Asparagus: features of growing seedlings and other methods of reproduction

Asparagus is a perennial herb of the asparagus family. Since ancient times, the culture was grown as a medicinal one, and a little later, delicate sprouts began to be eaten. For a long time this delicious vegetable was intended for the nobility, its taste is so delicate and pleasant. It is possible that this is why asparagus was christened royal.

Description of asparagus

The value of asparagus lies not only in the content of a large amount of vitamins and useful macro- and microelements, but also in the fact that it is an early vegetable crop. Young sprouts of asparagus are the first to appear in our gardens, and this usually happens already in April. The shoots of milky ripeness taste like green peas. Asparagus is boiled, baked, steamed or added to salads - it is good in any form.

In early spring, asparagus sprouts are the first to appear in the beds.

In addition to its practical benefits, asparagus is also an ornamental plant. Tall bushes with strongly dissected leaves resemble Christmas trees and are sometimes planted by gardeners not in special beds, but in flower beds. Florists use beautiful asparagus panicles when making bouquets - openwork greens go well with flowers and retain their fresh appearance for a long time.

Planted in a flowerbed among flowers, asparagus enlivens the composition

On sale there are sprouts of green, white and burgundy asparagus. It's not about the varieties, as it might seem, but about the timing of collection and the methods of cultivation. If the asparagus grows in a regular bed, we get green sprouts. To grow white or purple shoots, asparagus is spud, depriving it of the sun's rays, but in the first case, they do it right away, and in the second, when the shoots are slightly elongated and turn green.

By using different growing methods, you can get asparagus sprouts of different colors.

Growing methods

Asparagus is usually grown from seeds - in this case, the first harvest can be obtained in the third year. When planting ready-made seedlings or root cuttings, the terms are significantly reduced, and the first shoots will appear as early as next spring.

Sowing seeds for seedlings

Before sowing, asparagus seeds are soaked for two days in a solution of Epin or another biostimulant. Given the tightness of seeds, this measure will not be superfluous. You can start sowing at the end of March or in April. The soil for asparagus should be light and breathable. You can use store-bought seedling soil by adding sand and vermiculite to it in a ratio of 5: 1: 1. Instead of vermiculite, coconut substrate is often used.

Sowing seeds in a container:

1. Fill the planting container with prepared soil and compact slightly.
2. Spread the seeds over the surface at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other.
3. Sprinkle the seeds with a layer of soil no more than 1 cm and press lightly.
4. Moisten the soil with a spray bottle.
5. Cover the container with foil and place in a bright, warm place.

The main conditions for germination are warmth and humidity. Condensation will accumulate on the film, so the container with seeds must be ventilated every day. At an air temperature not lower than 25^aboutSeedlings will appear in about a month and a half.

Openwork shoots of asparagus appear six weeks after sowing

Planting seedlings in open ground

For asparagus, choose a sunny, flood-proof place with fertile light soils. On poor soils, compost or manure is preliminarily applied (for 1m² one bucket is enough) and complex mineral fertilizers. If the soil on the site is heavy, clayey, sand is added for digging. It is advisable to hold all these events in the fall.

If it is planned to plant asparagus seedlings in the fall, then instead of complex mineral fertilizers, phosphorus-potassium or nutrient mixtures marked autumn are introduced. The fact is that the nitrogen contained in complex fertilizers stimulates the growth of shoots, and in the fall it is undesirable. At this time, the shoots should ripen, and the root system should be strengthened, so phosphorus and potassium are what you need.

You can plant seedlings in open ground from the second half of June. By this time, the soil has time to warm up, and the possibility of recurrent frosts is unlikely. The fertilized deoxidized area is well dug up, removing clods of earth and roots of weeds.

Grown up asparagus bushes are ready for planting in open ground

It is more convenient to plant seedlings in trenches with a depth of at least 30 cm. Asparagus grows in one place for about 20 years, growing both in height and width. Therefore, if in the future it is not supposed to transplant grown plants, then the seedlings are placed 35–40 cm from each other. The distance between the rows is 1 m or more.

Landing rules:

1. In the dug trench, mounds of fertile soil are poured.
2. The roots of the seedling are spread over the mound so that they are directed downward, without bends. Long roots are shortened, leaving 4–5 cm.
3. Sprinkle the roots with soil and squeeze slightly.
4. The trench is spilled with water and the planting is mulched with peat or rotted sawdust.

