Only a month left before the harvest. Carrots pour root crops almost before our eyes. Few people think about how much and what kind of food it pumps out of the ground. And if the carrots have grown unsweetened, rot during storage, then we believe that the variety is to blame or the summer was bad. In fact, we ourselves can make the harvest sweet and light with one August top dressing.

What nutrients do carrots need in August

Carrots are one of the few vegetables that does not like organics and nitrogen fertilizers. Especially they are useless in the second half of summer. If the bed is well seasoned with bird droppings, humus or nitrogen-containing mineral fertilizers, it was watered with nettle infusion, then the roots will grow clumsy, crack, and rot during storage. To get beautiful and sweet carrots with good keeping quality, top dressing should contain:

• Phosphorus. As a result of photosynthesis and oxidative reactions, it is converted into adenosine triphosphoric acid (ATP). This compound is involved in the vital processes for plants: the absorption of nutrients from the soil, the construction of organic matter from them, and movement throughout the plant. With a deficiency of phosphorus, nutrition becomes difficult, the root system will be underdeveloped. In carrots, this will be expressed in a decrease in yield, root crops will grow small.
• Potassium is contained in the sap of plants and easily moves from one part to another, it can even be secreted by the roots into the ground and then absorbed again. Most potassium is concentrated in fast-growing organs: young leaves, ovaries. In August, carrots are fast-growing root crops. Potassium not only rushes to places where active processes take place, but also stimulates the outflow of other nutrients from the leaves there, and activates the synthesis of sugars. We make our carrots larger and sweeter with potash top dressing.
• Boron is a trace element, to the lack of which carrots are more susceptible than many other vegetables. It is involved in the construction of cells, which means it is important for actively growing parts. Like potassium, boron promotes the transport of sugars from the leaves to these parts, speeding it up. With a lack of boron, the root crop grows ugly with a dried top and corky tissue inside.

For the growth and maturation of carrots, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and sulfur are also needed, but in such small quantities that they are usually enough in the soil without any top dressing.

Mineral fertilizers for August feeding

Phosphorus and potassium necessary for carrots are contained in simple fertilizers - superphosphate and potassium sulfate. To prepare top dressing:

1. Dissolve a tablespoon of superphosphate in 2 liters of hot water.
2. Bring this volume up to 10 liters with cold water.
3. Add 1 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate.
4. Mix everything well.
5. Spend the resulting solution per 1 m² of beds.

Another option is to feed with a complex fertilizer containing both phosphorus and potassium at once, for example, potassium monophosphate. A bucket of water will require 2 tbsp. l.

Potassium monophosphate contains both potassium and phosphorus

Boron can be added by purchasing boric acid powder from a pharmacy or gardening store. Dissolve 10 g in 10 liters of water. Apply any of the solutions to damp soil after watering or rain. After feeding, water the bed again with clean water so that the nutrition goes to the roots.

Top dressing with wood ash

The ash obtained from the burning of firewood and plant residues contains all the nutrients needed by carrots during the filling of the root crop. It contains potassium, phosphorus, boron, manganese, magnesium, calcium, iodine, copper, sulfur, and in a form already available for assimilation. There are several options for feeding ash:

• Powder the earth in rows and loosen it so that the ash mixes with the earth, pour it on top.
• Pour 1 cup into a bucket of water, shake and pour until the suspension has settled.
• 2 cups insist day in 10 liters of water, strain and pour.
• 3 cups pour 3 liters of boiling water, boil for 20 minutes, cool, strain and pour.

The consumption of ash top dressing is 1 bucket per 1–2 linear meters of the bed.

Video: about the benefits of ash, how to apply

Fertilizing carrots in August should contain potassium, phosphorus, boron, and other trace elements will not interfere. They ensure the harmonious growth of root crops and the accumulation of sugars in it. It is impossible to apply nitrogen-containing fertilizers, including organic matter: nitrogen in the second half of August will change the quality of the crop for the worse, and the keeping quality will decrease.

