Every gardener tries to grow the ideal crop, adhering to all the rules of planting and care. Growing carrots is a popular trend as this root vegetable is not only widely used in cooking but also has many health benefits. When choosing the next new variety of seeds, looking at the packaging, you can contemplate an even, smooth, impeccable shape and the same size, bright orange color, full of nutritious carrot juice. Manufacturers specializing in the procurement of seed products promise abundant harvests of root crops, high-quality ripening and the possibility of long-term storage. This is what every gardener would like to see when harvesting, but, unfortunately, expectation and reality do not always coincide.
Root crops grow gnarled, “horned,” long and thin, completely losing their characteristic vegetable appearance, juiciness and color. Quite often, you can dig up already wilted root crops directly from the ground. Let's figure out what can cause carrots to become limp while still in the ground.
It is difficult to name one single reason why it can be clearly concluded that this particular problem affects the texture of the root crop, and eliminating it will completely correct the quality of the carrots.
Rhizoctonia spores
Vegetable breeders claim that the culprit is diseases of vegetable crops and spores of fungal bacteria that travel by air from one plant to another, affecting increasingly large areas of vegetable beds. The once beautiful, bright green tops of carrots become yellow, and the root crop withers and, by the time of harvest, becomes completely unsuitable for consumption and long-term storage. There is a specific name for this disease; the root crop is affected by rhizoctonia - a dangerous fungal disease of vegetable crops that can destroy the entire carrot crop in a short period of time.
The disease is very insidious. The causative spores of this fungal infection overwinter well in the soil and on the root crops themselves in storage. Therefore, even if the harvested crop does not have obvious signs of lethargy, then during long-term storage they will certainly appear, and the tight carrot pulp will become soft, and the root vegetable itself will not be suitable for consumption. Carrots will lose all their beneficial qualities, juiciness and even color.
How does rhizoctonia appear on the site? The “existence” of rhizoctonia in garden beds is caused by non-compliance with crop rotation, sowing carrot seeds after harvesting beets, parsley or turnips. Conclusion, for carrot root crops to grow successfully, you need to choose a new bed every year.
Preventive measures
The most effective way to prevent carrot damage and preserve the harvest is to prevent the problem from occurring. This is achieved through agrotechnical methods and proper preparation for storage.
Preventive measures:
- To disinfect seeds, immerse them for 20 minutes in a light solution of potassium permanganate or Rovral fungicide (1 g per 1 liter of water).
- Treat the storage area with bleach. Dissolve 400 g of lime in 10 liters of water. After completing the work, ventilate the room.
- Whitewash the shelves in the cellar with lime mortar - dilute 1 kg of lime in 10 liters of water.
- A couple of weeks before sowing, add a nutrient mixture to the soil. To do this, mix humus (5 kg), superphosphate (20 g) and potassium chloride (15 g). The dosage is calculated for 1 square. m beds.
- Spray the plants with Trichodermin, Gamair and other drugs that prevent the appearance of diseases.
- Plant varieties that are resistant to rot.
- Weed the beds in a timely manner, as weeds are a source of diseases and pests.
- Thin out carrots at the initial stages of the growing season, as thickening of plantings provokes various diseases.
To prevent carrots from spoiling ahead of time, rotting or shriveling, they need to create favorable storage conditions.
How to avoid spoilage of root vegetables during storage:
- Maintain the temperature in the storage at 0….-2 °C. Optimal relative humidity is 85-90%.
- Treat the storage with sulfur bombs.
- Destroy affected root crops.
- Do not wash carrots before storing them in the cellar.
- Water the beds with warm, settled water.
Carrots, compared to many other vegetables, are an undemanding crop, so many gardeners pay less attention to them than to other vegetables. This often leads to deterioration in the quality of root crops. Strict adherence to agricultural technology and rules for storing carrots allows you to avoid crop loss.
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Incorrect watering during planting and caring for carrots
Waterlogging of the soil in the beds also leads to lesions and lethargy of carrot fruits. Excess moisture causes cracks to appear on carrots, in which disease spores settle. Groundwater that keeps the soil moist is also harmful to root crops. And if you add frequent watering to them, you may not get a harvest at all.
How to properly water carrots to avoid limp roots in the ground? Amateur gardeners, sharing personal experience, claim that carrot beds should be thoroughly moistened during seed germination and root formation. Throughout the growth of carrots, it is recommended to water in moderation. Before harvesting root crops, two to three weeks before, watering is completely avoided. And in a couple of days, the amount of moisture is maximized. With this mode of moistening the carrot bed, “garden craftsmen” guarantee the absence of limp fruits. They say that carrots turn out very juicy and tasty.
How to store and preserve carrots: 5 simple tricks
1. Take away
not too early, stopping watering 10 days on average: otherwise it will be too juicy and will quickly wither. But it’s not too late: in wet weather, root crops gain moisture and quickly deteriorate. Yes, they outgrow it.
2. It is important to trim the tops quickly!
Spread it directly on the field in a thin layer. The soil on the root vegetables and the skin itself must dry out. But - after a couple of hours it is important to start trimming the tops: you can’t cut them quickly, at least on the same day - they wither before your eyes. When pruning, we don’t leave “tails!” If there are too many hair-like roots, the dried ones can be torn off. We don’t tear off the “live” ones so as not to damage the still thin skin.
Why do carrots wither?
Perhaps the tops of the root crop are “pulling” moisture. Or another reason - but this is a fact.
3. We don't wash it
