Asparagus, or asparagus, is a cold-resistant crop grown on personal plots with mineral-rich soil. The height of asparagus stems reaches 1.5 meters. Growing asparagus is most favorable on sandy loam soils. The plant, being in the ground, can tolerate the most severe frosts - down to –30 0 C, but may not withstand frosts on the soil surface in early spring. In this case root system asparagus can die even at -5 0 C. The plant, being in the ground, activates its growth in the spring, when the air temperature is +10 0 C. By mid-June, the stems and leaves of asparagus straighten out, and fruits appear. Planting asparagus is possible in spring and before winter.

Features of growing asparagus from seeds

Preparation of planting material for planting in spring soil is carried out in the last weeks of April. To prevent seedlings from diseases and damage garden pests on open ground, this kind of care will be required: the seeds are soaked for 2 hours in a solution of manganese (also known as potassium permanganate), after which they are laid out on damp sawdust for germination. In the spring, peat capsules are also suitable for growing crops.

Tip: Germinating asparagus seeds in gauze before planting in the ground is not recommended due to the possibility of entanglement and damage to weak sprouts.

Propagation of asparagus after planting by seeds should include:

1. Moderate humidity, plenty of light, average temperature of +25 0 C during the week.
2. Sowing seeds with sprouts in spring in peat boxes or plastic cups measuring 100-200 ml. The soil is taken from the site, sand and manure are added to it.

The seeds are covered with a soil layer of several millimeters. A week after planting, asparagus stalks will appear from the ground. In summer, asparagus seedlings are planted in the garden. Next season, the strengthened asparagus rhizomes will be suitable for transplanting to a permanent area in the open ground.

Root method of planting and propagation

Growing asparagus in the ground using roots is the easiest way, as the plant is most likely to take root. It is better to plant asparagus before winter.

To plant in the soil, you need to carry out preparatory work: remove weeds, roots from last year’s harvest, loosen the soil and apply mineral fertilizers. After deep digging of the site, the soil should be fertilized with the following agricultural components: 15 g of ammonium sulfur, 30 g of potassium phosphate and 60 g of magnesulfate.

If you plan to grow asparagus in the soil in the spring, add compost to the soil. It is poured into the furrow in an amount of 10 kg per 1 m 3. It should be noted that it is impossible to apply other fertilizing before planting the crop on O open ground.

Advice: Self-selected fertilizers can burn asparagus rhizomes and destroy the future harvest.

If asparagus is planted in the spring, then the roots of the plant are placed in the soil in the garden bed and covered with soil. This must be done so that the level of the hole is 5 cm below its edge. This is necessary for the correct irrigation procedure.

Before the process of planting asparagus in the fall before winter, you will need special care. It is necessary to form a medium-height mound above the rhizomes brought into the ground. This method will protect plants from winter frosts on open ground.

Homemade method

Growing asparagus on your own site is possible through artisanal propagation. The right choice planting material is thick, well-grown roots. In the spring they are divided into parts, but with one shoot intact. After a month, rhizomes will grow in the soil, the beds are loosened without affecting the rhizomes.

Plant one at a time into the prepared holes. healthy plant, retreating 50 cm from each other. Rhizomes of asparagus seedlings require correct landing and care in the first week. The rhizomes should be straightened into the ground and located 10 cm below ground level. Pegs are driven in next to the seedlings, to which their tops are tied as the plants grow. If the area of ​​the plot is small for growing and planting one plant at a time, asparagus is planted in several rows 1.2 meters wide.

Tip: When planting a crop in one line, you should remove all perennials, located nearby.

After planting asparagus, the bed is watered and covered with a layer of 8 cm of soil. In the first years of asparagus life, care is required, the holes are leveled. During the growing season of asparagus and the amount of mineral fertilizer applied, a roller will form where bleached asparagus shoots will develop. To extend the period of growing asparagus in the same area, it constantly requires care: it is watered and fertilized strictly according to the instructions with special agricultural components.

In the fall, after pruning, the garden bed needs care: the earth mound is raked to ensure a flow of oxygen to the rhizomes. To obtain bleached shoots, in the spring the asparagus bed is covered with agrofibre or dense polyethylene, preferably dark.

