Sorrel is a perennial herbaceous plant that has been cultivated by humans for many centuries. Several centuries ago in Russia, sorrel was considered a weed and began to be grown as an agricultural plant relatively recently. Growing sorrel on a windowsill at home is a fairly simple task. Sorrel is used to prepare green cabbage soup and dietary salads.
Necessary conditions for cultivation
In one place, sorrel grows for up to four years.Gradually, the plant begins to grow throughout the area, filling everything around. To prevent sorrel from turning into a weed from an agricultural crop, it must be planted regularly.
The first thing you need to pay attention to when growing sorrel, is the choice of site for the beds. The plant prefers to grow on loamy and sandy soils. Grass, especially wheatgrass, should not grow near the beds. Sorrel loves moist soil. At the same time, the water in the beds should not stagnate. This negatively affects productivity.
Based on this information, you can understand what growing conditions sorrel needs at home.
How to choose a container for planting?
To plant sorrel at home, use any container. It is best to make a large wooden box so that the sorrel feels comfortable. In addition, the plant is planted in flower pots, plastic containers and other containers. The main thing is that the container for the plant is large. Drainage (expanded clay, small pebbles or crushed shells) must be placed at the bottom of the selected container.
Sorrel grows well in fertile soil with low acidity. Drained peat soil is also suitable for planting the plant. If the soil for planting is used from the site, then before planting it must be calcined for two hours. And to make your work easier, you can purchase a ready-made soil mixture.
Preparing and planting seeds
In order to increase the germination of sorrel planting material, it must first be germinated.
Germination of planting material:
- You need to take a piece of gauze and soak it in warm water.
- Place the seeds in gauze and cover with the second part of the gauze.
- Remove the seeds to a warm place in the shade.
- After two days, the planting material will begin to germinate.
After the germination procedure, you need to start planting the seeds in the soil. You can also treat the seeds with a growth activator.
Pour pre-prepared soil into containers. Make depressions in the ground to a depth of 1.5 cm. The distance between the rows should be from 3 to 5 cm. Then begin sowing the planting material. Cover the top of the boxes with cling film. When the seeds begin to hatch, the film is removed.
Growing sorrel from seeds
It is quite possible to grow sorrel in home urban conditions. The main thing is to find more space so that the sorrel can grow comfortably. For example, it is very convenient to grow sorrel on glazed balconies on the south side. In the house you need to create all the necessary conditions that the plant requires.
For sorrel, you need to choose southern windows so that the seedlings have enough sunlight. If you place boxes with seedlings in the shade (for example, on northern windows), then they will grow poorly, and the leaves will turn yellow in a light green color. If there are no south windows in the house, you need to think about additional lighting. It needs to be turned on during the day for several hours.
Despite the fact that sorrel is a shade-tolerant crop, it is not recommended to place boxes with seedlings in the shade. She will still grow poorly. Without lighting, the leaves begin to stretch and become small. You can leave boxes with crops on the balcony, even if it is already late autumn outside.
Sorrel is able to grow at temperatures from +5 to +20 degrees. The cold is not scary for him.
Distillation from rhizomes
Another way to grow sorrel at home is to force the rhizomes. To force greenery at home, 2-4 year old rhizomes of the plant are used.There should be several young buds on the rhizome. You need to dig up material for planting a house in spring or autumn.
The rhizome is divided into several parts (if it is large) and planted in boxes. Cover the rhizome with soil on top and water it with a watering can. If the rhizome has long roots, then they are cut with sharp scissors so that they do not bend during planting.
But unlike the seed method, propagation through forcing rhizomes is not so popular. It is believed that herbs grown using this method quickly lose their quality. Therefore, preference should be given to the seed method of growing grass.
Caring for sorrel at home
When growing grass at home, you must not forget about the basic aspects of crop care. The main aspects of caring for bushes include:
- Regular watering.
- Loosening the soil.
- Removing weeds.
- Applying fertilizers to the soil.
Caring for bushes in the open ground is not much different from caring for bushes grown at home. The only thing is that in the fall there is no need to cut the greens at the root and cover the rhizome.
First of all, you need to remember that the crop loves abundant watering. Containers with bushes will have to be watered frequently. But the main thing is not to overdo it and not flood the soil. Plants do not grow well in waterlogged soil.
You only need to water with warm water. Ice-cold tap water is not suitable for irrigation. If it is hot outside and the room becomes too stuffy, the number of waterings of the grass boxes is increased. Dry soil causes bushes to throw out flower stalks. This, in turn, negatively affects the quality of the crop and its quantity. In winter, the amount of watering is reduced.But if the house is hot due to heating, then the boxes are watered based on the temperature in the room.
Another important aspect is loosening the soil. Once a week, before watering, the soil in the pots needs to be loosened. If necessary, weeds are also removed during loosening. Even when grown at home, weeds often appear in containers.
In addition to watering and loosening, do not forget about fertilizing. As mineral fertilizers, preference should be given to superphosphate, potassium chloride and urea. In addition, during the period of seedling growth, nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied to the soil.
First harvest
In order to understand when the plant begins to ripen, you need to remember the date of planting the seeds in the soil. 2 months are counted from this date. After two months you can already cut the leaves for food. Such terms are suitable both for growing bushes in open ground and for growing at home. The sorrel can be cut with a knife or simply torn off with your hands. But the first method is still preferable. This is necessary so as not to accidentally tear the entire bush out of the soil. For cutting, it is better to choose leaves that grow on the sides of the bush. It is not recommended to touch the leaves in the middle.
The best time to cut leaves is early in the morning. Leaves cut in the morning are juicier. Freshly cut leaves are used to prepare green cabbage soup (together with nettles and other herbs). They are also added to salads or simply eaten fresh. But not everyone will like the taste of fresh sorrel. People with high stomach acidity and gastritis need to be especially careful.
