Sorrel belongs to that small group of plants that do not require special care. One such plant, serviceberry, has already been discussed. Others will be written about in due time. But still try when growing sorrel it will take a little.

I will not describe in detail the appearance and taste of sorrel - you will find tons of encyclopedic information on the Internet. Suffice it to say that sorrel looks green and tastes sour. But sorrel is not such a simple herb as it seems at first glance. It contains a lot of oxalic, malic, citric, and ascorbic acids. There are carotene, and, most importantly, vitamins B1, B2, PP, iron, copper, cobalt.

So There are benefits from sorrel, and not small ones. Sorrel is a perennial plant. We sow it once and use it for many years. Sorrel grows safely at extremely low temperatures (withstands down to -7 degrees). Here it should be noted that after such a frost, the leaves of the sorrel (Belleville variety) in my garden turned a little red. The commercial value of this plant has become zero. It is still better to cover it with a film or non-woven covering material (agrospan, spunbond, etc.) during frosts. Sorrel also grows in unbearable heat. He tolerates our Kuban 45 degree heat in the shade, but withstands it.

The main value of sorrel in that it is the first to provide in the spring the much-needed greens for cooking after winter. Sorrel seeds begin to germinate already at 2-3 degrees. Sorrel can be grown in any soil. He is undemanding to them. Loves watering, but not waterlogging. For example, the already mentioned Belleville variety noticeably loses color after heavy and prolonged rains - it turns pale.

The main varieties of sorrel are Belleville and Large-leaved. The first one is not so dark green, delicate, the leaves are not too wide. The second one is more classic, powerful, earlier. It is also worth mentioning such varieties as Maikopsky-10, Shikorolistny and exotic Spinach, which is characterized by a lower content of oxalic acid. If there is an organization like “SortSemOvoshch” in your area, then you can buy sorrel seeds there by weight (not packaged in bags) much cheaper than in stores and on trays.

Planting sorrel

So, when to plant sorrel? Can be planted as soon as possible in early spring. And so on, as convenient for you, until September (in the southern regions). That is, you can sow sorrel in the summer, you just need to take into account the time allowance for the sorrel to sprout and take root before the cold weather (about a month and a half). If you are growing sorrel for yourself, it is better to plant it in the spring. They sowed it, and if there is enough moisture (and there is usually enough in the spring), it will sprout.

But there is one thing... Sorrel is one of those garden plants that do not sprout so quickly. And if there is not enough moisture (and this happens in our abnormal times), then it will not rise or will rise unevenly.

When planting sorrel, maintain a distance between rows of approximately 25 cm. Use a hoe to make grooves 4-5 cm deep. If the ground is too damp, you can use a metal pin instead of a hoe - take it in your hands and make grooves. Take a pinch of sorrel seeds (they are very small) and scatter them evenly along the furrow. Cover with loose soil in a layer of no more than 1 cm. It is important. If we sprinkle the sorrel seeds with heavy soil, then it may not make its way into the white light.
You will see for yourself when to collect grown sorrel. Of course, young leaves, in which less oxalic acid has accumulated, are preferable.

In the first year of growing sorrel, it forms only leaves. In the second year, massive stem formation and flowering begin. But it doesn't matter. Take a knife and completely cut off such sorrel at the root. You can mow sorrel with a brush cutter. And after a while you will have him young and beautiful again. Also, if necessary, cut off old, overgrown, diseased leaves eaten by pests. And after a while you will have normal sorrel. After pruning, water the bed thoroughly to speed up the process of growing new leaves.

We grow sorrel for sale

Peak consumption of sorrel occurs in spring. Everyone wants to eat something green and homely after winter. And the sooner we have commercial sorrel (young leaves 10-12 cm in size), the more expensive it can be sold at.

Therefore, we prepare the beds and plant sorrel in the summer.

1. We mark where our sorrel will grow, taking into account the fact that we will cover it with film in early spring.

2. Apply fertilizers to the soil. If there is manure, then at the rate of 3-5 kg ​​per square meter. But not everyone has manure. Most people don't have it. No problem. Seed stores sell all sorts of different fertilizers in bags. The prices there, of course, are very decent (or indecent). We are interested in ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and potassium chloride. The packages tell you what and how much to add to the soil. Maybe you can buy some kind of complex fertilizer. That’s why I don’t give ready-made recipes. Read the instructions on the packages and act according to your circumstances. Actually, you don't have to contribute anything. A lot of things grow without any fertilizers. Sorrel first. It’s just that you can see from the appearance of the plant whether you need to feed it or not.