Tip: To protect asparagus stems from natural phenomena, they can be covered plastic bottles without a bottom, and put sawdust on top.

If necessary, the stems are raked and the shoots are cut off at the base, without affecting neighboring bushes. After pruning, the rhizomes are covered back with soil.

Rules of care

Asparagus is enough unpretentious plant. Main care for growing crops consists of timely irrigation, loosening and fertilizing. The asparagus bed should be irrigated constantly, but in small quantities. The main requirement for growing asparagus is not to overdo it with watering, but also not to let the stems dry out.

Growing asparagus requires loosening the soil. It is better to do this after watering, when the water is well absorbed into the root system. Weeds are a pest; they should be removed from beds and rows so that they do not grow and draw useful minerals from the ground.

Mullein is an excellent fertilizer for asparagus. It is brought into the ground, having previously been infused in water in a ratio of 1:5. Fertilizing the soil is carried out 20 days after planting asparagus in the garden. Having counted the same amount of time after feeding with mullein, diluted bird droppings are added to the asparagus bed at a ratio of 1:10.

Advice: The last phase of fertilizing asparagus beds is carried out using complex mineral fertilizer, usually before the first frost.

In the second year of life, asparagus will produce shoots, but it is not recommended to pick them due to the spring weakness of the plant. Growing asparagus during the ripening process requires care, which consists of the same actions as in the first year of asparagus development and growth.

Diseases and pests

Asparagus is a plant that is resistant to diseases and pests, but serious damage is caused by the fungus Helicobasidium purpureum. During the process of growth and development, plants require careful care. Infection with fungal spores occurs within a few days and can destroy an entire asparagus bed.

Fungus damage can be determined by weakened plants. In this case, the root system dies, after which the leaves and shoots fall off. Asparagus disease can be eliminated by treating plants with Fundazol. The drug contains a small percentage chemical elements, but it is recommended to use it strictly according to the instructions, and in extreme cases. Additional insecticides for treating asparagus are Actellik, Fitoverm, Fufanon.

So, in the first year after planting asparagus, you won’t be able to enjoy its shoots, since the harvest will appear only in the second year of the crop’s life. But given the ease of growing and caring for the plant, as well as the extraordinary taste of asparagus, it’s still worth waiting a year or two.

Let's start with the fact that it is unlikely that it will be possible to grow full-fledged asparagus suitable for food on a windowsill. Its long root requires too much space. Therefore, asparagus is often found in apartments as an ornamental plant, while vegetable crops are usually planted in garden beds.

• Asparagus seeds take a very long time to germinate, so before sowing they are soaked in warm water for up to four days, changing the water twice a day. Moreover, the container with the sprouts should be kept warm so that the water temperature does not drop.
• After soaking, the swollen seeds are placed on damp burlap or other material and left there for about a week until the sprouts hatch (the seed must be moistened periodically).
• Young shoots are planted plastic cups or in a box filled with store-bought loose soil mixture. It is advisable to maintain a distance of 6 cm on each side between plants. It is enough to bury the seeds into the ground about two centimeters, no more.
• Containers with seedlings should be placed in a well-lit place; an additional light source will not hurt so that the plants gain strength faster.
• The emerging sprouts are lightly sprinkled with peat.
• After 10-15 days, complex mineral fertilizer is applied to the ground.
• Over the course of a month, the asparagus is watered, the soil is carefully loosened and the seedlings are turned on different sides towards the light for uniform growth.
• When the stems reach 15 cm in height, the plantings should be thinned out, leaving the healthiest specimens at a distance of 10 cm from each other.

For a month, water the asparagus, carefully loosen the soil and turn the seedlings on opposite sides to the light for uniform growth.

In the last days of May, the seedlings must be hardened: every day, subject to good weather, place containers with plants outside. Hardening begins at one hour and gradually increases to 12 hours. By the beginning of June, the seedlings will be completely ready for transplanting to their permanent place in the garden.

For young plants, a bed 100 cm wide and 30 cm high will be sufficient. A distance of 40 cm should be left between seedlings, and up to 60 cm between rows.