Sowing seeds in open ground in spring

Asparagus can also be grown by direct sowing outdoors. The garden bed is filled in the same way as for planting seedlings, but instead of trenches, grooves are made 4–5 cm deep. At the end of May, the seeds are soaked for a day in a biostimulator for fast and reliable germination. Sowing is carried out in a prepared bed, laying out the seeds in the grooves. If there are a lot of seeds, it is advisable to sow them thicker, since not all of them will sprout, and the excess can subsequently be cut out with scissors. Sprinkle the grooves with a small layer of soil, compact and water. After the water is absorbed, mulch the bed. Asparagus seeds sprout for a long time, so it is advisable to cover the bed with agrofibre - this will prevent moisture loss and accelerate the emergence of seedlings.

Video: sowing asparagus seedlings

Reproduction by dividing the bush

The easiest way to reproduce asparagus is by dividing the bush. This procedure can be carried out in spring and autumn, and even in summer, if there is no extreme heat. The dug out bush is divided into parts so that each division has one sprout. This is usually done with hands or, if it does not work, use a sharp knife. The separated plants are planted in trenches in the same way as seedlings obtained from seeds - at the same time and according to the same scheme.

The preferred breeding method for asparagus is by dividing the bush

By the same principle, asparagus is propagated by dividing the rhizome. This is usually done in the spring, before the growth of new shoots. Dig out the root and divide it into parts so that each has a kidney. Delenki are planted in the described way - in trenches on hills.

Parts of asparagus rhizomes are planted on a hill

Outdoor asparagus care

The planted plants need to be kept moist, especially at first. When the seedlings take root and get stronger, watering can be reduced, but the soil should not be allowed to dry out. Mulch will help keep the soil moist. In addition, the mulched area does not need to be loosened, and the weeding is of a purely symbolic nature - to remove individual grass blades that have come out.

In the first year until autumn, it is undesirable to cut off the asparagus shoots so as not to interfere with the full development of the bush. The first small quantities of edible shoots will appear next spring, and in the third year you can harvest.

If the asparagus shoots are not cut off in the year of planting, then by the next summer they will be beautiful adult bushes.

Top dressing

If, when planting asparagus, the bed was well fertilized, then feeding is not needed in the first year. Young plants begin to feed from the second year. In early spring, dry nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium mixtures are scattered between the plants in a dry form and the soil is well loosened. Then, until mid-summer, once every two weeks, they are fed with green fertilizer or mullein infusion. At the end of summer, fertilize with autumn mineral fertilizer, which can be applied dry or prepare an aqueous solution according to the instructions.

Preparing the plant for winter

To protect the asparagus from freezing, the garden must be properly prepared for winter. In the fall, all the stems of the plant are cut shortly and this must be done before frost. Then the plants are spud - the more severe the winter, the higher the hill should be. Sprinkle the comb on top with peat or compost.

I planted my first asparagus 20 years ago. Then we did not have the Internet and I, as a novice gardener, did not know anything about this plant. I saw the seeds of something new on sale and bought it. There is a minimum of information on the bag - I only found out that edible sprouts will appear in the second third year. I sowed the seeds immediately on the garden bed, without any special tricks - one row, and that's it. For a long time, no shoots appeared, and I managed to safely forget that I had such seeds. Towards the middle of summer I saw a row of slender trees of a delicate green color and began to think that it might be - I had never seen asparagus shoots before. I remembered when the bushes grew, at the same time it became clear with what greenery grandmothers make out simple bouquets from their gladioli. By autumn, the bushes had grown and were already about a meter in height, 5-6 shoots each. In the fall I cut off all the greens and in the winter my asparagus left without any hilling and warming. No frost had any effect on my plants, and in the spring we plucked the first sprouts. The first time I tried this plant from my own garden, before that I did not even know the taste. Nice, tender greens - we did not cook any dishes, we just ate fresh, slightly sweet sprouts that looked like green peas. Since then, asparagus has not been translated in our garden and this is the very first plant that we harvest in spring.

Growing asparagus does not require special knowledge, and does not cause difficulties even for beginners. The only problem is waiting for the harvest. It's more common for us to plant seeds in the spring and get our vegetables in the summer. Asparagus needs to be grown for three years, but it does not need to be planted annually. With minimal maintenance, the plant will delight the eye and enrich the owner's menu for many years. This is the advantage of a long-term culture.