3. We dig up a plot of land for sorrel.

Be sure to water the grooves with water before planting the seeds. You can simply remove the sprayer from the watering can and water. Cover the sown seeds with loose soil (1 cm layer).

5. Now we need to make sure that the soil where we planted the sorrel is always moist until the shoots emerge (and then too, until the sorrel rises a little). Here, too, an important measure is to avoid flooding the crops (so that the seeds in the ground do not rot from waterlogging). It is best to water with a sprayer that creates fine dust from the water so that a crust does not form on the soil. But most likely there will be some kind of crust. There is no need to worry too much, since we keep the soil moist.

6. That's it. You can take a break from sorrel until early spring (late winter). The main thing is that it grows at least a little and takes root before the cold weather.

7. In winter, sorrel can be covered with leaves, or not covered - it does not freeze even in severe frosts. It can withstand at least minus 30 with harsh winds.

8. As early as possible in the spring, or even better at the end of winter, place arcs made of iron rods or thick metal wire over the sorrel and stretch the film over the arcs. That is, we are making an ordinary greenhouse. There will be a separate article about simple greenhouse designs. Film - the thicker the better. But it depends on your finances. Medium thickness will do just fine. Thin - it breaks easily, and it will be worse to protect from frost.
In the spring, on a hot day, we open the film slightly so that the sorrel does not steam. At night we cover the bed again. It is not advisable to open the film completely on a too hot day - the sorrel may “burn” (wither). Then it will take several days for him to come to his senses.

Important! The greenhouse must withstand strong winds, especially since it is installed quite early and lasts for a long time. If the wind tears off the film, then even if the temperature outside is not sub-zero, but simply low, then from a large temperature difference, the sorrel can get some kind of fungal disease.

The optimal scheme for selling sorrel

After all the work done, you should have the earliest sorrel in your area growing in your garden. And everything early has a good price. And most importantly, at this time there is a very high demand for all kinds of greens, including sorrel. After winter, many people want green borscht, etc.
It is worth noting that in early spring all sorts of different garden pests have not yet become active. Therefore, our sorrel is beautiful, unspoiled by pests, untreated with chemicals, and environmentally friendly. (A separate discussion about sorrel pests).
We tear off the sorrel leaves, which have reached a size of 8-12 cm, at the root and knit them into bunches. About this, read the material “Preparing bunches of greenery for sale.”
You can sell sorrel bunches at the market yourself (which is much more profitable), or sell them in bulk at a lower price.
Sorrel is slowly sold in the summer, but the price is already much lower. In the fall, the price is higher, but there is no such demand as in the spring.

In our area, a bunch of sorrel in early spring costs 40-50 rubles and there is a steady (exciting) demand. By summer the price drops to 10 rubles, and demand is extremely low. Late autumn – price 25 rubles. Demand is moderate. This year's prices.

Ask where this data comes from? Let me tell you that I have a direct connection to this matter.

So, growing sorrel is quite profitable. Having several plots of sorrel, and taking them under film, you can “raise” a good profit in the spring.

Growing vitamin-rich greens on your property is good and necessary. Perhaps everyone knows the appearance of sorrel; it is green and tastes sour. This perennial cold-resistant plant can withstand up to 7 degrees below zero. In the middle zone, the early garden variety Large-leaved sorrel is usually grown.

Place and soil for growing sorrel

The soil should be fertile, moist and free of weeds and other vegetation, especially wheatgrass. Loams or drained peat soils. Poor soils will make sorrel skinny and tasteless. The area is well lit; in the shade the sorrel will stretch out.

Planting sorrel

Sorrel can be planted in the spring (April, for a harvest in late summer), in the summer (at the end of June, for a harvest in May next year) or before winter (October, for a harvest in the summer of next year). The main thing here is that the plant has time to sprout and take root; this takes 1-1.5 months.