Propagation of asparagus using sections of rhizomes with live buds is more popular. The survival rate of plants in this case is almost 100%. Planting with rhizomes is carried out both in spring and before winter. Let's take a closer look at the technology of planting asparagus in May.

Having chosen the strongest, fleshy rhizomes on the market, divide them into several parts. Carefully place each part in a pre-dug hole 50 cm deep, at the bottom of which a mound of earth mixed with humus is poured. Thus, the seedling should be buried 25 cm. The optimal distance between bushes is 15 cm, the intervals between rows are 50 cm.

Having chosen the strongest, fleshy rhizomes on the market, divide them into several parts

When planting, try to straighten the root system well, cover the rhizomes on top with a mixture of soil and humus and press down firmly. Then water the bed with a small amount of water.

Regardless of whether asparagus is planted with rhizomes or seeds, subsequent care for it will be the same. Immediately after planting the plant on the site, you will need to water it abundantly for the first one and a half to two weeks, after which you will need to sprinkle the holes with peat and reduce watering.

During the summer, it is necessary to regularly remove weeds, loosen the soil between the rows and water from time to time so that the soil does not dry out, but it should not be over-watered either. To speed up the growth of shoots, after the first weeding, you can add fertilizer to the garden bed using slurry diluted with water (6 parts water to 1 part slurry). After three weeks, it is recommended to feed the plants with bird droppings diluted 10 times with water. And already before the first frost, the last fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizer.

During the summer, it is necessary to regularly remove weeds, loosen the soil between the rows and water from time to time.

For the winter, the top part of the asparagus is cut off, leaving only 2.5 cm “stumps”, which are covered with earth and covered with humus and dry leaves. The row spaces are filled with manure.

Caring for asparagus in the second year looks exactly the same as in the first. And no matter how much you would like to try the juicy shoots, wait until next year so that they become stronger and accumulate more vitamins. Premature cutting of the stems will simply undo all your work.

In Europe, it is customary to cut asparagus shoots only when the height is at least 22 cm and the diameter is at least 1.6 cm.

In the third year, with the arrival of spring, the plantings will need to be earthed up so that the asparagus grows long, straight, and its heads do not open prematurely. Around the end of April, the time to harvest the first harvest begins. Try not to miss the moment when the heads have not yet appeared above the surface, otherwise the shoots will lose their presentation, change color and become coarser.

Video about growing asparagus on your own plot

Readiness can be determined by the cracking of the soil above each plant. As soon as you notice that the soil has risen and cracks have appeared, it’s time to dig up the stems, cutting them off to the very root. In warm weather, you can harvest asparagus every day or every other day. Just do not remove all the shoots at once, otherwise the plant may die.

After cutting the crop, level the bed, sprinkle humus on top and lightly compact it. IN further care after asparagus it is repeated as in the first two years.

Today, many gardeners remembered, began to grow and fell in love unfairly forgotten asparagus. But before it was called the royal vegetable. To ordinary people It was forbidden to grow this crop, since eating asparagus was considered a privilege of the nobility. Dishes made from it are still delicacies to this day, and most importantly, they are very healthy. Therefore, do not deny yourself the pleasure, buy several varieties of asparagus and plant them in your garden.

Choosing a place and soil for planting asparagus

Asparagus grows in one place for up to 20 years, its yield increases for the first 6–7 years, then remains stable, and after 10 years it decreases. This means that you need to choose a site for asparagus, as you would for a tree or shrub seedling, that is, for a long time. The place should be open to the sun and rarely visited. A well-lit corner of the garden is ideal. Perennial spicy and medicinal herbs

. The best predecessors of asparagus are cereals and crops that require deep digging of the ground (potatoes).

The place for planting asparagus should be open and sunny. The soil under asparagus should be fertile and well-permeable to the roots. For one family, six bushes will be enough, which will take up about 2 m². Fertilize the bed with humus, compost or fresh manure, scattering it on each one before digging square meter

Asparagus grows in one place for many years, so the soil needs to be well-filled with organic matter - manure or humus.

