Daikon Minowashi, which has several subspecies, differs from the radish familiar to Europeans in taste, shape, and content of nutrients. Crops of root crops developed by the Japanese occupy vast areas in this state. Residents of the Land of the Rising Sun prepare side dishes from vegetables, enjoy eating young shoots, canning and pickling both leaves and root vegetables. Perhaps, thanks to the rich composition of daikon, the Japanese have an amazing ability to work and live a long time.
Description of the variety
A distant relative of mid-season vegetable species is loba.By crossing this green radish, the Japanese obtained a root vegetable that is as common among them as potatoes in Europe and America. In Russia, some summer residents have been growing Minovasi for almost 10 years. It is this variety that is present in the register of breeding achievements.
The daikon root vegetable is much larger than the radish. In 2 months it grows to almost half a meter in length. The diameter of the upper part of the vegetable does not exceed 10 cm; it tapers at the bottom. "Big root" has:
- cylindrical shape;
- delicate and thin skin;
- juicy and dense pulp;
- sweetish taste.
The dissected leaves form a beautiful rosette. They, like root vegetables, do not accumulate pesticides or toxic substances and are consumed fresh. When the vegetable ripens, it rises above the garden bed, covered with lush greenery on top.
The refreshing pulp of Minowasi contains:
- pectins;
- phytoncides;
- proteins;
- beta-carotene;
- microelements.
The root vegetable helps cleanse the body of waste and toxins. When consumed, swelling goes away, the liver restores its functions, radioactive particles are eliminated, and cholesterol levels decrease. The vegetable speeds up the treatment of influenza and copes with acute respiratory infections.
Growing
Minowasi belongs to the late daikon varieties, ripens after 70 days, but the root crop is good and green. The beneficial properties of ripened vegetables are preserved until winter. To grow it, timely planting and care are necessary.
If you choose the right time for sowing, the root will develop quickly. In the heat and long daylight hours, the crop blooms, but the vegetable will be small and will not please you with its juiciness and taste.
If you plant Minowasi in March or April, it will not ripen until July, and in this month the heat begins, the plant shoots arrows. In the south it is better to start sowing in August. In the middle zone you need to monitor the weather.In order for the root crop to ripen, it is advisable to plant this daikon variety in the second half of summer.
When sown after July 15, Minowasi is not affected by insects. Cruciferous flea beetles cannot tolerate cold nights. Since the top of the vegetable rises above the ground, it is hilled up or covered with agricultural cloth. Thanks to this, frosts that come to Russia after the 2nd decade of September will not harm the plant.
Experienced gardeners advise beginners to sow vegetables in mid-summer, and then a couple of weeks later. This will help you choose the optimal timing for planting Minowasi.
Preparing beds and seeds
In order for a daikon to reward large root crops, a site for it must be selected where the rays of the sun fall all day. It is better to grow vegetables where they were previously planted:
- tomatoes;
- potato;
- onion;
- cucumbers
Unsuccessful predecessors for daikon are cruciferous crops, radishes and cabbage.
The Minowasi variety is undemanding to the soil, but it is quite difficult to pull the root crop out of clay. Loosening the soil can correct the situation. Peat and straw, sawdust and dry leaves, mown grass and chopped bark are suitable for this.
Before digging, the soil in the garden bed is fertilized. A glass of ash and a bucket of humus are taken per square meter of area. For feeding, you can also use a spoonful of superphosphate, urea and calcium salt.
Holes for Minowasi seeds are marked every 20 centimeters, leaving up to 70 cm between rows. Some gardeners prefer a 40x40 planting pattern. When seeds are planted at a depth of 20 mm, root crops sprout quickly and vigorously. To prevent the soil in the garden from becoming crusty, summer residents act differently:
- Furrows are made at a distance of 60 centimeters.
- Water is poured into them and grains are placed.
- Soil is poured on top.
Minowashi daikon is not grown in seedlings because the crop does not tolerate pickling. Large vegetables are harvested from fertile and light soils; on acidic soils, the yield is much lower.