In the spring before sowing sorrel per 1 sq.m. add 4-6 kg of compost, 2-2.5 g of ammonium nitrate, 3-4 g of superphosphate, 1-2 g of potassium salt or replace everything with urea 20 g per 1 sq.m. Dig up the area. Make grooves on the rows, if there are several of them, then maintain a distance between them of 20-25 cm. The depth of the grooves is up to 5 cm. In damp soil, it is more convenient to make grooves with a metal pin. Now scatter dry seeds over the entire furrow (about 1 g per 1 sq.m.). Sprinkle soil on top, in a layer of no more than 1 cm, otherwise the seeds may not sprout. The first shoots appear after 10-12 days.

You need to collect sorrel from the beds regularly (old leaves are cut off with a knife) so that there is rejuvenation and a minimum accumulation of oxalic acid (oxalic acid and salts are toxic). Harvesting approximately in August-September.

If you plant sorrel in the summer, apply mineral fertilizers and dig it up. Soak the seeds for several days to hatch. Make furrows, water generously, spread out the hatched seeds and cover with a layer of loose soil up to 1 cm. Until the shoots appear (10-15 days), monitor the moisture of the soil, do not allow it to dry out, but do not over-moisten it, so that the seeds do not begin to rot. Further care is normal.

Sorrel care

Watering from a watering can is the main thing in caring for sorrel; this prevents a crust from forming on the ground. Without sufficient soil moisture, sorrel may sprout unevenly, begin to sprout rosettes, bloom, or not sprout at all. However, water should not stagnate. With prolonged rainfall, some varieties of sorrel (Belleville) begin to lose color.

Thin out, leaving a distance of 5-7 cm between plants, then you will get large, fleshy leaves. Loosen the row spacing every two weeks. Harvest when the plant has 4-5 leaves.

Eat only healthy young sorrel leaves (8-12 cm). If sorrel leaves are not cut for a long time, they become rough and not juicy.

Remove flower stalks at the root in a timely manner so that the quality of the leaves does not decrease. He will begin to grow again young and useful. Cut off sorrel leaves that have been eaten by pests or are diseased. Young healthy ones will grow up in their place. After cutting the sorrel, water the bed.

In the first year of growing sorrel, only leaves form on the plant; in subsequent years, stems appear and the sorrel begins to bloom. When mass shoots appear, sorrel harvesting is stopped and the shoots are cut off; in this case, you can use a trimmer to completely mow the entire bed and thus rejuvenate the plants.

In case of frost and for the winter, cover the sorrel with spunbond, leaves or any other covering material. But it is not necessary that sorrel is frost-resistant enough.

At the beginning of spring, place the sorrel in a greenhouse, i.e. stretch the arcs over it and cover it with a film, the thicker it is, the better it will withstand gusts of wind (if the wind tears the film off, a strong temperature drop will occur, which can affect the “health” of the plants). Open the film slightly during the day, but not completely, so that the leaves do not wilt. Close at night.

Sorrel is grown in one place for no more than 4-5 years, this should be taken into account when planting it.

Feeding sorrel

Mineral fertilizers include ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and calcium chloride; organic fertilizers include diluted slurry or diluted chicken manure 1:10. You can also feed sorrel with complex fertilizer every time after cutting. However, sorrel can grow safely without regular application of fertilizers to the soil. In dry weather it is better to feed plants in liquid form, in wet weather - in dry form.

In the fall, when digging up an area for sorrel, add 6-8 kg of compost, 30-40 g of superphosphate and 20-30 g of potassium chloride.

Sorrel is a herbaceous plant that has been actively grown in Russia for the last few centuries. Previously, it was mistaken for a common weed and was not eaten. This crop has a tap root system; the large root penetrates deep into the soil. The leaves of sorrel are large, of sufficient length, and densely collected in a rosette.

Sorrel is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals, which the human body especially needs after the winter season. The first harvest can be harvested as early as May. The leaves reach a length of up to 10 cm. The harvest is completed in July. During this entire period, the leaves are cut 4-5 times, adhering to a two-week break. From mid-summer, the leaves of the plant will become coarser, the concentration of oxalic acid will exceed permissible standards, so eating it is dangerous to health.

Sorrel planting with seeds What does sorrel look like photo

When to sow sorrel in open ground

The plant withstands the effects of cold. Its seeds begin to germinate at a temperature of +3 °C. There is no need to engage in preliminary cultivation of seedlings; planting material can be sown directly into open soil. As for sowing dates, planting can be done in early spring, summer and before winter.