Save from close occurrence of groundwater (at a depth of less than 1.5–2 m²) raised beds- from 10 cm and above. In addition, asparagus does not like acidic soils; before planting, they are deoxidized with lime, bone meal or dolomite meal. Application rates depend on the pH of the soil on the site. The instructions for deoxidizers indicate dosages depending on this indicator.

For packaging dolomite flour there is a table with application rates

The pH level may vary in different areas of the same garden. To determine it, you will need: an earth sample taken from a depth of 20–30 cm and litmus paper. Take a spoonful of the soil to be analyzed and dilute it to the state of liquid mud with rainwater from a barrel. Dip litmus into the pulp and immediately apply it to the indicator scale to determine the color. If the color does not seem to have changed, then most likely the pH is between 6 and 7, meaning your soil is slightly acidic. If you doubt the functionality litmus paper, dip it in 70% vinegar. She should blush.

Pay special attention to pre-plant weed control. Growing asparagus will entwine the entire bed with its roots, they will become entangled with each other, and it will no longer be possible to disturb the soil to remove weeds. Therefore, dig up the area with the bayonet of a shovel, carefully removing all the roots. If you plant under a fence, dig in sheets of slate or tin along the border with the street so that the root shoots of perennial weeds do not penetrate into the garden bed.

Video: asparagus in the garden, harvesting

Methods and timing of planting asparagus

Like most plants, asparagus reproduces by seeds and vegetatively, that is, by part of a bush or rhizome. Planting material you can buy it, ask it from friends, or take it from your plot if you already have mature asparagus bushes.

Sowing with divided rhizomes or seedlings

Most easy way- divide 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. Optimal time for this landing method:

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

An asparagus seedling in early spring looks like an octopus, with a shoot just beginning to grow visible in the center

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

When preparing a plot for asparagus, take into account such a nuance as the direction of the rows. It is better if they are located from north to south. The length and number of rows depend on the availability of seedlings. The distance between the bushes will be 40 cm, between the rows - 1–2 m. Next, proceed according to the scheme:

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

If you plant seedlings in pots, then you do not need to free the roots from the ground and straighten them, just take the plant out of the pot along with the lump, place it on top of the shaft and bury it. The above-ground part can be buried 3–5 cm. When planting with part of the root taken from an adult bush, in the spring, when the shoots have just begun to grow, you can fill them in their entirety so that there is a 3 cm layer of soil above the tops of the shoots. The depth of planting asparagus is not very large meaning - 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 trench for planting asparagus should be wide and level. The bottom of the trench is fertilized with humus. On top of the layer of organic matter, make a ridge from the excavated soil. Lay out the asparagus seedlings and spread their roots along the slopes of the ridge. Fill the roots and the entire trench with the remains of the earth. Water the bed using a watering can with a strainer. Plant according to the same principle. second row of asparagus

Video: planting asparagus root in a hole

Sowing asparagus seeds in the ground

The seed method is more interesting, but labor-intensive. Of course, it’s nice to watch how, with your help, the seeds wake up and sprout small shoots. But these seedlings must be protected from cold, heat, stretching, drying out or, conversely, rotting.

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

Experts say that male plants more resistant to cold than women's. Signs of a “boy” asparagus - there are many shoots, but they are thin, no berries are formed on the bushes. The “girl” has fewer shoots, but they are thicker, and the bushes bear berries.

Sow seeds in the ground like this:

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

The following spring, after sowing asparagus seeds in the ground, the weakest young shoots are cut off or removed by the roots in order to thin out and leave the best ones in the garden, bringing the planting pattern to 40x40 cm.

Asparagus shoots grow thin and long even in open ground; this is their feature, not elongation

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, the plants will die, since they do not yet have a powerful root with many buds from which new shoots would grow.

Sowing asparagus seedlings

Sowing seeds in pots is carried out in March, but 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 purchasing seedlings or your own. To make your own soil mixture:

1. Take one part each of turf soil, peat and humus.
2. Stir, moisten. If after this the soil shrinks into a lump that does not crumble, add coarse sand, perlite or vermiculite to loosen it.
3. Pour a glass of wood ash into a bucket of the resulting mixture and mix again.
4. Disinfect the soil by heating it in any way until steam emits from it. You can spill boiling water.