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Hobbies play an important role in my life - floriculture, gardening, traditional medicine, pets. I love nature and all living things very much, so I read many articles on various phenomena and laws of life, everything that brings harmony.

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Eustoma (Lisianthus)

The eustoma flower belongs to the gentian family of plants (often grown in the garden, cultivars are called lisianthus).

Other names: Texas bell, Irish rose. In the wild, eustoma grows in the southern United States, Mexico, and South America.

@Rodrigo Soldon Souza, Flickr

• Class: Perennial (grown as an annual or biennial)
• Planting time: for seedlings: January - March, in the ground: + 3 months.
• Bloom time: July (August) - October
• Plant height: 15 - 120 cm
• Frost resistance: withstands up to -10 degrees

• sunny, protected from the wind areas of the garden (the stems are rather fragile and easily break when strong gusts of wind).

In our climatic conditions, eustoma in the open field is grown as an annual. Dwarf varieties (not exceeding 25 cm in height), planted in pots, feel good at home for several years.

• it is preferable to grow eustoma from seeds for seedlings.
• indoor specimens can be propagated by dividing the rhizome, like most perennials.

Features of growing Eschsholzia

Escholzia is a herbaceous annual of the poppy family. Delicate flowers resemble butterfly wings fluttering in the wind. Foreign growers call this flower the California poppy, and this name is quite justified:

• the shape of the flower is very similar to poppy stalks
• Escholzia seeds can be easily confused with poppy seeds (the same small granules).

Eshsholzia is grown from seed or planted with seedlings in open ground. And you can admire the beauty of delicate flowers all summer, right up to the frost.

Methods and timing of planting asparagus

Like most plants, asparagus propagates by seed and vegetatively, that is, part of a bush or rhizome. Planting material can be bought, asked from friends, or taken on your site if you already have adult asparagus bushes.

Sowing with split rhizome or seedlings

The easiest way is to split a 4-5 year old bush. It consists of several shoots, each can become a seedling if it is carefully separated from the total mass along with the roots. The optimal time for this planting method:

• the beginning of spring, when shoots are just breaking through the ground
• autumn, after yellowing of the aerial part (panicles).

An asparagus seedling in early spring looks like an octopus, in the center you can see the shoot just starting to grow

You will harvest the first full-fledged crop of asparagus from seeds only in the third year, and planted with rhizomes - in the next season.

When preparing the area for asparagus, consider such a nuance as the direction of the rows. Better if they are located from north to south. The length and number of rows depends on the availability of seedlings. The distance between the bushes will be 40 cm, between the rows - 1–2 m. Then proceed according to the scheme:

1. To create a row, dig a trench 30 cm deep and 40-50 cm wide. Place the excavated soil along the trench.
2. Make the bottom wide and flat.
3. If the earth at the bottom is dense, loosen it up, dig it up.
4. Pour humus, compost or manure on the bottom in a layer of 8 cm.
5. Along the entire length of the trench, on top of the fertilizer, sprinkle the soil removed during the digging with a comb. Its top should be 10 cm below the top edge of the trench.
6. Spread out the seedlings at a distance from each other.
7. Spread out the roots of each along the slopes of the bulk shaft.
8. Fill the roots and the entire trench with earth, level the surface.
9. Water and mulch well.

If you plant seedlings in pots, then you do not need to free the roots from the ground and straighten them, just remove the plant from the pot along with the lump, put it on the top of the shaft and bury it. The aerial part can be deepened by 3-5 cm. When planting with a part of the root taken from an adult bush, in the spring, when the shoots have just begun to grow, you can fill them up entirely so that there is a layer of soil 3 cm above the tops of the shoots. The asparagus planting depth does not have a large meanings - its stems grow well both underground and above it, the main thing is that the roots are covered with soil.

Photo gallery: planting several asparagus seedlings in a trench

The bottom of the asparagus planting trench should be wide and even The bottom of the trench is fertilized with humus On top of the organic layer, make a comb from the excavated soil Spread out the asparagus seedlings and spread their roots along the slopes of the ridge Fill the roots and the entire trench with the rest of the earth Water the garden bed with a watering can with a strainer Plant the second row of asparagus using the same principle.

Video: planting asparagus root in the hole

Sowing asparagus seeds in the ground

The seed method is more interesting, but time consuming. Of course, it's nice to see how, with your help, the seeds wake up and give small shoots. But these seedlings must be protected from cold, heat, stretching, drying out, or, conversely, decay.