Before Minowasi seeds are planted in the garden, they are placed in water, the temperature of which is about 50 degrees, and after 20 minutes they are transferred to ice water. Then put it in the refrigerator for a day. After stratification, the seed is soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate.
Root crops are stored for a long time if planted in July. Harvest in the fall before frost begins.
Features of care
Minowasi usually requires thinning when sprouts appear. The soil under the crop must be loosened, watered, and weeds removed. Lack of moisture leads to bitterness in root vegetables; if there is too much moisture, they crack.
When the vegetable rises above the soil, they resort to hilling. You can replace such a labor-intensive procedure by mulching the bed with compost or peat. Water the crop 2 times a week; in extreme heat and drought, moisturize every other day.
Organic matter containing a lot of nitrogen is not suitable for feeding Minowasi, since the growth of tops increases. It is better to buy a comprehensive package at a specialized retail outlet fertilizer in the form of vermicompost, Clean Slate, Agricola. Fertilizing is combined with watering.
Advantages and disadvantages
Even in ancient times, the Japanese appreciated the taste and unique properties of daikon. Not a single family can live without this product; root vegetables are used in many cuisines of other countries, in folk recipes for the treatment of diseases.
The Minovasi variety is not afraid of heat, but suffers from low temperatures, and has many advantages, including:
- delicate taste of the pulp;
- lack of bitterness;
- high yield.
Not only root vegetables are eaten, but also young tops and leaves. One vegetable weighs up to 1.5 kg, and more than 10 kilograms are harvested per square meter. Minowasi are planted by digging up potatoes, garlic, picking tomatoes or onions. The plant does not accumulate toxins, but has medicinal properties. Root crops have time to ripen even when sown in the second half of summer.
A significant disadvantage of the variety is that with long daylight hours, the yield decreases sharply, as arrows form, which is why the development of root crops stops.
Minowasi reacts negatively to low air temperatures.
Pests and diseases
Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology, disinfection of seeds before planting, and removal of weeds helps prevent the occurrence of many problems in plants. Minowasi sometimes suffers:
- from felt disease;
- from the black leg;
- mucous bacteriosis;
- mosaics.
Root vegetables become crushed, become tough and bitter when the plant is infected with fungi that cause Kila disease. To eliminate it, biological products Planriz or Binoram are used. To combat blackleg, Minovasi is watered with Fitosporin.
When slugs appear in the garden bed, dig a ditch into which wood ash is poured. When a crop is affected by mosaic, the soil is watered with a solution of potassium permanganate, and the diseased plants are destroyed. Marigolds can be sown around the Minowasi planting; many insects cannot tolerate the aroma of these flowers.
To cope with vascular bacteriosis and wet rot, plants are treated with fungicides Mikosan, Climate, Phytocid. Khrushchev larvae and cutworm wireworms cause great damage to root crops.The drugs Calypso, Actellik, Prestige, and Masterpiece help get rid of insects.
Harvest and storage
To use Minowashi daikon in salads or side dishes, the root vegetables are dug up 2 months after the sprouts emerge. A ripened vegetable lies until spring without losing its taste and beneficial properties. To avoid damaging it, when removing it from the ground, water the soil. It is unlikely that you will be able to pull out the root crop without a shovel.
Before placing Minovasi in a basement or cellar, where the temperature should not be higher than 4 degrees Celsius, the tops are cut off, dried and placed in boxes, sprinkled with river sand. Frozen vegetables and root vegetables with damaged skin will not be stored. They are used to prepare salads with dill and mayonnaise, stew Minovasi together with squid, cut into rings, pickle and salt. In Japan, sushi is served with a side dish of daikon.
Low-calorie root vegetables are recommended for people who want to lose weight. A healthy and tasty vegetable, Minowasi is used for cooking in many countries; in addition to medicines, it is used to treat colds, resolve swelling, remove toxins and radiation from the body.
