Sugar beets are grown mainly by enterprises that produce sugar and are used for this variety with a high level of sugar content in the root crops. But any summer resident can cultivate the crop at home. If necessary and subject to all growing conditions, it will be possible to grow a good harvest.
Sugar beets: description
Sugar production depends on the type of sugar beet; the higher the sucrose content in the root crops, the better it is for the enterprise. But not only industrial companies are engaged in growing beets. Summer residents also use sugar beets on their farms. Sugar beets are used to make winter feed for livestock. Root vegetables are used in cooking to prepare various dishes.
Sugar beet belongs to the regular subspecies. In the first year after planting the seeds in the soil, an elongated root crop with white pulp is formed. A lush rosette of leaves forms on the soil surface. In addition to sucrose, root vegetables contain microelements and vitamins that are beneficial for humans (magnesium, iodine, iron, vitamins C, PP and B). The use of sugar beets as food is contraindicated only for people suffering from diabetes.
Choosing soil for growing sugar beets
The technology for cultivating sugar beets in open ground primarily depends on the structure of the soil. Sugar beets can grow in any type of soil, but this does not mean that poor, infertile soil is suitable for them. On the contrary, when the composition of the soil deteriorates, the bushes quickly react to this and begin to grow worse. On sandy and clay soils, root crops grow poorly and grow small.
The level of yield and productivity depends primarily on the variety; the second important aspect is the soil that is used for cultivation. The optimal type of soil for the crop is considered to be light, acid-neutral soil types. It is important that the soil has good permeability to water and oxygen. It is best if the seeds are sown in black soil. Gray soils and dried peat bogs are suitable for cultivation.
Another important aspect of growing an agricultural crop is the presence of a water-retaining layer in the soil at a depth of at least 60 cm. The main thing is that the water is not too close to the root crops, otherwise they will begin to rot and disappear. If the liquid goes into the lower layers of the soil, the growth of the bushes will slow down.
Predecessors for beets in crop rotation
When growing sweet sugar beet varieties, it is important to follow the rules of crop rotation. This is an important aspect of vegetable growing, on which the success of growing crops depends. Growing crops that produce root crops, primarily beets, is prohibited after the following plants:
- Chard.
- Cabbages.
- Radish.
- Rapeseed.
- Kohlrabi cabbage.
- Spinach.
- Rutabagas.
- Legumes.
- Ryzhika.
- Turnip.
- Radishes.
- Mustards.
This is due to the fact that the above plants suffer from the same diseases as beets. And if the soil was contaminated during their cultivation, then the risk of developing diseases on sugar beets is high. You cannot plant the same crop on a plot for several years in a row. The soil becomes poor and subsequent plantings will not have enough nutrients for normal growth.
Vegetables and herbs are good precursors for sugar beets. It is best to plant seeds after winter wheat and barley. Areas where potatoes used to grow are suitable. Provided that at this time the area was thoroughly cleared of weeds (beets and potatoes have common weeds).
For summer residents, this option is the most acceptable, because wheat and barley are not grown for household use.
Autumn and spring tillage
In the first year of growing sugar beets, it is important to prepare the soil for planting planting material. Typically, soil preparation begins in the fall after harvesting from the site.The ground is thoroughly cleared of weeds. They dig to a depth of at least 20 cm. Harmful insects usually prefer to overwinter on this layer, and with the onset of spring they lay larvae. It is they who subsequently spoil the yield.
Cultivation features include preparing beds in the spring for sowing. After all the snow has melted and the ground has warmed up, it is dug up again and organic or mineral fertilizers are applied. In spring, it is not advisable to introduce fresh, undecomposed manure. Dry straw from grain crops is used as top dressing during spring soil preparation.
Fertilizers for beets
The technology for growing sugar beets in open ground depends on the frequency of application of mineral and organic fertilizers. In the fall, during the period of digging up the soil, fertilizing is applied to it. For 1 hectare you need to use 35 kg of manure and 2 kg of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. At this moment or two weeks after the first feeding, nitrogenous fertilizers are applied in an amount of 1 kg. You need to be careful when using nitrogen-containing fertilizers, since nitrogen tends to accumulate in root crops.
Fertilizers for beets in the spring, when sowing seeds, they are introduced 4 cm deeper than them. During the growing season, bushes especially urgently need fertilizers for active growth and development. Use phosphate or superphosphate. Boron is used as a foliar fertilizer during this period. They bring it in three times. The first time at the beginning of the growing season. The second feeding is applied after 25–30 days. And the last application of fertilizers is carried out a month before harvesting.
By using fertilizers in the fall, you will be able to grow more root crops. A urea-ammonia mixture is used as foliar feeding. 1.5 liters is enough for one hundred square meters.Fertilizing stops a month before the expected harvest.
Selection of beet varieties
The main difference between all varieties is the level of sucrose in the root vegetables.
Among the varieties of sugar beets, there are several types:
- Productive (the sugar content of root crops is 16.5%, the yield of such varieties is high).
- High-yielding and sugary (sugar content reaches 18.5%, the yield is average).
- Sugary (the least productive varieties belong to the sugary subspecies of beets, the sucrose content reaches 21.5).
