Any housewife knows about such a plant as dill. This versatile spice is used in almost every dish: soups, pilaf, various salads and others. It can be consumed both fresh and dried and even frozen. Only now, not every gardener will dare to grow dill in the open field, since there is an opinion that caring for this plant is quite troublesome. But is it really so?
Planting dill in open ground
In order for dill greens to grow green and juicy, you must follow a few simple rules for caring for it, which every gardener who decides to grow this plant should know.
Rule 1. When purchasing dill seeds, do not stop your choice on only one variety. Give preference to those that have different ripening times, but similar care conditions. This will make your work easier, and will also ensure that fresh herbs are delivered to the table without interruption.
Rule 2. Before planting dill in open ground, it is necessary that the soil has been prepared in advance. Make sure that the soil is loose and nutritious. The increased daylight hours and abundant watering will bear fruit in the form of the first sprouts of fresh dill. If the soil in the garden is acidic, you can neutralize it with lime.
Rule 3. For faster and better germination of dill seeds before planting in open ground, it is advisable to soak them for a while in water. The seeds will quickly absorb moisture, swell, and in a couple of days they will be ready for planting. It is undesirable to keep the seeds in water for a long time, it is better - no more than 3 days.
Rule 4. When the first shoots appear, provide good care for the dill. The plant will need regular feeding and weeding. As a top dressing, fertilizers rich in potassium will be an excellent option.
Rule 5. An important point is the observance of the distance between plants when planting, this applies to both open ground and growing in a greenhouse. The distance between the rows should not be less than 30 cm, and between the seedlings 10 cm, only then you can get a good harvest. If dill is grown at home, this distance can be reduced.
Rule 6. Equally important is when the landing will take place. It is preferable if it will be produced before frosts in winter, or in early spring.
When planting dill in winter, deepen the seeds into the ground to a depth of at least 4 cm.In spring, 0.5 cm will be enough.
Rule 7. The choice of a landing site plays a key role. If you want to get a vitamin harvest of dill, choose a place well lit by the sun, since in the shade it will be pale and less valuable in its nutritional characteristics. Even the most careful care cannot save the planting. If dill is grown at home, provide a sunny spot.
Features of dill care
With the correct fit, observing all the subtleties, we can assume that half of the job has already been done. The next important task will be to prevent the greens from drying out and yellowing. Many gardeners face this problem.The causes of yellowing can be very different, but most often it can be due to one of these points:
- Soil acidification
- Planting too dense
- Insufficient watering and maintenance
- Poor soil
Diseases and pests
Any planting of dill is not immune from pests. Most often, dill is affected by aphids. Nettle will help fight it, it is crushed and insisted in water for seven days. Then they simply water the beds with this composition. This method is the most natural and safest. After a few days of such treatment, dill becomes immune to this pest.
There is another effective method of combating harmful insects - this is the use ash... The ash is steamed in hot water, allowed to brew overnight, and the next morning the infusion is filtered, and grated laundry soap is added to it. After that, you can spray the dill beds with this tool.
Also, infusions with onion peels or citrus peels are successfully used to combat aphids. They are also filled with hot water and infused for several days. And then, at the first lesions of dill by aphids, the beds are treated with this composition.
When growing dill, some may encounter a problem such as reddening of the leaves. This indicates that the soil contains little nitrogen. Therefore, do not forget to fertilize it, but only without fanaticism, do not overdo it, because the plant very actively absorbs all fertilizers introduced into the soil, and their excess can negatively affect the quality of fresh dill greens.
