How to properly water carrots from planting to harvesting

Author of the article

Yakov Pavlovich

Professor, Head of the Department of Vegetable Growing

Articles written

153

Proper care of root crops is the key to obtaining a bountiful harvest. Many gardeners wonder how often to water carrot plantings in open ground so that the fruits ripen evenly and healthy. When growing root crops, the climatic conditions of the region and the peculiarities of moistening the beds must be taken into account.

What you need to know about watering carrots

Soil irrigation is a mandatory method of agricultural technology for growing any crop. To obtain a voluminous harvest, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of caring for beds of different plants.

Requirements for watering carrots:

• The soil is moistened regularly. Alternating periods of drought and abundant moisture cause cracking of root crops;
• The plants are watered at the roots or the water spreads along specially dug grooves. The sprinkling method on cool days can provoke damage to the crop by carrot flies;
• Morning/evening watering is encouraged.

Experienced gardeners recommend watering the beds infrequently, but abundantly, at regular intervals. In large areas, it makes sense to install a drip irrigation system.

How to water carrots when combined with fertilizing

This is very important when cultivating carrots in open ground. Not only the vital functions of the root crop during development, but also the taste and duration of storage will depend on this process.

Carrots, like other vegetables, require proper nutrition. Fertilizers applied in the fall along with digging the soil are not always enough. You can compensate for the lack of nutrition by additionally adding the necessary nutrients, combining it with regular watering.

Carrot nutritional requirements throughout the growing season:

1. At the beginning of development, in the first days of summer, future root crops primarily need nitrogen, which is necessary for the formation of above-ground organs and the formation of green mass. Without nitrogen nutrition, the foliage turns yellow, dries out, and the fruits grow small and tasteless.
2. During the period of active growth of root crops, potassium is needed. When it is deficient, plant immunity is significantly weakened. Diseases appear. The quantity and quality of the future harvest are reduced.
3. Phosphorus is most needed during hot periods. Plants look depressed and produce ugly, tasteless fruits.
4. During the critical period of growth of the underground organ, you need to feed the carrots with manganese. This microelement will protect the crop from diseases and pests.
5. During the most active period of development, fruits need boron. A lack of microelement leads to leaf necrosis, plant development is inhibited, and the number of deformed fruits increases.

Photo by ru.depositphotos: Nutrients must be added to the water.

Stages of watering carrots along with fertilizing

Moreover, it is worth feeding carrots at all stages of its development:

1. With the appearance of the first shoots, along with watering, you can add a fertilizing composition: 20–25 g of nitrogen-containing fertilizers, 30 g of phosphorus and 20 g of potassium fertilizers dissolved in 10 liters of water.
2. After 40–45 days, additional liquid feeding is carried out. During this period, carrot plantings need phosphorus and potassium; they should be added with the next watering. We use superphosphate and potassium chloride, 30 g of each macronutrient, dissolved in 10 liters of water.
3. With further filling of root vegetables, to increase the sugar content, carrot root vegetables need more potassium, which affects the duration of ripening of root vegetables. Your carrots will be helped by 30 g of fertilizers containing potassium, dissolved in a bucket of water.

1. You can feed carrots with boron from the second half of July to mid-August in the daytime along with watering. It is watered infrequently, mainly for “first aid”. Watering is carried out from a watering can, without pressure under the roots or between rows.
2. When choosing what to water the carrots with after the second thinning, choose potassium permanganate. Add 2–3 g per 10 liters of water before mid-July. For a better effect, you can add the same amount of boric acid here. Important! First water the beds generously with clean water.

Photo pixabay/jackmac34: To get tasty fruits, you need to add various useful elements with water.

Requirements for the composition and temperature of water

Naturally, for irrigation it is better to use water from natural sources (well, pond, well, river). This water does not contain chlorine compounds and contains useful minerals.

But you cannot immediately water the beds with cold artesian or well water. Cold watering can cause diseases and has a bad effect on plants. Carrots prefer warm, settled water. The best option is to install a large container near the plants in which the water will constantly settle and warm up under the sun’s rays. To make watering easier, a hose or drip irrigation system is connected to the tank.

Temperature conditions and volumes of water for watering carrots

Many people make the mistake of using water from a well to irrigate carrots. Even taking into account that it is a hot period, the water they contain is very cold, and noticeable temperature changes are very bad for carrots, increasing the risk of their diseases.

Watering carrots should be done with water at a temperature corresponding to the air.

. To do this, you should collect water in a container in advance to warm it up in the sun, and only then use it for irrigation.