There is no clear dependence among these types. Sugar beets are often used as livestock feed, so you can choose any variety. The main thing is that the length of the seeds was at least 3.5 cm. Otherwise, there is a risk of being left without a harvest at all.
Among the varieties of sugar beets, the following are distinguished:
- Bohemia - characterized by root vegetables with a high sucrose content. Excellent as livestock feed. The average weight of a root crop is 2 kg. From every hundred square meters of plantings, 3 centners of crops are harvested. The ripening period of tubers is up to 80 days. suitable for long-term storage; root crops do not rot for a long time after harvesting.
- Bona is a small root crop, 300 g each, which makes harvesting much easier. The sucrose level is close to 12%. From the moment the seeds are planted to the growing season, 84 days pass. The main difference between the Bona variety and other varieties of sugar beet is its resistance to drought.
- Araksia is a variety that is characterized by high productivity. 800 feed units are collected from 1 hectare. Hollows in root crops are formed in rare cases.
- Bigben is a variety of German breeders that is not prone to forming hollows in root crops.The yield is high, 700 centners per 1 ha. The level of sucrose reaches 15.7%.
In households, sugar beets are not planted in hectares, so the main thing is to choose high-quality seeds. This is the only way to grow a small but high-quality harvest.
Sowing beets
Sowing sugar beets is an important stage that we recommend paying attention to. Seeds of sugar beet varieties require pre-treatment before planting them in the soil. This will increase the yield. Planting material is sown in spring. After the soil warms up at a depth of 5 cm by 6–8 degrees, planting is stopped.
Sowing seeds is preceded by soaking them in a solution of wood ash. This way the beets will sprout faster. The depth of planting seeds is from 2 to 4 cm. Gaps of 45 cm are left between the rows (depending on the structure of the soil). Grooves are made in the soil and seeds, previously mixed with sand, are poured out in a thin stream. After this, the ditch is filled with soil.
Planting and growing sugar beets in open ground involves thinning out the sprouts after they sprout. The number of plants should be such as not to interfere with each other's growth. Thin out the sprouts twice. The first time the sprouts are thinned out at a distance of 5–7 cm from each other. The second - at a distance of 15–18 cm. Immediately after planting, the beds are watered generously with warm water. In the future, sugar beets will need enough moisture from the rains.
Weed protection
Sugar beet growing conditions require regular weed removal. In industrial cultivation, herbicides are used to produce sugar because the planting area is too large. In household plots, the manual method is mainly used.The beds are weeded or weeds are removed manually if there are few of them.
Weeding large areas, just like weeding potatoes, is a long and labor-intensive process. During the season, areas are weeded several times. Especially at the beginning of the growing season, when young bushes quickly become overgrown with weeds and die.
The use of herbicides is not advisable unless absolutely necessary. The use of herbicides is safe only after germination; until this point, it is advisable to use the manual method of removing weeds. The bushes are processed in the morning or evening, when the air temperature is from +15 to +25 degrees. You must first check the weather forecast so that it does not rain within 6–7 hours after spraying. After processing and clearing the beds of weeds, the soil is watered.
Pests and diseases
Pests and diseases that spoil the harvest and contribute to the death of plants can cause many problems for summer residents.
Useful tips from pests and diseases of sugar beet:
- As a preventative measure, bushes are regularly inspected for damage and insects.
- You cannot water the bushes with cold tap water; it must warm up in the sun before watering.
- Digging up the soil in the fall will help prevent pests from appearing in the spring.
A common disease of sugar beet is brown or late rot. Fungi contribute to the development of the disease. Beet aphids and nematodes also often spread in beet beds. To eliminate insects, plantings are sprayed with Fitosporin or Fitoverm during the growing season. These preparations are biologically pure, do not pollute the soil and do not accumulate in root crops.At the same time, the use of these chemicals does not negatively affect the yield. In addition, Fitosporin is used in the spring when loosening the soil for planting seeds.
Three weeks before harvest, even if there are insects in the beds, the use of herbicides is not recommended.
The use of tubers treated with chemicals for food or as animal feed is fraught with poisoning in humans and the death of livestock.
Harvest
Vegetables begin to be harvested from the garden in August-September. Sugar beets are harvested from the plot at the end of September. When harvesting, you need to be careful with elongated root vegetables, which will immediately break if moved incorrectly. This helps reduce shelf life.
The optimal storage temperature for root vegetables is considered to be +1–5. Fruits can be stored at sub-zero temperatures. But this is only possible in cold climates, when there is frost all winter. A sharp drop in temperature leads to rotting of root crops.
If there are no storage facilities, special buildings or trenches are constructed. They are insulated with heat-insulating materials (straw, sawdust or carefully compacted snow).
Sugar beet is often used in cooking. It is used instead of sugar to make sweet pastries, finely chopped beforehand. Root vegetables are suitable for making salads. It is also used to prepare medicines. It is not recommended to eat beets only for people with diabetes.
Root vegetables are good for backyard chickens and ducks. If you add small pieces of root vegetables to the feed along with grain, the bird will begin to grow faster and gain meat. It is useful to give chopped beets to cattle.