Choose well-known and proven brands of soil; disinfect soil mixtures of questionable quality

I tried to fry the soil 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 that ready-made soils from the store are safe. But last year, my mother-in-law sowed seedlings in purchased land and suffered heavy losses from whiteflies. These insects multiplied every week, spread over all the plants in the house and ate even the already flowering strong tomatoes to the bare stems. One can wonder 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 store soil.

Sowing asparagus seedlings is carried out in this way:

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

Video: planting asparagus seedlings in the ground

Replanting asparagus, including for winter consumption

Transplanting an adult asparagus bush is done in several cases:

• asparagus was planted in a sunny place, but over time it became shady;
• the bush is outdated, the yield has decreased, it needs to be divided for rejuvenation;
• in place of the asparagus, it was decided to plant another crop that is more appropriate here, or to erect a building;
• I want to eat asparagus all winter and prepare delicious dishes from it for the New Year's table.

Transplantation is done according to the same principle and in the same time frame as planting with roots. In summer it is better not to disturb the bushes.

Replant or divide asparagus bush better in spring when it aboveground part still small

For winter consumption, asparagus is dug up in the fall and planted in a greenhouse, winter Garden, an insulated greenhouse or other structure that allows planting directly into the ground in winter:

1. In the fall, when the above-ground part of the asparagus turns yellow, cut it off.
2. Dig out the entire root or part with 2-3 buds.
3. Transfer to a greenhouse or other insulated and bright structure and plant.
4. Maintain the optimal temperature for this crop and water regularly.
5. A week after planting, they begin to actively feed nitrogen fertilizers or mulch with humus.

On an industrial scale, asparagus is grown all year round

Is it possible to grow asparagus at home?

There is no evidence that asparagus is grown for food in pots or boxes at home. The root of an adult fruit-bearing bush goes 1–1.5 m deep, and only when it has grown well can it produce many succulent shoots. The closest relative of asparagus, indoor asparagus, grows safely in the apartment, but it has only decorative value.

In Europe, which is ahead of us, there is already a new trend: they do not grow asparagus, but collect wild green ones. It is believed that in natural conditions No one fertilizes the plants, so they are more natural and healthier. By the way, wild green asparagus grows in the Caucasus and Crimea. Locals From time immemorial, it has been picked and used in cooking: stewed with vegetables and nuts, eaten with satsivi and in stews.

Video: how to grow and cook asparagus

Vegetable crops today are considered exotic in Russia. Many housewives grow it in flower beds, not realizing the valuable and beneficial substances of this culture, beloved by supporters of healthy eating. The answer to the question of how asparagus grows is: the plant prefers sunny, windless areas. Feels good under fruit trees, as it reaches technical maturity before foliage appears. Asparagus is grown by seeds and vegetatively. The collection of shoots begins in the third season.

Experienced gardeners plant asparagus bushes in winter in a previously prepared place. The bed is dug up and fertilized with a mixture of superphosphate, potassium sulfate and ammonium sulfate. In spring, they prefer to plant pre-soaked seeds using growth stimulants. This process occurs in early April, and seedlings appear after two months. The seedlings are moved to their permanent place of growth in the second half of June.

Propagation by cuttings

For this type of propagation, cuttings are cut from last year's shoots and placed in damp sand. It is advisable to equip the plantings with a cap made from a plastic bottle.

Before rooting, the cuttings should be ventilated and sprayed, and after one or two months they should be transplanted into separate containers.

Asparagus can be propagated by dividing the bush. In this case, all divisions must have shoots.

How to plant asparagus

Asparagus is planted in open ground in early June under the protection of fences or building walls. The crop does not tolerate soils with high groundwater levels, but produces crops in one place without replanting for up to a quarter of a century. Therefore, a permanent place should be chosen. Perfect option– fertile sandy loam soil, which is prepared in advance. In autumn, weeds are removed from the ridges, compost, potassium sulfate and superphosphate are added and dug up. After the snow melts, the area should be harrowed and fertilized. wood ash and ammonium nitrate.

