Content:
- all about watercress: description, cultivation, benefits
- watercress types and photos
All about watercress: description, cultivation, benefits
watercress plant – herbaceous annual plant. Unpretentious, early ripening and cold-resistant, tastes like horseradish (contains mustard oil and phytoncides).
How to grow watercress. You can grow watercress from seeds that you sow in early spring. To have fresh herbs for a long time, seeds sow in batches, every two weeks. Sow seeds to a depth of 1.5-2 cm, the distance between rows is from 10 to 30 cm. Per square. m. 0.6-0.8 g of seeds are consumed.
Watercress cultivation. With enough moisture seedlings appear already 3-4 days after sowing, and after 12-14 days, fresh herbs can be used for food. Watercress can be sown in open ground, in greenhouses, in boxes on the windowsill or even in a large plate of soil. Plants are edible when sprouts reach a height of about 10 cm.
Since watercress is a cold hardy plant, high temperatures render negative action on the plant, flower stems are formed prematurely.
During germination and leaf formation maintain moderate moisture soil. If not enough moisture the plant stops growing, small sprouts quickly coarsen and acquire a bitter aftertaste. Переулажнение also undesirable, the plant fades from excess water.
Grow watercress in a sunny place. In semi-shady places, plants stretch, growth slows down, and mustard oil is not formed in the leaves, which leads to a decrease in taste.
The intensity of growth largely depends on the amount of minerals in the soil. But remember can’t be fed watercress with fresh organic fertilizers.
Watercress can’t stand strong winds. Therefore, plant it in sunny beds protected from the winds. Watercress is wonderful intermediate plant, sow it in the beds between cucumbers and tomatoes. Due to the short growing season, the plants can be grown in repeated crops after early potatoes, onions, dill.
Watercress sometimes suffering from cruciferous fleas. But in no case do not treat it with chemicals, as after a few days you will have to use it for food.
Watercress benefits. Eat watercress regularly very usefulbecause it is an excellent general tonic product, and also helps with inflammation, coughs and colds, removes various toxins and toxins from our body.
Leaves used to treat wounds, burns, rashes, and other skin diseases. It is a good diuretic and also a remedy to normalize weightbecause it improves digestion. metabolism and cleanses the body, removes excess water.
This plant is believed to be upliftingsoothes and makes sleep strong and healthy.
Watercress types and photos
Watercress can be divided into three main types.
Whole leaf lettuce. Varieties can be precociousas well as late ripe. The leaves are usually large, the edges are entire. One of the popular varieties is “Ducat”. After landing seedlings appear very early.
Curly salad. Usually varieties are mid-season or early-ripening. Features of the species – rugged leaves.
Seeding lettuce. Varieties of this species are early maturing, they are planted between other species. Main varieties – “Danish” and “Fun.
Watercress seeds. The seeds of all species are very similar to each other. A novice summer resident will not be able to figure out which variety is in front of him without a hint. Therefore, watercress buy better in trusted stores.
Watercress photo:
Seeding lettuce:
Watercress, sprouts:
Published: 14.11.2016
