Most people prefer to eat fresh greens. At any time of the year, dill is popular; it can be grown on a windowsill; the main thing is to know how. And although it is sold in stores all year round, it is much nicer to create a mini-garden on the windowsill.
Features of growing dill step by step
Dill is grown as a herb, but there are people who value it for its medicinal and beneficial properties.
If a novice gardener has an idea for growing fragrant and lush dill at home, you need to:
- choose the right variety;
- become familiar with growing technology;
- prepare the necessary equipment.
Let's take a closer look at the features of growing dill at home.
Variety selection
Breeders have developed many varieties of dill. They differ in the height of the stems, the presence of lush greenery and the timing of flowering and seed ripening. To get fresh greens for as long as possible, it is better to plant varieties with different ripening periods.
There are plants whose green mass can be cut off after only 38 days. After 5-6 leaves grow on the stem, the dill will begin to bloom. Just by this time, the mid-ripening variety will have grown.
Early ripening varieties
Among the varieties of dill with early ripening, the following stand out:
- Further. In just a month dill grows, which has rosettes 25 cm long. The density of the leaves is considered average. They have a rich green color and are covered with a waxy coating. This variety has strong immunity to diseases and pests.
- Gribovsky. Can be sown in spring, mid-summer, with additional lighting in winter. It grows fragrant leaves throughout the month.
- Aurora. It is considered a new variety that produces early greens. Already on the 25th day you can consume its juicy leaves, which are distinguished by their spicy aroma and richness. Plants develop well, rarely get sick and are not damaged by pests.
Mid-season varieties
In varieties of dill, which are classified as mid-season, the growing season is extended by a week, so they differ from early ones in having larger foliage.
Among the mid-season varieties of dill, the following are known:
- Bushy. A lot of greenery grows; they begin to harvest it after 70 days. The first cut is made from below.You can cut leaves from one plant several times. It has a lot of juicy, aromatic greens.
- Lesnogorsky. It is recommended to grow to obtain large and fragrant leaves. Even when umbrellas appear, you can continue cutting leaves. The variety is resistant to diseases and pests.
- Leafy dill. Grown to produce lots of lush greenery. It’s not for nothing that it got its name: the leaves grow in large quantities, are fragrant and juicy. It can be sown several times a year.
Late ripening varieties
These plants are distinguished by the fact that they retain delicate greenery for a long time. They sometimes do not have time to ripen to the end.
Among the famous late varieties:
- Alligator. It is prized for its long-lasting lush greenery. It produces umbels with flowers late, so greens can be collected almost throughout the summer season. The leaves turn out bright green, covered with a waxy coating.
- Kibray. Its leaves are wide, green with a slight yellowish tint. The plaque is almost invisible. The rosettes turn out to be large, growing to a height of 40 cm.
- Dill. Popular Dutch variety. It is distinguished by its unpretentiousness, tolerating different conditions. Gives a lot of fragrant greens. Cutting can be done for a long time. Grows in height up to 1.5 meters.
Seed preparation
In order to get only high-quality seeds for sowing and to germinate faster, you need to soak them in warm water. They are placed in a cloth and soaked for about a day, changing the water after 12 hours.
Seeds can be treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, holding for 3 hours.
It is advisable to remove those grains that float to the surface, since they are considered unsuitable for sowing, and those immersed in the bottom of the dishes must be dried a little on paper.
Necessary equipment
For sowing dill You can purchase containers that are used for growing seedlings. It is advisable to make holes in them to drain excess water, then fill in a drainage layer of about 2 cm. For these purposes, use expanded clay, which can be purchased at a flower shop. Then it is recommended to fill the container with soil.
Sowing
It is good if garden soil is prepared in advance for planting seeds. If it doesn’t work out, you can buy soil for growing flowers. The main condition for obtaining friendly shoots is the looseness of the soil, so before sowing you can add a little sand and vermicompost to the ground.
After the container is filled with soil, it needs to be moistened a little more. It is better to do this with a spray bottle. Then make small grooves, the depth of which should be 1.5 cm. It is also recommended to spray them with water. Plant the seeds and cover lightly with soil. Cover the container with film and place in a warm place.
To plant seeds, the temperature must be at least 18 °C. Pre-soaked specimens germinate in about 7-10 days.
When shoots appear, it is recommended to place the container on the windowsill. To prevent the dill from becoming thickened, it is necessary to pull out excess plants at a distance of 3 cm.
Care
Growing dill on a windowsill in an apartment, especially in winter, is not an easy task. If you do not follow the rules, the greens will turn out frail and weak.
Comfortable temperature
After the dill sprouts, it is recommended to lower the temperature at night for the first week. To do this, you can open the window slightly or move the seedlings to a glassed-in loggia. For plants, a temperature of 8-9 °C is sufficient.This is necessary so that the dill does not stretch and the stems become stronger.
During the day, the temperature is raised to 18 °C, but if the temperature in the apartment is above 20 °C, it is necessary to place the container on a brightly lit windowsill.
If these rules are not followed, the dill leaves will be undeveloped and have a pale green color.
Air humidity
In winter, due to heating radiators, the air in the apartment dries out, so it is recommended to humidify it. Spray periodically with a spray bottle. You can place jars filled with water nearby.
It is important to monitor soil moisture. It is recommended to water the plants daily, but make sure that all excess moisture flows out through special holes at the bottom of the container.
Additional lighting
Dill is classified as a light-loving plant. For him, light is one of the important conditions for obtaining a harvest. Even heat is not significant in dill growing conditions. It is advisable to place the container with it near the window on a lighted windowsill.
Everyone knows that in winter the daylight hours are much shorter, so the plants will have to be illuminated with white fluorescent or LED lamps. They are suspended above the container at a height of half a meter.
Lighting should last about 12 hours in winter: plants receive 6 hours of additional lamp lighting when the container is placed on a south-facing window sill. If indoors, then illuminate with a lamp for 15 hours, you can extend the time even longer.
To prevent the dill from leaning in one direction, because the plants are drawn to the light, it is recommended to rotate the container 180 degrees. This procedure must be carried out every day.
Fertilizer application
It is necessary to fertilize after about 2 weeks.These can be complex mineral fertilizers with microelements and organic fertilizers, which are now sold in bottles. It is recommended to use mineral ones – “Junona”, “Kemira” and organic ones – “Bioaktiv”, “Organic-balance” and others.
Harvesting
To achieve good results, it is more correct to cut dill when the plants grow to 20-25 cm. It is best to first remove the lower leaves, cutting them off with scissors. After this, it is advisable to water the dill and spray it with a spray bottle. Later on the stem the leaves will begin to grow again.
Growing dill is a fun activity, although you will have to work hard to create the necessary conditions for it. But it’s worth it, because you will have the opportunity to admire the beautiful plant and add it to dishes, collecting it from the mini-garden.
