down. Heavy rain or heavy watering after a long drought causes the pressure in the soil to increase sharply. As a result, the cells of the root crop cannot cope with the load and burst from the inside. This causes the tissues to diverge and the carrots crack
Incorrect application of fertilizers
An excess of nutritional components in the soil or an incorrectly chosen dosage without taking into account the stage of crop development can also provoke a violation of integrity.
Fresh manure should not be added to the bed intended for planting carrots. This is due to the fact that its decomposition process takes place at high temperatures. And this can lead not only to cracking of the fruit, but also provoke the death of the plant.
Late harvest
The reason why the carrots are cracked lengthwise in the garden may also be untimely harvesting. This is especially true for early and middle varieties of crops. The growing season for these species ends at the end of summer. By this time, metabolic processes in the tissues of the fruit slow down.
During this period, carrots no longer require much moisture and nutritional components. And a long stay in the ground leads to the fact that the plant cannot consume them in full, which leads to cracking of the fruits.
The crop should not be in the ground after ripening
Unsuitable soil
For the full development of the root crop, loose soil with good aeration is needed. When planting carrots in clay soil, the vegetable experiences a lot of pressure.And during the growing season, trying to overcome it, it begins to crack.
Fatty soil is also not suitable for growing carrots. In this case, the root cells increase excessively in size. As a result, their walls cannot withstand the load and burst, resulting in carrots cracking.
Excess nitrogen
This crop does not respond well to excess nitrogen in the soil. Fertilizing with a high content of this component is possible only at the beginning of the growing season, when the plant is growing a leaf rosette. At the stage of root formation, excess nitrogen provokes excessive cell growth. This leads to carrot tissue becoming loose and increasing their sensitivity to the level of moisture in the soil. And any vibrations lead to the appearance of cracks.
What to do to prevent carrots from cracking
To prevent carrots from cracking in the ground, you need to follow certain care rules. Particular attention should be paid to site preparation, watering, fertilizing, and it is also important to harvest the crop in a timely manner, taking into account the ripening period of the variety.
If the site has dense clay soil, then it must be prepared first. To do this, it is necessary to add river sand and peat at the rate of 10 kg per square meter. m and dig up.
If this measure does not bring the desired result, and the carrots still crack during growth, then experienced gardeners recommend preparing their own beds from foreign soil. To do this, you need to dig holes 20-40 cm deep and fill them with nutritious soil mixture.It should consist of turf soil, leaf soil, peat, sand and humus in a ratio of 2:1:1:1:0.5. After this, the soil needs to be watered and the crop planted.
To prevent carrots from cracking, the beds can also be made in bulk. In this case, a layer of nutritious, well-drained soil must be laid on top of the dense soil. Only varieties that produce short fruit are suitable for planting. Otherwise, the underground part will subsequently reach a dense layer of earth, and the fruits will begin to crack.
The bed needs to be prepared in advance
In regions where summers are rainy and cool, it is recommended to plant cauliflower or lettuce between the rows of carrots. These plants are moisture-loving and will be able to balance the balance.
During prolonged drought, moderate watering can prevent fruit cracking. It should be done often every two days, but little by little. If a gardener can only come to the dacha on weekends, then the garden bed should be watered moderately for two days in a row.
When growing this crop, organic matter and nitrogen fertilizers should be used only in spring and the first month of summer. Subsequently, fertilizers with a high potassium content can be used. You can also use an extractor based on wood ash. To do this, pour 200 g of the component into 1 liter of hot water and leave for 24 hours. After time, add up to 10 liters of liquid and mix thoroughly. The resulting nutrient solution should be watered between the rows.
To prevent cracking of the root crop, it is necessary to harvest the crop in a timely manner.The timing can be determined depending on the length of the growing season of the variety. This information is contained on the packet of seeds, where the manufacturer indicates the recommended planting and harvesting dates.
Varieties of carrots that do not crack
There are varieties of crops that do not crack. Moreover, the fruits retain their integrity even despite mistakes made in care.
These include:
- Alenka. The length of the root crops reaches 15 cm. The duration of the growing season is 100 days. The fruits are sweetish in taste and juicy. The variety is suitable for long-term storage. It is resistant not only to cracking, but also to common diseases.
The yield of Alenka is 10 kg per 1 sq. m
- Karotel. The variety is characterized by a high content of carotene. Suitable for baby and diet food. The roots are short, cylindrical, with a blunt tip, their length reaches 15 cm.
The harvested Karoteli crop is stored until the next season
- Nantes 4. The variety ripens three months from the moment of germination. The fruits are smooth, cylindrical, with a rounded tip, and do not crack. Nanskaya 4 has a rich orange tint. The length of the root crops is about 16 cm.
Nanskaya 4 tolerates transportation and long-term storage well
- Chantenay Royal. The variety easily adapts to any climatic conditions. The duration of the growing season is 120 days. The length of the root crops reaches 17 cm. The storage period of the crop is nine months.
The Chantenay Royal variety is resistant to cracking and blooming
Application of carrots with cracks
Fruits with cracks cannot be preserved fresh for long. In this case, it is recommended to clean them, wash them thoroughly, and then lightly dry them.After this, the carrots need to be grated and the resulting vegetable mixture should be placed in Zip bags. The product must be stored in the freezer.
In this form, the root vegetable retains most of the vitamins and minerals. You can add the vegetable to salads, first and second courses.
Conclusion
Knowing the reasons why carrots crack, you can avoid this problem. To do this, it is necessary to irrigate taking into account the growing region and weather conditions, properly prepare the site, apply fertilizer in doses and harvest in a timely manner. Compliance with these rules ensures that the root vegetables will not only be tasty, but also not crack.
