A strange plant, fennel or pharmacy dill are increasingly gaining the attention of gardeners, and the spicy aroma and piquancy gladly use hostesses in the kitchen.
In the article we will tell what it is, what are the nuances of the agrotechnical plant, how to successfully grow it in the open field and at home.
Let us analyze in detail the main points in the care of the plant, also tell about the harvest and its proper storage.
The geography of this vegetable
Fennel is common in Europe, Canada and the United States, Central Asia. In Russia, fennel dill can be found in the middle lane and in the north-west. The homeland of the plant is considered the Mediterranean. In our latitudes to grow in the garden or in the country is not only possible but necessary!
Fennel is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals, so planting it in open ground, you can forget about a number of diseases.
Important! Despite the similarity of the name and appearance, the technology of growing fennel and dill are different.
Place and land for cultivation
To grow fennel, you need sufficient space on the site, since between the plants themselves there must be a distance of 20-25 centimeters. In addition, the line of fennel should be as far as possible from some other cultures, which will be discussed below.
- Land needs a very nutritious, loamy or sandy type.
- The level of acidity pH at the same time should be normal, about 0.7.
- The earth must be periodically loosened in order to receive enough oxygen.
Planting and care in the open field at the cottage
Fennel can be grown well in the open field. You can sow the plant immediately with seeds, you can first grow seedlings at home or in a greenhouse. It is important to choose a sunny spot for planting, fennel requires direct sunlight for normal growth.
Also, this culture will need sufficient space on the site, since fennel selects almost all the nutrients from the soil and other plants will have nothing to eat if the site is small and all cultures are planted next to each other.
There are key principles for growing fennel in an open field, which should be followed, as well as nuances, which will be more useful to know. For example:
- You should not plant fennel near tomatoes, peppers, legumes, spinach and cumin, as it tends to take all the nutrients in the soil and moisture with its powerful roots. Fennel neighbors will simply have nothing to take from the soil.
- But by planting it next to cucumbers and cabbage, you can forget about tla - it does not tolerate the smell of fennel. The main thing is not to skimp on watering, all the same, it will select moisture.
- This plant multiplies very quickly by self-sowing.
- It is necessary to have fennel away from cilantro and dill, as cross-pollination can occur.
- Flowering fennel attracts insect pollinators with its fragrance. For the gardener - this is a gift.
How to grow at home?
Home potted fennel usually grows up to four years. When landing in the apartment it is important to choose an open, well-lit place with direct hits of sunlight. Land for planting should be weakly alkaline and very nutritious.
Suitable loamy or sandy soil. The soil should be with good drainage. The level of acidity of the earth should be normal (0.7). You can take a universal primer in the store and add clay and turf.
When and how to plant?
Seeds
First of all, you need to prepare the seeds: to stratify the cold and process them with a stimulator for growth. On the site the best time for sowing is late spring, early June. Depending on the climatic conditions even at the end of June.
The soil must warm up.
- Sow in rows of 60 cm, dipping no more than 2 cm into the ground.
- After the first thinning, the plants should be 25 cm apart. At home, the best planting time for fennel is four weeks after the last spring frost.
- For planting it is better to bat small peat pots and plant there 3 or 4 seeds.
- Subsequently, you need to leave the strongest.
The ambient temperature should be 15-18 degrees.
Seedling
Seedlings can be grown at home from seed, and in the greenhouse. The technology is the same.
- First, the seeds are sown in a seedling pot or immediately in small pots.
- Then in the seedling pot a standard picking takes place with a step of about 20 cm. And in the pots one strongest plant is selected.
- Transplantation into open permanent soil is carried out 40-50 days after sowing.
Harvesting
When properly observed conditions, the first shoots appear after about 20 days. The rhizome can be collected about three months after sowing. When they become the size of a tennis ball, they can be safely cut with a knife.
The color of mature heads should be saturated white. To collect the cabbages, they need to pull out of the ground. Top tops cut with a knife, above the head of 12-15 centimeters. However, the leaves can be cut and without cleaning the heads. They are used in salads and cut throughout the entire growth period.
Seeds are harvested as they mature, when the flowers turn brown.
Important! Store the collected fennel seeds should be completely dried, placed in an airtight container and sent to a cool dark place.
General rules for plant care
Temperature
Although fennel is a native inhabitant of a warm climate, it is frost resistant. The best temperature range will be 20-30 degrees. But the first shoots are shown already at a temperature of 6 degrees.
Temperature condition:
- Minimum: 6 degrees;
- Maximum: 30 degrees;
- Optimally: 15-25 degrees.
Shine
For fennel you need an open lighted place with direct sunlight.
Watering fennel should be done at least every 5 days.
On 1 square meter should be 10-14 liters of water.
Top dressing
- The first feeding is done after thinning. Preparing a mixture of mullein: organic and water in a ratio of 1:10. You can use mineral fertilizers:
- ammonium nitrate;
- superphosphate;
- potassium salt and water according to the formula 10 grams plus 25 grams, plus 10 grams, plus 10 liters.
- The second feeding after 20 days one of the above solutions.
- The third dressing is made by superphosphates at the rate of 2 grams per 10 liters of water.
Loosening
Should occur regularly between the rows to saturate the soil with oxygen and prevent the formation of a crust on the soil surface.
Hilling
Every two to three weeks. The hilling procedure allows you to form a head.
Diseases and pests
Fennel greens are popular with many pests, such as:
- thrips;
- bed bugs;
- aphid;
- scoops;
- caterpillars;
- mole
Roots are attracted to Khrushchev.
Prone to plant and disease, such as chalcosporosis and fomoz. Cercosporosis is transmitted in seeds, and fomoz appears from contaminated soil.
You can not process fennel with any toxic chemicals!
- Aphids, thrips and other insects lacquerous greens destroy green soap. It is a harmless drug. It is necessary to prepare a solution of 200-400 grams of soap per 10 liters of water and process the plants.
- Khrushchey it is possible to win either by preliminary deep digging of the soil and mechanical destruction by hand. Either by digging around the beds of small ditches and by mechanical removal of the larvae crawling from time to time.
- Cercosporosis treated by pre-disinfection of seeds.
- Fomoz can be prevented by pretreatment of the soil with a saturated pink solution of potassium permanganate.
Important! Remove old or unhealthy plants in time, and also keep a distance between old and new plantings to prevent the development of diseases.
In the article we tried to highlight how this vegetable grows, to talk about the most important and interesting points concerning the cultivation and care of fennel. Increasingly, it can be found at cottages and plots of Russian residents, many have to taste its spiciness, and for some it is indispensable as a medicine of plant origin.