In the spring, you can start sowing when it is possible to cultivate the land. The harvest will be possible this season.

Summer sowing can be done after the harvest of vegetables, which are characterized by early ripening, has been completed. The plant will have time to take root firmly before winter arrives.

Read also:

Sorrel - what is its benefit?

Pre-winter sowing is carried out in late autumn (late October-early November). It is necessary to wait for severe cold, night frosts and dry weather. Such weather conditions will not allow the seeds to germinate before winter arrives. When sowing in this way, it is recommended to feed the rows with high quality humus, which is mixed in equal proportions with the soil. This will be the key to a quality harvest next spring.

The ideal time for sowing sorrel is spring. During this period, the soil is not without a lack of moisture. If sowing is carried out in summer, timely and abundant watering will be required.

When to plant sorrel in spring and before winter sowing dates

Many inexperienced summer residents make one mistake when planting sorrel: they place the planting material too deep in the soil, and therefore the seeds cannot “hatch” through its thick layer.

The seeds of this crop are quite small, so they should be sown to a depth of no more than 1 cm. You should not make the furrows too deep; it is enough to indicate the sowing directions with the corner of a hoe. When sowing is finished, the holes need to be sprinkled with soil.

What variety of sorrel is best to plant?

The best variety of sorrel is considered large-leaved. It withstands cutting well, grows back in a short time, and does not freeze. It is also not characterized by degeneration. Of course, all these benefits can only be appreciated with proper care of the crop.

Site selection

When choosing a place for sorrel, you need to pay special attention. The culture develops well in moderate shading. Fertile soil, with moderate humidity, without stagnant water, is welcome. Groundwater should lie at a depth of more than 1 m. The plant feels good on loamy and sandy loam soils to which humus has been added. It is desirable that the soil acidity level is average.

How to plant sorrel seeds in open ground

There are 1000-1500 seeds per 1 g of weight, which take up to 2 years to germinate.

Read also:

Growing sorrel

Soil preparation

Before planting a plant, you need to pay attention to preparing the site. If the soil is deprived of nutrients, it must be fertilized with humus or compost (6-8 kg), superphosphate (20-30 g) and potassium chloride (15-20 g). This amount is taken per 1 square meter.

How to plant sorrel with seeds

During sowing, the distance between the rows should be maintained, which is 15-20 cm. If planting is carried out in the spring, the seeds should be planted to a depth of 1 mm. The first shoots can be observed after 8-11 days. To speed up germination, crops can be covered with film. After 7 days from the start of growth, it is necessary to thin out the beds. The distance between them should be 5-7 cm.

When sowing in summer, the soil must be saturated with moisture. To do this, a few days before planting the seed, the bed should be watered generously. This way the earth will settle slightly and the seeds will not be washed away by rainwater deep into the ground.

It is necessary to sow quite rarely. The seeds germinate quickly, the first shoots need to be thinned out. It is best to leave gaps (2-3 cm) between plants. This will ensure that the plant grows large and juicy. Care and cultivation of sorrel in open ground

Watering of this crop is carried out taking into account certain recommendations:

• During the active growth of the plant, it must be watered abundantly and regularly.
• If the weather is hot and the soil lacks moisture, the above-ground part will rapidly develop, which will lead to unwanted flowering. Under normal conditions, it can be expected in the second year of growth. In order for the sorrel to be of higher quality, the flower stalks must be removed.

Fertilizing and mulching

With the arrival of early spring, the soil should be loosened and mulched. Such measures will help preserve nutrients in the soil and maintain an optimal level of soil moisture. Then the soil needs to be fertilized with a mixture of mullein solution (1: 6) and potassium-phosphorus fertilizers (10-25 g). This amount of composition is taken per 1 m².

To maintain productivity, after each cutting of leaves, it is advisable to apply complex mineral fertilizers to the soil. Particular attention should be paid to those containing nitrogen. In autumn, 4-5 kg ​​of humus or compost should be added to the spaces between the beds.

It is permissible to cultivate this crop in one place for no longer than 4 years, after which the planting must be renewed.

Various pests and diseases can cause damage to the plant.