It's no secret that juicy carrots cannot be grown on dry soil poor in minerals. Carrots grow unsweetened, and sometimes with a bitterness, which manifests itself during a month and a half of storage.

Advice!

To sweeten root vegetables, carrots should be watered with a weak solution of table salt. This increases the carotene content in it, which is not only a valuable and useful substance, but also significantly improves the taste of carrots.

The effect of watering with salt will be clearly visible if it is carried out correctly and all necessary precautions and proportions are observed. Although nowadays there are many modern alternatives, this method justifies its existence. Especially when the crop is grown for a family with small children, and the absence of chemicals is fundamentally important.

Is it possible to irrigate with salt water?

Some folk methods for caring for vegetables have remained popular for decades. Salt water is used as a means of pest control and at the same time serves as a fertilizer for root crops:

• in areas with poor sandy soils, bitter carrots often grow. A weak salt solution helps increase the carotene content in fruits, which improves their taste;
• the salt solution promotes the rapid decomposition of organic matter, which is especially important when growing carrots on infertile, heavy soils;
• This is an excellent prevention of powdery mildew and late blight.

A saline solution (a tablespoon of salt per bucket of water) is used as a top dressing during the ripening phase of root crops - in July-August. To repel carrot flies, the ground is irrigated in early June.

We calculate irrigation rates in open ground

To determine the frequency and volume of soil moisture, it is advisable to focus on the weather. In sunny, clear periods, carrot plantings are irrigated more abundantly, and in rainy periods - minimally. It is also important to take into account the growing season of the plant crop.

See also Black carrots: the best varieties and rules for growing and caring

After sowing

Experienced gardeners usually cover a bed with sown carrots with plastic wrap to speed up the germination of the seed. Therefore, soil moisture is maintained longer and there is no need for frequent irrigation.

Carrot seeds take a long time to germinate – 10-15 days. Therefore, on hot days it is important to prevent the soil from drying out. The best option is to water the beds with a watering can so that the water jets do not erode the soil too much.

Irrigation regime for young seedlings

It is recommended to increase the watering rate after germination of the seed. Carrots begin to actively grow their root system and soil moisture becomes important. Frequent watering is encouraged, in which the water will evenly saturate the top layer of soil. In sunny weather, the beds are watered once every 4-5 days, at the rate of 5-6 liters per square meter.

As soon as the plants have formed a powerful root system, the need for frequent moisture disappears. The irrigation regime is changed: carrot plantings are watered once every six to seven days, but the volume of water is increased to 6-7 liters per square meter of land.

Expert opinion

Stanislav Pavlovich

Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert

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Advice! After each thinning of the sprouts, the bed is slightly moistened so that the remaining injured plants take root faster.

Root formation

The beds are moistened abundantly, but infrequently, until the fruits are fully ripened. At the stage of fruit accumulation, the soil should not be allowed to dry out, as this will slow down their growth.

After each watering, it is recommended to loosen the beds so that the moisture is retained longer and the breathability of the soil increases.

Norm for adult plants

The soil should be saturated with water to a depth of approximately 30-35 cm, so 10-17 liters of water are poured per square meter of bed. Light sandy soils are irrigated more abundantly because moisture seeps out quickly. Heavy soils are moistened less to prevent water stagnation.

As soon as the root crops are fully formed, watering the area is completely stopped. If irrigation is continued, the carrots may crack or the fruits may become overgrown with thread-like roots and lateral shoots.

Experienced gardeners recommend stopping soil moisture 14-20 days before harvest. Of course, in case of drought, it is necessary to water the beds so that the fruits retain their juiciness. Be sure to stop watering 5-7 days before digging up root crops.

Expert opinion

Stanislav Pavlovich

Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert

Ask a Question

Advice! On the eve of harvesting, the beds are slightly moistened to make digging carrots easier and the fruits to remain fresh.

Watering carrots after sowing

After sowing, the crop is irrigated only if the soil was not moistened before planting.

It is also impossible to water during the early planting period, since the seeds are washed out under the pressure of water. Here it is preferable to irrigate before sowing.

How to water carrots - video

If the soil was not watered before sowing, correct the situation using a finely nozzle watering can.

To avoid disturbing the row, it is better to use a spray jet, because the depth of sowing carrots is no more than one and a half centimeters.

In case of insufficient natural humidity (especially in summer or autumn), to stimulate the emergence of sprouts, a one-time watering is done during sprinkling (3-4 cubic meters per hundred square meters); during drip irrigation, several waterings of 200-300 liters per hundred square meters are carried out.