You can sow asparagus seeds directly into the ground from late May to early June. It should be borne in mind that, although adult asparagus bushes are cold-resistant, young seedlings are afraid of even minor frosts, therefore, during spring sowing in the ground, they need to be covered with film or agrofibre.

Experts say that male plants are more resistant to cold weather than female plants. Signs of a "boy" asparagus - there are many shoots, but they are thin, berries are not formed on the bushes. The "girl" has fewer shoots, but they are thicker, berries are tied on the bushes.

The seeds are soaked for 2-3 days in water, then wrapped in a damp cloth and kept at + 30… + 35 ⁰C until germination.

Asparagus seeds ripen inside the berries, they are large, so it will be easy to soak, germinate and sow

Throughout the warm season, asparagus must be watered and weeded. For the winter, it is better to cover with spruce branches, burlap or other breathable covering material.

The next spring, after sowing asparagus with seeds, the weakest young shoots are cut or rooted into the ground in order to thin out and leave the best ones in the garden, leading to the planting pattern of 40 × 40 cm.

Asparagus shoots grow thin and long even in open field, this is their feature, not stretching

The collected shoots, if they are thick and juicy, can be used for food, the remaining ones cannot be injured. If they are cut or broken, then the plants will die, since they do not yet have a powerful root with many buds from which new shoots would grow.

Sowing asparagus for seedlings

Sowing seeds in pots is carried out in March, and they can be planted in the ground only at the beginning of summer. For planting, take pots 6 cm wide and deep. The soil is suitable for seedlings purchased or your own. To make up your own soil mixture:

1. Take one piece of turf, peat and humus.
2. Stir, moisturize. If after that the earth shrinks into a non-crumbling lump, add coarse sand, perlite or vermiculite for looseness.
3. Pour a glass of wood ash into a bucket of the resulting mixture, mix again.
4. Disinfect the soil by warming up in any way until steam comes out of it. Can be spilled with boiling water.

Choose well-known and proven brands of soil, disinfect soil mixtures of dubious quality

I tried to fry the earth myself on the stove. The smell was suffocating, strong and unpleasant. Therefore, it is better to disinfect the garden on the grill or use boiling water. With the latter method, the soil turns out to be too damp, so prepare it in advance so that it has time to dry out.

Until recently, I was sure that you only need to warm up the soil from your garden, and the finished soils from the store are safe. But last year, the mother-in-law sowed seedlings in purchased land and suffered heavy losses from the whitefly. These insects bred every week, spread to all the plants in the house and ate even the already blooming strong tomatoes to bare stems. You can guess for a long time how a greenhouse or greenhouse pest got into a comfortable apartment on the 6th floor, but the most obvious thing is that the larvae were in the storey soil.

Sowing asparagus for seedlings is carried out in this way:

1. The prepared soil is laid out in cells, not filling up to the top of 3-4 cm. If the soil is dry, water it and fill it up again to the desired level.
2. One germinated seed is placed in the center of each cell. If there are a lot of extra seeds, then sow 2-3 in one container, but after the emergence of seedlings, remove the extra, the weakest and lagging behind in growth.

You can plant several asparagus seeds in one cell, subsequently removing excess sprouts

In open ground, asparagus seedlings can be planted only when the return frosts in the morning stop. Stop feeding 2 weeks before planting. For a week, begin to temper, that is, gradually accustom you to fresh air and sunlight. Water well during the day.

Video: planting asparagus seedlings in the ground

This versatile vegetable crop is successfully cultivated not only in summer, but also in winter (in greenhouses) and in spring (in greenhouses). So let's talk about growing asparagus in winter and spring in more detail.

Asparagus can be obtained in winter and early spring by forcing shoots from the rhizomes of adult 5-6-year-old plants:

• in October, the rhizomes of plants must be dug up and removed to the basement until December, the temperature in which is maintained at a level from 0 to + 2 ° С
• around the beginning of December, the asparagus rhizomes should be planted in a greenhouse, in small containers, pressing tightly against each other, trying to place at least 18-20 pieces on 1 m². From above they are covered with a bunch (about 20 cm), the containers are additionally covered with black film

• the first week in the greenhouse, the temperature is maintained at about + 10 ° С, but as soon as the roots begin to grow, it is raised to + 18 ° С. It is necessary to maintain the temperature regime for about 2 months - all the time while the harvest lasts.

And in the comments to this question, an interesting old way of growing asparagus is described - steam.

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