Sorrel is usually grown in open ground. This is such an unpretentious crop that you can sow it almost any time in your garden or at home, and then get a harvest of fresh green leaves. But if you’re going to plant vegetables, you need to try to get the best possible harvest from a small area. To do this, they usually select a good place and prepare it in advance.

Sorrel grows well on fertile, slightly acidic loams or sandy loams; drained peat bogs are perfect for it. It prefers light partial shade under young trees. It needs moisture, but not a wetland; it’s good if the groundwater is located no closer than a meter to the surface. It is best to choose a bed where pumpkins, beets, onions or greens have previously grown.

In the fall, you need to determine a place for it, and it should not be large - an area of ​​no more than one and a half square meters can provide a year-round supply of sorrel to the table of a family of five people. It is advisable to clear this area of ​​weeds, dig it up to the depth of a spade bayonet, and at the same time you can add compost, humus (or even manure), superphosphate and potassium chloride. Next you need to keep the area free of weeds. In the spring, just before sowing, the bed is loosened.

Video “Growing Secrets”

From the video you will learn about secrets that will help you grow sorrel.

Specifics of sowing work

You can sow sorrel in open ground almost throughout the warm season. This is done in the spring in March - April, as soon as the ground thaws, so that a temperature of +3 degrees is enough for the seeds to germinate. The earth has accumulated enough moisture to grow lush greens. It is sown in the middle of summer or at the very end of autumn.

In early spring, as soon as the ground melts, you can immediately start sowing. In the bed prepared in the fall, furrows are made 1.5 cm deep, leaving up to 25 cm between the rows. The seeds of this plant are small, they are not placed too often, so 2 g of seed is enough per 1 square meter of area. They are sown dry or soaked in water for two hours to speed up germination. The soil is still quite moist; there is no need to water it specifically before sowing; the seeds are covered with soil and pressed down so that they are in close contact with the soil.

The first shoots appear after two weeks. But you can speed up the process by covering the plantings with film or non-woven material, which will create a greenhouse effect. In such a warm, humid greenhouse, the seeds will germinate in 5-6 days; you need to open them as soon as the sprouts appear, so that they do not stretch out too much under the cover. Then the plants are broken through twice as they grow, and in the end there should be at least 10 cm between the bushes. Already in the summer, that is, in two months, you can try the harvest, and then collect it all summer.

Summer sowing is done after harvesting radishes, early cabbage or lettuce. Prepare a bed in the vacant space and water it before sowing. Sorrel sown in summer will require care until the end of the season; it will have to be regularly watered, and the harvest will only be tasted in the spring of next year, but in early spring, as soon as the ground thaws, it will begin to grow. Autumn sowing is carried out before winter, so that the seeds do not have time to germinate in the fall, but are started in the spring; they will receive excellent hardening during winter frosts, which will make germination almost one hundred percent. If a thaw catches the seeds in the ground, they can germinate and freeze in the winter. Therefore, sowing before winter is not always possible, it is difficult to guess the right time, it is better not to rush with it, sowing no earlier than November.

Features of care

Sorrel is an unpretentious plant, a wild relative of our cultivated varieties that still manages well without any care. Well, our bushes of different varieties, differing from each other in shape, size and color of leaves, nuances of taste, ripening time, require quite ordinary care. It involves weeding, loosening the soil, watering, fertilizing, protection from pests and diseases.

You need to remove weeds all season long, and not only pull them out, but remove them from the garden beds and not leave them in the rows - this is the best disease prevention. The soil around the bushes needs to be loosened and a crust not allowed to form after watering and liquid fertilizing.

This leafy vegetable loves moisture and needs to be watered regularly, taking into account the weather - the hotter it is, the more often it needs to be watered. Lack of moisture can provoke early flowering already in the first year of life, although with normal development this perennial plant should bloom only in the second year. But overwatering should not be allowed, as this can lead to root rotting.

Fertilizing is done after cutting the leaves to maintain the strength of the plant and stimulate the regrowth of new ones. Typically, mineral fertilizers with a predominance of nitrogen are used. Many gardeners, after cutting the leaves for the first time in spring, water the garden bed with an infusion of nettles, diluted ten times with an infusion of cow manure. And in the fall, after the last cutting, humus mixed with soil is laid out around the bushes. Experienced gardeners advise applying fertilizer between the rows, and not under the bushes themselves. The form of fertilizing depends on the weather - if the weather is dry, hot, liquid fertilizing is needed, in the rain it is better to spread dry fertilizers. If the bed was well fertilized before sowing, then the main fertilizing is carried out the next year; it is dangerous to overdo it, because excess elements are deposited in the leaves.

