Content
Radishes are one of the suppliers of the first spring vitamins. Many gardeners try to choose seeds of early varieties and hybrids in order to harvest quickly. The radish variety Rudolph, which many consider a hybrid, belongs to them.
Description
The Rudolf radish variety was created by the Dutch company Bejo Zaden, one of the leaders in the seed production market. Its ripening period is one of the earliest. The harvest can be harvested 16-20 days after germination. In cold weather, this period is slightly extended - up to 25 days. The round-shaped root crops of the Rudolph variety, up to 4 cm in diameter, have a rich red color with shine. Their weight is average - 20-25 g. The taste is very good, rich, the pungency is weakly expressed. The snow-white pulp is juicy.
The bush of the Rudolph variety is not tall. The leaves do not grow higher than 15 cm. Its yield is high: from each square meter you can collect up to 2.5 kg of tasty and healthy root vegetables. The purpose of radishes of the Rudolph variety is to obtain early bunched products.
The radish variety Rudolf was included in the State Register in 2002. It is suitable for growing in the spring in open ground and in stationary greenhouses year-round.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages and disadvantages of the Rudolph variety can be summarized in a table.
Advantages | Flaws |
Early ripeness and friendly yield of the harvest | Does not tolerate lack of moisture well |
Root crop uniformity | Does not like excess mineral and organic fertilizers; they must be strictly dosed |
Excellent taste |
|
High yield |
|
Ability to be stored for a long time and good presentation |
|
High immunity to diseases |
|
Ability to tolerate low light and color resistance |
|
Preparing seeds for sowing
Radish seeds from Bejo Zaden are completely ready for sowing. They are treated with thiram and do not require soaking. Seeds of the Rudolph variety from domestic producers are available for sale.
They will have to be prepared as follows:
- calibrate - large seeds will sprout earlier and give a good harvest;
- place in hot water for 15 minutes, its temperature should be 45 degrees;
- wrap in a damp cloth for a day to swell.
Features of cultivation
To place Rudolph radishes, you need to choose a sunny place. Warning! Its predecessors should not be cruciferous vegetables.
The acidity of the soil does not matter much. Rudolph radishes grow well in both slightly acidic and slightly alkaline soil. Soil with a high humus content is best suited for this crop.
In the open ground
The sowing pattern is 5x15 cm, where the first number is the distance between the seeds, and the second is between the rows.
It is better to prepare the bed in the fall, and simply loosen it in the spring: radishes can be sown very early. In the fall, mineral fertilizers are also applied: 20 g of superphosphate and potassium sulfate per square meter. m.
Sowing algorithm:
- we make furrows on the loosened bed - on fertile soil no deeper than 2 cm, on thin soil - 4 cm;
- add a layer of humus 2 cm high on thin soil;
- sprinkle the grooves with ash and add a little nitrogen mineral fertilizer. Radishes of the Rudolph variety do not tolerate excess nitrogen in the soil; it causes the root crops to become flabby and lose their round shape.
- spread the seeds at a distance of 5 cm and fill the grooves;
- if the soil is dry, they need to be well watered.
You can sow radishes at several times.
- In early spring. Rudolph radishes can be sown in open ground immediately after the snow melts. To warm the soil better, cover it with film before sowing.
- Starting from the end of July. At this time, the days become shorter, so marketable root crops can be obtained. With more than 12 hours of daylight, even the bloom-resistant radish variety Rudolph can partially produce flower shoots.
- Before winter. The bed for winter sowing is prepared in advance by making grooves in it. Sowing begins when the ground is already frozen. Fill the grooves with dry peat or humus. Before winter, radishes of the Rudolph variety are sown only with dry seeds, increasing the seeding rate by 2 times.
Further care consists of thinning if the seedlings are very dense, loosening the soil and mandatory watering. If there is a lack of moisture, the root crops of the Rudolph variety will become woody and lose their juiciness.
In the greenhouse
The soil in the greenhouse is prepared in the same way as for open ground, but the sowing time is different. In an unheated greenhouse you can sow as early as March. And if it is heated, then all year round.
To use the limited greenhouse area to the greatest advantage, the distance between rows can be reduced slightly.Caring for root crops in a greenhouse has its own characteristics:
- crops need to be watered regularly, preventing the soil from drying out;
- The air temperature should be regulated by ventilation - it should not be higher than 20 degrees Celsius.
Even in an unheated greenhouse, you can harvest at the end of April.
Problems during cultivation
Despite the short growing season, gardeners often encounter problems when growing Rudolph radishes. They can be summarized in a table.
Problem | Cause | What to do |
No shoots | Sowing too early in cold soil - the seeds rot | Warm up the soil before sowing |
There are tops, but no roots | There is little potassium in the soil, the bed is poorly lit | Plant in a sunny place, add ash when sowing |
Hollow and fibrous roots | Too much nitrogen in the soil, unreasonably deep planting, late harvest | Water on time, do not bury crops, harvest root crops in a timely manner |
Plants shoot | Late or thickened sowing, damage to the root system during loosening, old seeds | Use of fresh seeds, optimal sowing times, thin out, pinching out excess plants |
Diseases and pests
It happens that even if all the necessary conditions are met, it is not possible to obtain a harvest. And pests or diseases are to blame for this. The table will tell you what they are like.
Disease or pest | How does it manifest itself and when does it cause harm? | How to fight | Prevention measures |
Blackleg | The root collar darkens and rots | Treatment with a solution of 2 tbsp. spoons of copper sulfate dissolved in 10 liters of heated water | Pre-sowing heating of seeds |
Blackening of roots | Rot and bluish spots on the roots | Remove diseased plants, disinfect the soil in the greenhouse | Sowing only in light soil without stagnant water |
Downy mildew | White coating on leaves | Removing diseased plants | Seed disinfection |
Fomoz or dry rot | All parts of plants have white spots with black dots | Proper care and timely weeding | Warming up the seeds |
Cruciferous flea beetle | As soon as the soil warms up to 10 degrees | Fitoverm treatment, dusting wet leaves with ash | Spraying with a solution of shampoo against fleas in dogs, dilute 3 tablespoons in a bucket of water |
Spring vegetable fly | When the cherry blossoms | Treatment with Fitoverm or Karbofos | Watering with salt water - a glass in a bucket |
Cabbage white caterpillars | Harm crops in the second half of summer | Treatment with Iskra or Fitoverm | Planting marigolds next to radishes |
The leaves of the plant are damaged by cruciferous flea beetle.
Root rot.
Conclusion
The Rudolph variety is an excellent choice for those who want to get an early harvest of tasty and marketable root crops.
Excellent variety, the best of those that I have sown for 10 years