When planting asparagus seedlings in open ground, prepare holes 30 x 40 cm, 30 cm deep, at intervals of one meter. The holes are filled with loose soil and the plant is planted, shortening the roots to 3 cm. Compact the soil, water and mulch.

Where to plant asparagus

Since the crop grows in one place for up to 25 years, the highest yields are achieved in the first years, then stabilize and decline after 10 years. They select a well-lit corner in the garden where cereals and potatoes previously grew.

Medicinal herbs and spices can be grown nearby.

If seedlings are placed near a fence, they are protected from negative impact weeds from the street by digging in sheets of tin or slate.

The soil in the garden should be loose to ensure free access of air to the roots. Heavy, clayey soils are corrected by adding coarse sand. It is enough to plant five or six asparagus bushes at the dacha to provide the whole family with food. In the case of close groundwater, a high ridge is built. Soil acidity is reduced with bone meal, dolomite meal, and lime.

How to grow asparagus from seeds

Growing crops in open ground occurs in several ways. Sowing seeds is a lengthy process due to slow germination, so preference is given to planting seedlings on a bed. To do this, the seeds are soaked in warm water for 3-4 days, changing the water to fresh twice a day. The swollen seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth until the sprouts hatch. Then prepare containers with a soil mixture of two parts sand and one part each of peat, garden soil and rotted manure.

Sowing is carried out in furrows to a depth of 2 mm, the seeds are laid out at a distance of 5 cm from each other. The container is installed in a well-lit place with an ambient temperature of +25 degrees. With daily watering, seedlings appear after a week. Features of caring for sprouts - peat powder. Two-week-old seedlings are fed with complex mineral fertilizer of moderate concentration.

Germinating seeds on sand

Seeds are planted in a plastic container equipped with a lid in early spring. The container is filled with river sand to 5 mm and slightly moistened. The seeds are laid out on the surface at intervals of one millimeter and slightly buried with a spoon. If the container is without a lid, it is placed in a plastic bag and left at above-zero temperatures.

The location of the crops does not matter, since they do not need lighting.

Dried sand needs to be moistened. After a week, the sprouts sprout, then you should open the container and place it on the windowsill.

Picking

Asparagus seedlings are picked when they become crowded. When replanting, you need to provide each plant with a growing area of ​​5 x 5 cm. You can purchase ready-made soil or mix peat and garden soil in equal proportions. Seedlings are planted together with a lump of soil and buried slightly. Seedlings tend to stretch out and bend to the ground; this is a temporary phenomenon.

Growing asparagus seedlings

At the end of May, seedlings begin to harden, exposing them to open air, first for one hour, gradually increasing to 12 hours. At the beginning of June, asparagus will be ready to plant in beds 30-40 cm high and one meter wide. A distance of 60 cm is left between the rows, separating the seedlings from each other by 40 cm.

When growing asparagus, you need to take into account the ability of some varieties to withstand short-term severe frosts in adulthood, over four years. Young plants are harmed by temperatures of -25 degrees.

How does asparagus grow from rhizomes?

The root method of propagation is the fastest, most effective and popular. Planting occurs before winter or spring. Rhizomes are bought or used growing on the site. Having dug them out of the ground, divide them into parts and soak for half an hour in warm water.

A half-meter distance is maintained between rows. A nutrient substrate is poured into the center of the hole, into which the roots are placed at intervals of 30 cm. The plantings are covered with earth, watered and mulched with sawdust, tree bark or dry leaves.

Preparing the soil for transplanting seedlings

When seedling method cultivation is necessary autumn preparation plot. The need to fertilize the soil is to apply manure and fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus. Acidic soils deoxidized with chalk or using liming, after which the ridges are dug up.

Seedling care

Asparagus needs abundant moisture immediately after planting. Then the plants need to be watered from time to time and weeds need to be removed.

To stimulate growth, the shoots must be fed with a solution of slurry prepared from one part manure and six parts water.

Three weeks later, bird droppings are added, diluted with water tenfold. Fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizer is carried out in the fall. For the winter, asparagus is cut to a height of 2.5 cm, hilled and covered with dry leaves and humus.

The soil around plants needs to be regularly loosened in order to provide the root system with oxygen. The procedure is carried out monthly, with caution, due to the superficial location of the roots.

