Beetroot is used not just as a food product, but as a medicine. It competes even with foreign expensive vitamin complexes. The root crop is grown throughout the territory of the former USSR. Every year, summer residents and professional farmers are attracted by new varieties and hybrids. One of the worthy of attention today is Vodan f1 beet.
Description of the variety
The characteristics of the variety allow it to be classified as an early type. It takes up to 90 days from the emergence of seedlings to harvest. The leaves have a rich color, the rosette is well developed.The beets have a round shape, the flesh is dark burgundy. The skin is thin and smooth. All root vegetables grow the same size.
The pulp is juicy, there are no rings, the density is high. The taste is excellent. It has a subtle beetroot aroma. The content of nutrients and microelements is very high.
Growing
The description of the variety states that before sowing beet seeds Vodan varieties cannot be soaked. They were pre-treated with a fungicide to prevent the development of fungal diseases. Nematodes and other similar pests will not bother this beetle.
Vodan from one seed can produce several sprouts. If it is necessary to obtain larger heads, then the weaker sprout is removed. This will not affect the yield in any way. Seeds are sown in open ground when the outside temperature stabilizes at +12–15 °C. In the selected area, make grooves up to 3 cm deep. Make a distance of about half a meter between the rows. Plants must have enough sunlight, otherwise they will noticeably slow down their growth.
Features of care
One of the features of caring for Vodan beets is that the beds need to be watered at least once a week. After this, the soil is loosened and the emerging weeds are removed. Due to untimely weeding, a deficiency of moisture and nutrients may occur. And weeds not removed in time are quite capable of attracting a lot of pests to the site.
Mulching beet beds brings positive results. For these purposes, last year's hay or mown grass is used. Dried vegetation not only prevents excessive evaporation of moisture, but also prevents weeds from breaking through.And when the lower layer rots, additional nutrients enter the soil.
Advantages and disadvantages
Vodan beetroot has significantly more advantages than disadvantages. These include:
- undemanding when growing and caring;
- lack of shooting;
- suitability for long-term storage without loss of taste and marketability;
- high taste qualities;
- large root vegetables.
Among the disadvantages, it is worth highlighting that the beet variety Vodan can produce several sprouts from one seed. Subsequently, planting requires thinning and removal of weak shoots. Otherwise, the root vegetables will grow small.
Pests and diseases
Beet variety Vodan f1 shows increased resistance to the most common diseases. However, young shoots are affected by the root beetle. It is most often found on heavy soils and in lowlands. The stem of the affected plant becomes thinner, rots and dies.
For prevention purposes, the soil must be loosened regularly to prevent crust formation. In autumn, the acidic soil is limed. The rules of crop rotation must be observed.
Harvest and storage
The Vodan variety of beets is harvested as the root crops grow. But technical ripeness occurs 90 days after emergence. A month before the expected harvesting of the beds, watering the plants is completely stopped. The heads are removed from the soil using a fork or simply pulled out by the tops. For cleaning, choose a dry, sunny day.
After digging, the Vodan beets are left in the sun for a short time to dry. Next, the heads are cleaned of soil residues, the tops are trimmed and stored in a cool, dark room. The ideal location would be a basement with moderate humidity.
Reviews from gardeners
Reviews from practicing gardeners about Vodan beets are mostly positive. It is noted that with low labor and material costs it was possible to obtain good yields. Minor deficiencies were compensated for by subsequently collected root crops of excellent quality. Here are some real reviews from our summer residents.
Maria Afanasyevna, pensioner: “I’ve been gardening for a long time. Every year I grow my own beets at the dacha; we don’t buy them for the winter. A couple of years ago I bought seeds of the Vodan f1 variety and was very pleased. The plants turned out to be resistant to diseases; no additional treatments were necessary. The fruits grew medium in size, but tasty, without rings or veins, and have a beautiful beet color. I will definitely grow this variety again.”
Igor Viktorovich, a novice summer resident: “My family and I recently bought a summer cottage and decided to grow organic vegetables and fruits there. In the store, the seller advised me to try the Vodan f1 beet variety. We trusted her opinion and agreed. I admit, I didn’t have to regret it. The harvest was good, with high taste and commercial qualities. Only the neighbor said later that additional weak shoots that formed some seeds should have been removed. Because of this, the heads grew small. But for the first experiment, the result is excellent, we will definitely grow this variety next season.”
Irina Gennadievna, village resident: “In the village, everyone tries to provide themselves with vegetables from their own garden. We grew beets constantly. A few years ago, the seller recommended that we try the new variety Vodan f1. I am suspicious of hybrids, but I dared to experiment. Now I admit that it’s not in vain.She reaped an excellent harvest of delicious root vegetables, and the family was satisfied. While I don’t plan to change this variety, I will definitely give it a place of honor on my plot.”
