A green culture native to the Mediterranean countries called watercress is now highly respected in many European countries. This exotic plant has numerous useful and medicinal properties and is therefore in demand in trade establishments throughout the year. It contains a large amount of trace elements, vitamins and other valuable components. Watercress (or watercress) is distinguished by its individual and unique taste. Spicy taste with a slight bitterness, slightly reminiscent of the sharpness of mustard, is combined with many other green and vegetable crops. Watercress is especially popular in the diet of gourmets and connoisseurs of healthy food.
Watercress prefers bright, diffused and long-lasting (at least 14 hours a day) lighting. Getting enough of it in the first stage of cultivation, the plant very quickly goes into the flowering stage. A full level of illumination can be achieved by placing containers with plants on the windowsill. This early ripening culture will give the first harvest within 15-20 days after the emergence of young shoots. With such an unusual growth rate of watercress, you can get greens all the time if you sow seed at intervals of 10-15 days.
When choosing a place for growing watercress, it is necessary to take into account that the plant has a high level of cold resistance and can grow even in shady conditions, which will bring another plus - curbing shooting.
Watercress: tips for growing at home
The choice of capacity and soil
A container or box for growing a green culture should be at least 8-10 cm high.It is advisable to purchase the soil mixture in retail chains, since the garden soil can contain the larvae and eggs of harmful insects, which will easily and quickly destroy newly emerged young shoots ... The soil can be used as recommended for growing seedlings or for indoor plants.
Plant processing
Preventive spraying with solutions containing chemical preparations cannot be used, because hazardous substances do not have time to be neutralized in a short period of time and can cause irreparable harm to health.
Sowing seeds
Seeds are recommended to be sown randomly. The average consumption of seed material per 1 square meter is 20 g. The depth of planting seeds is about 5 mm.
Temperature regime
To form a strong root system of plants, containers with emerging young shoots are recommended to be placed in a room with a temperature of six to eight degrees Celsius and leave them there until the first full-fledged leaf appears. Seedlings with emerging leaves require a higher temperature of content - from 10 to 15 degrees Celsius.You should not exceed the recommended temperature, as this will affect the quality and appearance of the watercress. Young plants will begin to stretch out, making their stems very thin and subsequently all specimens simply lie on the soil surface. The most favorable place with the optimum temperature is the space between the window frames. In the autumn-winter period, you can safely place containers with plants there. This method of growing watercress yields a yield of about 600 g per square meter of land.
How to grow watercress on an inert substrate
Types of organic substrates
Shredded organic vegetable waste can be a great material for watercress to grow well. Before use, it is recommended to scald the selected material with boiling water to avoid the appearance of mold.
Top dressing
Fertilizers need to be applied regularly at a certain time. After the formation of the first leaf on the seedlings, the first feeding is carried out. This can be spraying or watering under the root with a solution consisting of 2 liters of water and 5 g of carbamide. Seven days later - the second feeding (complex). Its composition is 10 liters of water, potassium salt (10 g), superphosphate (20 g), ammonium sulfate (10 g). Watering the plants with this solution is repeated after harvest to maintain growing crops.
Tips from experienced gardeners
The seed containers can be placed on shelves with a height of about 20 cm between the shelves. This method is convenient to use in a small room with a minimum area.
To maintain a constant level of soil moisture in containers with plants, it is worth building a mini-greenhouse using a metal frame and plastic wrap.
As a seeding container for watercress, a translucent plastic packaging from under food products (for example, from under milk, yogurt, etc.) can be used, in which only it will be necessary to make drainage holes and lay a small layer of cotton wool on the bottom ...