Subsequently, these procedures are carried out based on the weather, soil moisture, and the condition of the plant. In the second half of the growing season, the normal value for sprinkling will be from 4 to 5 cubic meters per hundred square meters.

Good varieties of vegetables:
Potato variety Granada Zucchini squash Black beauty Late-ripening cabbage variety Prestige

The nuances of combining fertilizing and watering

To ensure that mineral additives are evenly distributed in the soil and do not harm the root system of plants, it is recommended to combine the processes of watering and fertilizing. Beds with carrots are fertilized three times:

• Fertilizers are applied for the first time 25-30 days after seed germination. Mixtures containing nitrogen are used, which enhance the growth of tops (a tablespoon of nitrophoska is diluted in 10 liters of water);
• After two to three weeks, fertilizing is applied again. It is advisable to use formulations with phosphorus, which gives the fruits sweetness and firmness;
• The third time the soil is fertilized at the stage of fruit ripening. Thanks to the mixture with potassium and phosphorus, the taste of the fruit is improved and the ripening process is accelerated. You can use an infusion of ash, which will also protect the plantings from harmful insects and diseases.

See also Why and what to do if the carrots have not sprouted

It is not recommended to pour nutrient solutions near plant roots. The best option is to dig shallow furrows along the rows.

Important! Solutions with nutrient mixtures are poured after abundant irrigation of the soil.

Watering carrots during fruit formation

It is during this period that the carrot crop needs regular watering, the frequency of which will directly depend on the previous humidity. If before the formation of a root crop culture the amount of watering was sufficient, then over time the frequency of soil moisture must be reduced. Depending on the growth of the plant, the average frequency of watering carrots is once every 3-7 days, in a volume of 15-20 liters per 1 sq. m of soil. Moisture should penetrate 10-15 cm deep into the bed, but without stagnating.

At the stage of root crop formation, it is better to water carrots less often, but more abundantly.

A deficiency of water contributes to the formation of unpleasant-tasting, hard and small fruits, and too much water leads to the formation of lateral branches and the possible death of the main root. When the days are sunny enough, it is preferable to moisten the beds in the evening or early morning.

Rules for watering carrots and caring for root crops - video

Because watering in the sun leads to immediate evaporation of moisture from the soil, and even burns to vegetables that have overheated. Also, to create breathability after watering, it is better to loosen the soil.

We irrigate carrots on mulched soil

A popular method to maintain soil moisture is to mulch the beds. A few more advantages of mulch: a crust does not form on the soil surface and weeds do not grow. This is the best way to maintain a favorable temperature regime of the earth, which will not overheat during the day and cool down at night. It is recommended to use vegetable mulch: chopped grass, hay, fallen leaves.

Watering the beds can and should be done over a layer of mulch. The plant layer will gradually decompose naturally, providing additional nutrition to the plants. Mulched soil is watered rarely, but abundantly.

How to tell if the soil is too dry or waterlogged

Carrots are not considered a capricious crop, but the plant does not like waterlogging and does not develop well in dry soil. To determine humidity, special instruments are used, or you can use the traditional method:

• if the soil crumbles, then the humidity is less than 60%;
• fingerprints remain on the lump of earth, which means the humidity level is 60-70%;
• if the lump retains its shape well, then the soil is 75-80% moistened.

When soil moisture is more than 90%, water will flow out of a lump of earth when squeezed.

Expert opinion

Stanislav Pavlovich

Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert

Ask a Question

Advice! To correctly determine humidity, it is recommended to remove soil from a depth of 10-20 cm.

Common mistakes when watering and their consequences

Watering requires adherence to the regime; frequent or rare soil moisture affects the yield. First, the seed needs to germinate and become rooted in the soil, and only then does the formation of the root crop begin. Watering during this period should be regular and equal; we should not allow too frequent or infrequent watering. If the fruit is watered rarely, the taste will be bitter and not juicy. And if you overdo it, it will begin to rot and the storage period will be short.

A lot of effort goes into maintaining the lushness of the tops, and frequent watering provokes the growth of unnecessary foliage.

The quality of water is also important; ice-cold running water is not suitable for watering carrots. The seeds will not germinate well; in addition, such water contains a lot of chlorine and harmful impurities that enter the soil and pathogenic organisms develop.

We pour water for irrigation a day or two before irrigation into barrels for settling.

Rainwater works well and can be collected by placing empty containers outside when it rains.

The liquid will not be retained well in the garden bed if they are placed at a height; this planting option is not suitable for carrots. In addition, planting root crops in lowlands ensures that oxygen passes through the beds. But if the soil is swampy or groundwater flows nearby, you can slightly raise the beds.