Many gardeners are interested in how to water beets in open ground. After all, this is an important component of agricultural technology. Vegetable growers note that if you observe the humidity regime and combine it with watering beets with salt water, this will have a positive effect not only on yield, but also on the taste of the fruit. It is important to know that depending on the growing season, the crop reacts differently to soil moisture. To always have a good result, you must follow the rules.
Soil condition and how to determine it
Inexperienced gardeners use this rule: the more often you water the crop, the better it will be for it. But this opinion is wrong and often leads to crop loss. Both a lack and an excess of moisture have a negative impact on the development of root crops. The water level in the soil will help determine how much moisture the beets need.
The appearance of the soil is directly related to the degree of moisture. In this case, there are the following recommendations for watering:
- The soil looks like powder and does not gather in lumps - which means it is dry and needs abundant watering.
- The soil can collect in a lump, but when dropped from a long distance it easily crumbles into small pieces - moderate watering of the beets is necessary.
- The soil easily gathers into a lump, but does not break when hitting the ground and does not stick to your hands - it is in good condition, requiring watering only on hot days.
- The earthen mixture rolls into a ball without any problems and sticks to your hands - you can avoid watering for a week.
- Compression of the coma is accompanied by the appearance of wet drops - the soil is damp and does not need moisture for 14 days.
Intensity and frequency
As mentioned above, you need to water the crop only when it needs it. This is influenced by factors such as growth phase and environmental weather conditions. Beets are a vegetable that has the ability to store moisture. During dry periods, she uses it sparingly. Therefore, waterlogging can cause more harm to it than drought.
An adult plant can be left without water for at least 2 weeks. You can’t do this with young shoots that need careful care. If moisture has nowhere to go, it can lead to negative consequences. Root vegetables rot and crack over time.
How to water beets correctly?
Watering beets in open ground can be done in several ways:
- using a hose;
- drip irrigation;
- using a watering can;
- sprinkling method.
Using a hose
It is most often practiced by farmers in large vegetable plantations. Before watering, the hose is connected to the water supply system and stretched across the land. For these purposes, it is better to choose durable, flexible and two-layer products with nylon braid.
For uniform watering, you need to put nozzles on the hose. They spray jets of water, so moisture reaches the root crops in small parts without harming the sprouts.
The good thing about the hose is that it can be extended at any time using additional sections. They are connected to each other using special adapters. How often should you water the beets in this case? The hose is installed on land, leaving the pressure slightly below average. If the soil is sufficiently saturated, it is transferred to another place.
At the same time, gardeners must ensure that the pressure does not erode the soil and knock down the crop.
Advantages and disadvantages of this method
More suitable for medium-sized areas. It is impossible to use the hose over large areas, as its weight causes kinks and bends. Moving requires a lot of physical effort. If the product is made of poor quality material, it may leak and become unusable. Good hoses that will last a long time cost a lot more.
Drip irrigation
One of the optimal ways to saturate a crop with moisture is drip irrigation. People who can afford it say that the plant receives the required amount of liquid.In turn, this has a positive effect on vegetable growth and yield.
Among the advantages are the formation of a zone with directed moisture on the land plot. This saves water consumption and is suitable for any type of soil. This method does not create crust on the beds, which reduces human labor costs when working with the crop. The downside is the additional material costs.
Watering with a watering can
Beets can also be saturated with moisture using such a simple device as a watering can. The known method has a number of features:
- Containers with sown vegetable seeds are watered, going beyond the boundaries of the beds. Heavy drops often erode the soil and expose the seeds, thereby damaging the seedlings.
- While moving the watering can over the plants, monitor the water pressure so that it remains uniform. Then the soil will receive the same amount of moisture.
- A person independently regulates the watering force.
By watering the sprouts with water, the farmer knows that all the moisture is going to one specific piece of land. An important advantage is that after irrigation, the characteristic dried crust does not remain on the soil surface. It is not advisable to use a watering can on large beds. Suitable for watering seedlings or saturating a single plant with moisture.
Sprinkling
This method is also used over large areas. The advantage is the absence of pests and diseases when drops get on the tops. After watering, the ground is saturated with moisture, and the beets consume it moderately. Despite the fact that the soil does not need to be loosened after watering, installing the system requires considerable cash costs and constant high pressure in the water supply.
Water requirements
The use of ice water negatively affects the growth of the vegetable.Before use, it must be warmed up so that the plant is saturated with useful substances as best as possible. If precipitation occurs in cold weather, rainwater is also collected and left to a comfortable temperature for further irrigation. Otherwise, such a minor nuance may affect the yield.
Fertilizers
To obtain a rich beetroot taste, it is recommended to water the plant with solutions containing salt or boric acid. As a fertilizer, take wood ash and dilute it in water. Watering with fertilizers is carried out twice during the beet growing season. Using this technique, the concentration of sugars in root vegetables is increased, which makes their pulp juicy and sweet.