Sorrel rarely gets sick; if this happens, it means that the care was not attentive enough. Rust, which causes the leaves to become covered with spots (and then holes appear in the middle of the overgrown spots), can lead to the death of the bush. To avoid it, you need to carefully monitor the cleanliness of the garden bed, do not leave torn grass among the bushes, and loosen the soil. And if rust appears, copper sulfate can save you from it. Processing of plants can be carried out only after harvesting.

Excessive watering can lead to root rot, this also needs to be monitored. In the second year, the bushes give the greatest harvest, they bear fruit well for four years, and then the yield drops, as does the strength of the plants, and diseases become more likely. After four years of cultivation, it is advisable to change the place - this is also a kind of disease prevention.

The sour plant does not have many enemies. The sorrel leaf-eater and the sorrel sawfly are not averse to feasting on its leaves; the sorrel aphid may also attack. If you plant chamomile, garlic, coriander or calendula nearby, pests will most likely avoid the garden bed. If not, then you will have to use dust or nicotine sulfate (for aphids), but the treatment is done after harvesting. If you can’t wait, then after processing you just need to cut off all the leaves a couple of times without eating them. And then there is the next harvest.

Before the onset of winter, you need to cut off all the leaves; they cannot be left until frost, otherwise they will certainly die, become compressed, and reduce the ability of air and moisture to get to the roots. There is no need to specially cover sorrel for the winter, especially if snow is expected to fall in winter, so it will preserve the roots until next spring.

Harvesting and seed storage

Harvest by cutting off the leaves with a sharp knife, or simply plucking them with your fingers. If you pull a leaf, you can pull out the entire bush, that is, prevent it from growing. Leaves are cut in the morning or evening; during the day they are not so juicy. There are usually at least four harvests per season. A month before the onset of frost, they stop cutting leaves so that the plants accumulate strength before winter; the last cut no longer looks like harvesting, but rather like preparing for winter.

Fresh leaves are used for salads, first and second courses, and pies are made with them. They can be stored for up to 10 days on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, but there is no need to wrap them tightly in polyethylene; it is better to place the dry leaves loosely in a container with air access or a cardboard box with holes. For the winter they are frozen, salted, and canned.

If you want to collect seeds, the plants are allowed to bloom in the second year of growth (it is enough to leave flower stalks on 2 - 3 bushes). In the second half of May, small white flowers appear, and by mid-July the inflorescences turn brown. They are cut, dried for about 10 days, and then rubbed with palms, the light husk is blown out, and the seeds remain. They remain viable for four years. This is exactly the period after which you need to change plants and the place where they are grown in order to always get a good harvest of healthy sorrel.

Video “Features of care”

From this video you will learn how to care for sorrel.

642 03/25/2019 5 min.

It is hardly possible to meet a summer resident who does not grow sorrel in his garden. It's so easy to do that for most people this process is more of a hobby. Sorrel is an unpretentious plant, and it contains many vitamins and minerals. Sorrel can be grown both in open ground and in a greenhouse. But if you choose frost-resistant varieties, you will be able to get a bountiful harvest when planting seeds in the garden.

How and when to sow

You can get a bountiful harvest of sorrel only if you grow it in one place for no more than 4 years. In addition, before planting seeds, a number of preparatory measures need to be carried out.

Selecting a location

This point is considered very important when growing sorrel. You need to choose a site where the plant can feel good and produce a rich harvest. The soil must be protected from extraneous vegetation; proximity to wheatgrass is considered especially undesirable. The best option is considered to be an area with loam or sandy loam. The soil must be fertilized with humus. You can also get a bountiful harvest on a drained peat substrate. But how to grow tomato seedlings in peat tablets, and how to carry out planting work, this will help you understand

In the video, planting sorrel in open ground with seeds:

Soil preparation

As soon as you have been able to find a suitable place for sorrel, you need to start preparing the soil. To do this, add humus, potassium and phosphate to it in the fall. Take the components in a ratio of 6:1:1.