Gardeners are trying to grow it so that it is beautiful, strong and healthy. If the harvest is not as good as expected, there may be more than one reason for this. Inexperienced gardeners mostly blame bad weather or poor quality seeds.

But everything is not so simple - the harvest of root crops depends, among other things, on agricultural technology, which should be given the most serious attention. Properly and timely watering will have a great impact on the development and growth of plants, on root formation, and on taste.

If you simply sow the seeds in the soil and water when there is time, the carrots turn out to be small, deformed or “wooden”.

How often should carrots be watered?

It is necessary to water the beds of carrots in about a week - ten days. Carrots are watered rarely, but evenly and plentifully. It is important to maintain uniform soil moisture at a depth of about 10-20 cm. If excess moisture is allowed in this layer, branching of the root crop may begin, and the central root will die.

The lack of moisture in this layer and frequent watering with a small amount of water lead to the formation of a large number of roots in the root crop.

It is useful after each of the waterings at the same time to make a slight loosening of the soil - this is done so that continuous crusts do not form on the ground. When loosening, weeds that constantly appear on the soil surface are simultaneously destroyed.

Due to frequent loosening, it is possible to avoid the invasions of the carrot fly, which has its masonry close to the root crop. For prevention, you can also pour ashes along the rows of carrots.

Watering by system

It is best to water carrots according to the following scheme:
- The most plentiful and frequent watering of carrots is necessary during the emergence of seedlings. This should be done until 3-4 stalks of tops are formed.
- When the root crop has already begun to ripen and has poured a little, you can water a little less often. Watering should be regular, adjust the amount of water depending on the condition of the soil. Heavy soils require more water.
- You should be more attentive to watering from about the middle of August. This is the period when a crack may form in the root crop due to uneven irrigation.

General rules for irrigation - the degree of soil moisture should be controlled. Carrots need to be thinned out in time - extra sprouts will take moisture from good plants. Watering should be done regularly, not particularly plentifully, but you should not allow the soil to dry out either.

Carrots are one of the most common vegetable crops in our country along with cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage. In any garden there is always a place for several carrot beds, because the roots of their own cultivation are always tastier and healthier than purchased ones.

Carrots cannot be called an unpretentious crop and you need to try to get a good harvest. It is especially important to provide the vegetable with sufficient watering, because if there is a lack of moisture, the fruits will be tasteless and like wood. Therefore the question how to water carrots, should be analyzed in more detail.

Pre-sowing watering

When it is very important that the soil is not dry, otherwise the seeds will germinate for a long time and sprout unevenly, but in very dry soil they will not “hatch” at all. If the soil, nevertheless, is dry, then a few days before planting the seeds it must be abundantly moistened by watering from a watering can or hose with a special “rain” nozzle.

Some gardeners replace water with a solution of potassium permanganate: this method allows not only to moisten the soil, but to disinfect it by killing pathogens.

How to water carrots after planting

Like any other crop, carrots need regular watering throughout the growth period, but sufficient soil moisture is especially important after planting the seeds in the ground. The seeds need a lot of moisture to swell and germinate, so you need to take care of watering immediately after sowing.

At the same time, it is important to take into account that it is impossible to moisten the soil from a hose: a strong jet of water can wash the seeds out of the ground and then you can not count on a good harvest. The opposite result is also possible - large drops of water can "drive" the grains too deep into the soil, in which case it will take much longer to wait for sprouts to appear, and it is also possible that the seeds will not germinate at all.

For irrigation, it is best to use a special drip irrigation system, which very gently moistens the soil without washing out the seeds and without damaging the integrity of the beds. In addition, it allows you to water plantations that are under the film without removing the shelter. If it is not possible to use drip irrigation, then you can use a watering can with a spray nozzle that creates small drops.

After sowing the seeds and watering the beds, the plantations should be covered with a film so that the moisture remains longer in the soil. The next time carrots can be watered after the first sprouts appear.

