SORREL ON THE WINDOW SILL OR BALCONY: IS IT POSSIBLE TO GROW AT HOME FROM SEED AND BY DISTILLATION, HOW TO PROPERLY PLANT AND WHAT CONDITIONS TO FOLLOW WHEN CARING FOR HERBS?

In the cold season, when the harvest season is over, we often lack fresh herbs in the diet.

The solution to this issue can be growing some crops at home. One of the popular plants for the home garden is sorrel.

This plant exhibits anti-inflammatory, antiscorbutic, tonic, stimulating digestion, hemostatic and tonic action. Find out how to grow this plant at home.

Can I plant greens on the windowsill or balcony?

In order to enjoy the succulent leaves of sorrel in the winter, it is not necessary to wait for the summer season or buy it in the store. This culture feels good and at home. There are over 200 species of sorrel. They may differ in taste, germination, size of shoots and leaves. Different types may also differ in the most appropriate methods of preparation. But most of them can be grown on the windowsill or in the insulated loggia without much hassle.

Top Grades

At home, can grow almost all varieties of sorrelbut best suited for this.

Altaic

Large, green, oblong-ovate leaves. Gives a good harvest, moderately sour, resistant to stalking. Good for use in salads, in fresh form.

Maikop

Large, yellow-green leaves wide ovoid. Yield and taste is not inferior to the Altai. Leaves more fleshy. Suitable for dishes with heat treatment: soup, pie, preservation, etc.

Belleville

Early variety. The leaves are small, light green. Moderately sour, with a high content of vitamin C. Suitable for fresh consumption.

Large leaf

The leaves are large, green. Gives good yields, but is not resistant to stalking. Universal in use.

The choice of variety depends on the desired method of preparation, preferences in appearance.

How to correctly choose a place?

Sorrel - a culture quite unpretentious. In the home garden will feel great on the windowsill and on the insulated loggia. But there are several nuances on the choice of location.

For the cultivation of sorrel, as for any greenery, it is best to choose a window overlooking the southern side. However, he is patient and a little shading. In winter, when the sunny day becomes short, it is recommended to put additional lighting. It is necessary so that the shoots of the plants are not stretched. An additional light source may be a fluorescent lamp installed at a height of about 60 cm.

Sorrel - quite cold-resistant plant. The optimum temperature range for it is from + 5 ° С to + 20 ° С. Under natural conditions, it is able to withstand frosts down to -7 ° C. But in the home it is better not to create similar stressful conditions for him. If you have a loggia in which the temperature is above zero even in winter time, then this will be the best option.

The soil for growing sorrel is best to choose slightly acidic, fertile, peat. Soil can be brought from your summer cottage, if it is suitable for growing this crop. In this case, it is necessary to carry out a disinfecting procedure in order to destroy the bacteria and avoid plant diseases in the future. Or you can use the purchase of a universal substrate. Do not forget about the drainage layer.

Which pot to take?

For the cultivation of sorrel, you can use a flower pot, a plastic container, a wooden box. Best of all will fit a container made of wood under the dimensions of the window sill. The height of the pot for planting should be at least 20 cm for good growth and development of the root system. It is desirable to fill the drainage layer at the bottom of the tank. It also requires the presence of holes for the withdrawal of excess moisture.

Planting seeds

When selecting seeds, first of all you need to focus on the plant variety. It is also necessary to check the expiration date, storage conditions, package integrity. It is best to buy seeds in specialized stores.
Once you have decided on the choice of seeds, prepared the soil and capacity for planting, you can start growing. First of all, it is recommended to soak the seeds in warm water overnight, covering with gauze. You can add a special nutrient solution for quick germination.
Further, in the soil prepared in advance, it is necessary to make small furrows about 1 cm deep at a distance of 7-10 cm from each other. In them to fill the seeds at a distance of 4-5 cm between them. After sowing, fill the furrows with soil and moisten the soil with plenty of water. For more intensive shoots, you can cover the container with plastic wrap.
The time of seedlings depends on the sorrel variety, usually it takes from 3 days to a week. After shoots have appeared, the film should be removed. After 3-4 leaves have formed on the seedlings, the plants should be thinned out as necessary.

Growing by forcing

There is another way to grow sorrel at home. This division of rhizomes and forcing greenery of them. This method can be applied if the sorrel of the variety you need grows in your country house.

In the adult bush (2-3 years) it is necessary to dig up the rhizome. It is better to do this in late October - early December.
After that, the rhizome is shortened to a length of 10-12 cm and planted in the prepared moist soil.
The first week should be kept in a cool place, then put into heat. During the entire process, the soil must be moistened abundantly.

This method is suitable only if you already have a plant in the country. And it requires much more time and effort than growing from seed. In addition, on the rhizome, you can transfer pathogenic bacteria from open ground to domestic conditions, which threatens with diseases of both the sorrel itself and other domestic plants. Therefore, it is recommended to grow sorrel from seeds.

Distillation of greenery from rhizomes is carried out in boxes, at a temperature of + 17- + 20 ° С. In prepared, as described above, the planting capacity is planted root, abundantly moisturize the ground and periodically feed up.

Care culture at home

Sorrel loves moisture, but in moderation, so you need to moisten the soil as needed.
1-2 times a month, you can apply additional fertilizer fertilizer for indoor plants in accordance with the instructions.
So should loosen the soil, so that moisture and oxygen better penetrate to the roots of the plant.
After the seedlings have been thinned, you should monitor the temperature, sunlight and moisture. If you follow these factors, then soon the sorrel will delight you with a fresh harvest.

If you grow sorrel on a balcony or loggia, you should not have it in place of drafts. If at night the temperature does not fall below + 5 ° C, then you can not bring it into the room.

If sorrel grows on your window-sill, you should remember that he does not like direct sunlight.. In the process of growth it is not recommended to frequently rearrange the capacity with shoots.

Harvesting

Harvest sorrel can, when the leaves reach 7-10 cm in height. They should be cut with scissors or manually, carefully so as not to damage the growth buds. The harvest is recommended to eat right away, as long as it preserves all the vitamins and beneficial properties.

After pruning the first harvest, the plants will continue to delight you with fresh greens for a long time. In place of the cut leaves will appear new.

Sorrel also gets along well with others, similar in conditions, plants. You can plant it with arugula, spinach. But so that the plants do not interfere with each other.

Diseases and pests

The most common diseases and pests of sorrel:

aphid;
slugs;
snails.

Carefully ensure that they do not appear on sorrel and other indoor plants. In order to avoid these troubles, the soil should be properly treated before sowing.

Growing greens at home during the winter time is a great solution. in a period of vitamin deficiencies. It does not require much effort and special skills, and your green mini-garden will delight you with fresh and tasty greens, even in the most severe frosts.