Neighborhood with parsley, green onions, dill has a beneficial effect on the growth and development of asparagus.

Diseases and pests of asparagus

Garden plants are susceptible to:

• Fusarium, which is a type of root rot. Appears from waterlogging of the soil.
• Plant rust. A disease caused by fungi inhibits development and destroys plants left untreated.
• Rhizoctonia. A rare disease transmitted by carrots requires preventative treatment due to the proximity of this culture.
• Asparagus leaf beetle eating leaves.
• An asparagus fly that gnaws tunnels in young plants. The pest insect lays larvae that destroy the plantings.
• Garden slugs, which eat all parts of asparagus, not disdaining old and hardened shoots.

To avoid such phenomena, timely treatment with appropriate drugs is necessary. Helps against pests preventive measures in the form of spraying with Karbofos, which has low toxicity and is suitable for protecting various garden crops.

Harvesting asparagus

Asparagus is suitable for consumption in the 3rd-4th year. Asparagus should be cut after the rhizomes rise above the ground surface. If the winter is not too frosty and spring comes early, the harvest begins in April. Twenty-centimeter shoots are used for cutting. No more than three stems are collected from the plant. Cleaning continues for 14 days. In subsequent seasons, it is permissible to cut up to 10 shoots from each plant in a month and a half.

The stems should be hilled up, weeds should be removed from the area and mineral fertilizing. The rhizomes produce new shoots that develop and form buds before the onset of cold weather.

Cut asparagus is sorted to get rid of unsuitable stems and placed in a warm place. Leaves smooth, creaky stems with a noticeable shine. Then wrap it in a damp cloth and store it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or in another dark, cool place for up to 3-4 months. Strong-smelling products give off their odors to the shoots, so their proximity should be excluded. To avoid deformation, vertical placement is recommended.

Many gardeners store their harvest in the cellar, laying it out in wooden boxes, sprinkling the layers with sand.

Asparagus intended for long-term storage has its tips trimmed off. The product is placed in a hermetically sealed container and placed in a refrigerator with temperature conditions 0…-20 degrees. Such conditions help preserve color and nutrients. Freezing of pre-boiled asparagus is allowed.

Asparagus is popular not only for its quality food product, but garden decorations. Ornamental plant harmoniously complements floral arrangements.

Asparagus - perennial herbaceous plant asparagus family. Since ancient times, the crop was grown as a medicinal plant, and a little later the tender sprouts began to be eaten. This delicious vegetable has long been intended for the nobility, its taste is so delicate and pleasant. It is possible that this is why asparagus was dubbed royal.

Description of asparagus

The value of asparagus lies not only in its content large quantities vitamins and useful macro- and microelements, but also in the fact that it is an early vegetable crop. Young asparagus sprouts are the first to appear in our gardens, and this usually happens in April. Shoots of milky ripeness taste like green pea
. Asparagus can be 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 garden beds In addition to practical benefits, asparagus is also an ornamental plant. Tall bushes with heavily 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 arranging bouquets - the delicate greenery goes well with flowers and retains a fresh look for a long time.

Planted in a flowerbed among flowers, asparagus enlivens the composition Asparagus sprouts are available in green, white and burgundy colors.
The point is not in the varieties, as it might seem, but in the timing of collection and methods of cultivation. If asparagus grows in a regular bed, we get green sprouts. To grow white or purple shoots, asparagus is hilled up, depriving it of sunlight, but in the first case this is done immediately, and in the second - when the shoots stretch out slightly and turn green. Applying various ways

growing, 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 time is significantly reduced, and the first shoots will appear already.

next spring

Sowing seeds for seedlings Before sowing, asparagus seeds are soaked for two days in a solution of Epin or another biostimulant.

Considering the difficulty of seed germination, 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 soil for seedlings, adding sand and vermiculite to it in a ratio of 5:1:1. Instead of vermiculite, coconut substrate is often used.