In the spring, when the crop is planted, treat the soil with a mixture obtained from ammonium nitrate and potassium salt (2 g each), superphosphate and urea (4 and 40 g), and you can also add humus in an amount of 3 kg. Mix everything well and add into the ground. The resulting mixture is enough to fertilize 1m2 of land.

Seed preparation

Seed material must be prepared in advance. For good germination, you need to soak it in water, wrap it in gauze and wait 2 days. The seeds will absorb moisture, causing the plant to sprout faster. Various nutritional components can be added to water. Then the culture will be strong and resistant to external conditions. You can find out how to use it by following the link.

By performing these manipulations when planting sorrel, you can achieve 100% germination. If you don’t have time, you can plant the seeds without preparation. The plant will still sprout, but it will not be as tall and strong.

It will also be useful to learn about how to plant broccoli for seedlings:

Sowing

When planting sorrel seeds, you need to make furrows, the depth of which is 2 cm. Sow the seeds while maintaining a distance of 15 cm. Now the soil must be mulched using peat. Cover the soil with film. This will create a greenhouse effect and increase the germination of planting material. After 5-7 days you can see the first shoots.

As soon as the first greenery has been discovered, the plant should be thinned out. As a result of picking, there should be a distance of at least 10 cm between the bushes.

If the seeds are planted in the fall, then harvesting can occur in summer and autumn. But when planted in summer, the plant will take root well and give a bountiful harvest in the spring. Planting greenery should be done in the same way. Then the planting material will have time to germinate and will not freeze in winter. But you can find out how this happens from this article by following the link.

In the video, sowing sorrel in open ground:

How to care

Caring for bushes is not difficult. But you still have to be especially careful.

Watering

As soon as young shoots appear, they simply need water. So watering should be abundant and regular. It doesn’t matter whether it’s cold or hot outside.

If you do not water the plant in time, the sorrel will experience “thirst.” As a result of this, it will stop blooming, and you can forget about a bountiful harvest. In addition to regular watering, the crop requires frequent weeding. The soil on which sorrel grows should be fluffy and loose.

The harvest occurs only once a year, so it is very important to take care of its wintering. To do this, cover the remaining roots with humus or rotten sawdust. It will also be useful to learn and see how tomatoes are watered in a polycarbonate greenhouse.

Fertilizer application

Sorrel does not require a lot of fertilizer. Just 2 feedings per month are enough. A nutrient mixture containing mullein, potassium and phosphorus is excellent for these purposes. Take mullein and water in a ratio of 1:5, and the remaining components - 15 g each.

After each harvest, you need to fertilize with nettle infusion. In the fall, it is recommended to add compost to provide additional nutrition to the soil. There are 4 kg per 1 m2. But you can find out from this article by following the link.

And although sorrel is one of those plants that are not afraid of pests and are not particularly susceptible to diseases, with improper care you can find various defects on the leaves.

To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to remove weeds in time, weed the area and thin out the plants.

This is the only way not a single pest will come close to the sorrel. It is also worth watering the plant carefully. And although sorrel needs regular watering at first, standing water should not be allowed. Otherwise, this will lead to the development of fungal diseases.

Most often, sorrel can be affected by the following ailments:

1. Downy mildew. It can be detected by such a symptom as dark spots with a gray coating. They are concentrated on the inside of the foliage. To combat this disease, it is necessary to use Bordeaux mixture. Treatment must be carried out no later than 10 days before the upcoming harvest.
2. Sorrel aphid. If it infects a plant, it will drink all the nutritious juices from it. It is not recommended to treat the foliage with anything. Only after the harvest has been harvested can the plant be irrigated with bitter infusion. To prepare it, you can use garlic, dandelion or potato tops.
3. Sorrel leaf-eater. Sorrel can be affected not only by beetles, but also by its larvae. To combat this pest, it is necessary to use garlic or tomato infusion.

Sorrel is a unique vegetable crop. And its uniqueness is that it can grow in almost any soil and with minimal care. Of course, you won’t be able to get a bountiful harvest this way, since this requires proper care. There is no need to do anything complicated. Just water on time, loosen the soil and fight pests. As for planting material, it is best to use purchased seeds, but those obtained from plants from the last harvest.