How often to water sprouts

Until the plants have formed a strong root system, they require a lot of moisture and do not tolerate its lack. But at the same time, water stagnation in the soil is extremely destructive for carrots - waterlogging leads to rotting of young sprouts, and they can die. Therefore, it is better to water the beds more often, but in small portions, checking to what depth the moisture has penetrated.

So, it is quite possible to moisten plants every 4-5 days, watering from a watering can. The main thing is to prevent waterlogging of the soil.

Carrots should also be watered after each thinning. Removing excess sprouts injures the root system of the remaining plants, so they need additional moisture in order to become well established in the ground again.

Watering during fruit formation

If before the plant begins to form a root crop, watering was quite frequent, but small in volume, then over time, the frequency of soil moisture should be reduced, and the amount of water used, on the contrary, should be increased. As the carrots grow, they need to be watered on average once every 7-10 days, and the amount of moisture should be increased to 15-20 liters per square meter of land. Moisture should penetrate 10-15 cm deep into the soil, but not stagnate.

It must be remembered that with a lack of moisture, the roots will be small, hard and tasteless, and with an excess of it, lateral processes will form on them and the central root may die.

It should also be borne in mind that on hot sunny days, carrots should be watered early in the morning or in the evening. If you do this in the midst of the sun, then the moisture will quickly evaporate from the soil, the plants can overheat and even get sunburned. Also, you can not use very cold water for irrigation: such watering creates a shock for carrots, and it can stop growing.

After each watering, slightly loosen the soil between the rows to prevent the formation of a hard crust and increase the air permeability of the earth. Loosening allows you to remove small weeds that constantly appear on the surface of the beds. In addition, carrot fly larvae are destroyed in this way: a dangerous pest that massively attacks carrot plantations and can significantly reduce their yield.

Watering mature fruits

During the period when the root crops are almost fully formed, watering should be reduced to a minimum, respectively, increasing the volume of water used: moisture should penetrate deep into the soil by 25-30 cm. At this time, excess moisture will negatively affect the quality and taste of the fruits: they may form a kind of "hair" cover and many lateral roots. But it is also impossible to allow the soil to dry out, otherwise the root crops may crack and become woody.

Despite the decrease in the frequency of watering, you need to moisten the beds regularly, adhering to a certain schedule. it is quite sensitive to moisture, so if you water it haphazardly, the roots will develop unevenly, grow crooked and their taste will deteriorate.

About 3 weeks before harvesting, watering the beds should be completely stopped and only slightly moisten the soil just before digging up the root crops. So it will be much easier to extract carrots, and the fruits themselves will be stored longer.

If we combine all the rules for watering carrots, then we can derive some of the most basic recommendations:

• Most often, carrot beds need to be moistened until the tops of the plants appear. The formation of 3-4 stalks indicates that the frequency of watering should be reduced by increasing the amount of water used.
• After each watering, you need to loosen the soil between the rows.
• After thinning the plantings, they need to be additionally watered.
• Watering should be regular, which is especially important during the period of fruit formation. Due to uneven soil moisture, root crops can crack and become bitter.
• The degree of soil moisture must be controlled - it should not dry out, but stagnation of water should not be allowed. Both are detrimental to carrots and can lead to crop loss.
• You need to water the beds by sprinkling, using warm water. If well water is used for moisturizing, then it should be left in the sun for several hours to warm it up. Cold moisture causes shock in plants and negatively affects their growth.
• You can keep moisture in the soil and reduce the amount of watering by mulching the beds. It also makes planting easier to maintain, as the mulch keeps weeds from growing.
• Watering should be stopped 3 weeks before harvest.

Regular watering is the main component of proper carrot care. At first glance, the system for moisturizing carrot beds is somewhat complicated, but in practice everything is much simpler. The main thing is to stick to the watering schedule and moisten the soil in moderation.