1. Sowing seeds in a container:
2. Place the seeds on 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 film 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 of at least 25 o C, seedlings will appear in about a month and a half.
Six weeks after sowing, lacy asparagus shoots appear

Planting seedlings in open ground

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

If you plan to plant asparagus seedlings in the fall, then instead of complex mineral fertilizers, apply phosphorus-potassium or nutrient mixtures marked “autumn.” The fact is that the nitrogen contained in complex fertilizers, stimulates the growth of shoots, but in the fall it is undesirable. At this time, the shoots must ripen and the root system strengthen, 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 return frosts is unlikely. The fertilized deoxidized area is dug up well, removing clods of earth and roots of weeds.
Grown asparagus bushes are ready for planting in open ground

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

Landing rules:

1. Mounds of fertile soil are placed in the dug trench.
2. The roots of the seedling are straightened 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 lightly squeeze.
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 in open ground. The bed is prepared in the same way as for planting seedlings, but instead of trenches, grooves 4–5 cm deep are made. At the end of May, the seeds are soaked for a day in a biostimulator for quick and reliable germination. Sowing is carried out in a prepared bed, placing the seeds in 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 later be cut out with scissors. Sprinkle the furrows with a small layer of soil, compact and water. After the water is absorbed, mulch the bed. Asparagus seeds take a long time to germinate, so it is advisable to cover the bed with agrofibre - this will prevent moisture loss and speed up the emergence of seedlings.

Video: sowing asparagus for seedlings

Reproduction by dividing the bush

The easiest way to propagate asparagus is by dividing the bush. This procedure can be carried out in spring, autumn, and even in summer, if there is no extreme heat. The dug bush is divided into parts so that each section has one sprout. This is usually done with your hands or, if that doesn’t work, use a sharp knife. 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 method of propagating asparagus is by dividing the bush

Using the same principle, asparagus is propagated by dividing the rhizomes. This is usually done in the spring, before new shoots grow. Dig up the root and divide it into parts so that each has a bud. The cuttings are planted in the described manner - in trenches on mounds.

Parts of asparagus rhizomes are planted on a hill

Parts of asparagus rhizomes are planted on a hill

Caring for asparagus in open ground Planted plants need to be kept moist, especially at first.

When the seedlings take root and become 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 weeding is purely symbolic in nature - to remove individual blades of grass that have emerged.
In the first year until autumn, it is not advisable to prune asparagus shoots so as not to interfere with the full development of the bush. The first edible sprouts will appear in small quantities next spring, and in the third year you can harvest.

If you don’t trim asparagus shoots in the year of planting, then by next summer they will be beautiful mature bushes.

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

Preparing the plant for winter

To protect asparagus from freezing, the bed must be properly prepared for winter. In autumn, all the stems of the plant are cut short and this must be done before frost. Then the plants are hilled - the harsher the winter, the higher the hill should be. The top of the ridge is sprinkled with peat or compost.

I planted my first asparagus about 20 years ago. We didn’t have the Internet then and I, as a novice gardener, knew nothing about this plant. I saw seeds of something new on sale and bought them. There is minimal information on the bag - I only found out that edible sprouts will appear in the second or third year. I sowed the seeds directly into the garden bed, without any special tricks - one row and that’s it. For a long time no shoots appeared, and I managed to happily forget that I had such seeds. Closer to the middle of summer, I saw a row of slender fir trees of a soft green color and began to think what it could be - I had never seen asparagus shoots before. I remembered when the bushes grew, at the same time it became clear with what greenery the grandmothers used to decorate simple bouquets of their gladioli. By autumn, the bushes had grown and were already about a meter high, with 5–6 shoots each. In the fall, I cut off all the greens and my asparagus went into the winter without any hilling or insulation. No frost affected my plants, and in the spring we picked the first shoots. The first time I tried this plant was from my own garden; before that I didn’t even know the taste. Pleasant, tender greens - we didn’t cook any dishes, we just ate fresh, slightly sweet, pea-like sprouts. Since then, we have had asparagus in our garden and this is the very first plant that we harvest in the spring.

Growing asparagus does not require special knowledge and is not difficult 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 takes three years to grow, but it doesn't have to be planted every year. With minimal care, the plant will delight the eye and enrich the owner’s menu for many years. This is the advantage of a perennial culture.