Dill abundantly speaks for itself. The culture is famous for its good harvest and unpretentiousness to the soil. Even the minimum volume of sown seeds will provide dill until the next season.
Description of the variety
It takes an average of 40 days for the crop to ripen, which gives every reason to classify the plant as a mid-season variety. Dill sprouts within 10–12 days after planting. Shoots grow up to 130 cm in length.
Description of culture:
- rich green foliage color;
- from 1 square meter you can harvest 3.5 kg of crop;
- pronounced taste and aroma;
- juicy greens;
- a lot of useful components in the composition;
- average sizes of leaves and umbrellas;
- possibility of long-term storage;
- An average of 20 g of greens is collected from one bush.
The abundantly leafy variety is suitable for various uses: freezing, drying, fresh consumption, and preparation of medicines.
Growing
Dill does not conflict with plants, so it can be grown next to any garden crops. The only exception is celery. It is not recommended to sow dill in an area where this crop was grown last season.
Dill seeds begin to germinate at 3 degrees Celsius. However, experienced gardeners know that the optimal temperature for the plant is 16–18 degrees. It is better to plant in a well-lit area, although darkened beds are not a contraindication to planting.
Before sowing, it is recommended to moisten and fertilize the soil. Manure, superphosphate and potassium salt are used for feeding. Planting occurs at the end of April - beginning of May, as soon as the soil warms up to the required temperature.
To speed up the germination of seeds, on the eve of planting they can be soaked for 2 days in an ash solution. Or place in a gauze bag and dip in warm water (no more than 50 degrees). In this case, the water will have to be constantly renewed and then the seeds dried.
The harvest will be better if proper planting is done. The optimal distance between seeds is 5 cm. Planting depth is 2 cm. It is better to sow dill in rows, only in this case it will be necessary to thin out the sprouts that have emerged.
Leafy dill varieties are characterized by good germination even under unfavorable weather conditions.
Note! Dill does not tolerate an acidic environment, so you cannot plant greens on soil after liming.
Features of care
Caring for dill does not require much effort, but every gardener should understand its features. First of all, the shoots that begin to sprout are thinned out. Plants should not be closer than 5 cm from each other. Otherwise, the seedlings will stop developing.
Weeds must be removed on time, since their growth is suppressed by young dill. It is also important to remember to moisten the soil; drought will lead to yellowing of the greens. It is better to water in the evening, once every 2-3 days.
If there is a possibility of night frosts, the seedlings are covered with polyethylene. Sudden temperature changes can completely destroy a crop.
Advantages and disadvantages
Dill has a number of advantages:
- high yield rates;
- good foliage;
- undemanding to soil (except for acidic soils);
- ease of care;
- does not require preliminary heat treatment before use;
- can be grown with almost all garden crops;
- juiciness and aroma of greens;
- possibility of long-term storage in several ways.
Disadvantages include intolerance to low temperatures. Even minor frosts can ruin the harvest, so it is recommended to cover the dill with plastic wrap at night.
Pests and diseases
Sometimes the plant comes under attack. Consider the most common diseases of the variety:
- Downy mildew. Optimal conditions for the disease are a humid, warm climate. First, the outer side of the leaves turns yellow, then the back becomes covered with a white coating. Gradually, the lesion spreads to other parts of the plant: shoots, umbrellas. Plants affected by peronosporosis die quite quickly. To combat the disease, use soda ash and laundry soap.20 grams of components are diluted in 5 liters of water, after which the affected plants are treated.
- Powdery mildew. It affects plants in any region, even when grown in greenhouses. As a rule, the disease is preceded by humid, warm weather over a long period. The lesion is manifested by a whitish coating on the leaves, reminiscent of a cobweb. Gradually, the affected area grows and leads to the death of the plant. When signs are detected dill diseases immediately sprayed with a weak solution of copper oxychloride or potassium permanganate.
- Cercospora blight. A characteristic feature of the disease is the appearance of dark spots with dots on all parts of the dill. When the spores ripen, the dill becomes covered with a dense white coating. Cercospora blight is also a dangerous disease, which, in the absence of timely measures, leads to wilting of the affected plant. The cure for this disease is copper oxychloride. 20 g of the substance are diluted in 5 liters of water and the affected plants are regularly sprayed.
- Fusarium wilt. The disease can be triggered by either contaminated seeds, high air temperature or excessive watering. Initially, the lower leaves are affected, gradually the upper leaves and stem are involved in the pathological process. This manifests itself as a reddish-yellow color, which quickly leads to the complete wilting of the dill. At the first signs of yellowness or redness, the plants are sprayed with Fundazol or Topsin. The unadvanced stage of the lesion is easily amenable to such treatment. If it was not possible to save the plant, it is removed from the garden along with the roots.
To avoid damage to greenery, before planting it is recommended to soak the seeds in warm water or treat them with a solution of potassium permanganate.Such simple methods will minimize the risks of damage. In order not to provoke the development of infectious diseases of dill, you should not plant the beds closely.
Since greens are consumed fresh, it is not recommended to resort to chemicals for help. It is advisable to take care of disease prevention at the seed preparation stage.
Collection and storage
When the plant reaches 15 cm, it is harvested for greens. This is 20–25 days after germination. Before cutting, the greens are sprayed with water. Young dill can be stored fresh for several days. Greens are stored in several ways: freezing, drying, canning.
To dry greens, they are collected in a bunch, washed in cool water and laid out to dry in a dry place. When it begins to break apart effortlessly in your hands, it is put into fabric bags or poured into a glass jar. Dill, along with umbrellas, is stored in a suspended state.
Despite the ease of drying, most gardeners prefer to store greens frozen. In this way, beneficial substances are preserved in it. The cut parts of the dill are washed well, dried and finely chopped. Then the greens are placed in plastic bags and stored in the freezer.
