Carrot "Emperor": how to plant and care?
The Emperor carrot variety is considered late-ripening, because its ripening period is at least 130 days from the moment when the first shoots appeared on the soil surface. Many gardeners prefer this variety due to the fact that it is excellently preserved during long-term storage, however, maintaining optimal temperature and humidity indicators is a prerequisite. It is also necessary to ensure the minimum illumination of such a room or to exclude it altogether.
Variety Description
Root crops of this variety can grow up to 25 cm in length and at the same time have an average weight of 200 grams. These indicators are obtained due to the presence of a large core, which is much smaller in other varieties. Saturated orange color is monotonously maintained throughout the root crop, while white streaks stand out.
Due to the presence of a large amount of sugar, as well as carotene, carrot pulp is quite sweet in taste. It is possible to get an early harvest of carrots of this variety due to planting it in the winter.
Harvesting, gardeners will be very surprised by the same cylindrical shape of root crops, which have practically no curvature in length. This advantage makes the variety popular among those involved in the sale, because the root crop has an unusually attractive appearance. Carrots have a wide range of applications both in the factory and in individual use.
On average, the yield of carrots of this variety is close to 75%, however, experienced vegetable growers in practice get a much higher result for seed germination. The average is considered to be the collection of 5.5 kg of crop per 1 m2, but if you connect an irrigation system, you can get up to 7 kg.
The variety has positive reviews when planted on soils with a high salt content. If you grow carrots in greenhouses, the result will not change much. The optimal place for planting carrots of the Emperor variety is considered to be a zone with sandy or loamy soils. As for the temperature regime, the vegetable will feel great in the temperate climate zone, but there is the possibility of landing in hot regions. The only requirement that will need to be met in order to get a good harvest is to create an additional watering system for the plants.
Carrot "Emperor" is considered immune to temperature changes. It can be grown even in sandy soils at an ambient temperature exceeding + 32 ° C. Among the many advantages of the variety, the main ones are excellent taste characteristics, appearance, as well as the possibility of long-term storage of root crops.
The disadvantages should be considered the special demands on the soils in which the seeds of the "Emperor" carrot will be planted.
Many vegetable growers choose this variety for the manufacture of various dishes and preparations. These carrots are great for making juices in factory conditions, as well as baby food.
Ripening terms
According to the data provided by the seed manufacturer, the ripening period for carrots is up to 130 days, but in practice it can be slightly adjusted.For example, the first harvest can be easily done after 105 days, and by the 130th day, 95% of all root crops usually reach a mature state.
If a drip irrigation system is used in the cultivation process, then, having planned the harvest for a certain period, at least 20 days before that, it will be necessary to stop it. Experts recommend planting a vegetable in early June, because it is during this period that the soil is already warm enough for seeds, and the harvest will be as close as possible to the winter period. If planting for the winter is preferred, then carrots can be harvested in June or July - it all depends on the region in which the root crop will be planted.
Planting process
Seeds produced in coated form make it possible to facilitate and simplify the planting process several times. Experts recommend following these tips:
- small planting depth (up to 2 cm);
- periodic watering;
- low consumption of seeds (up to 160 pieces per 1 m2);
- the optimal distance between rows is 25 cm;
- the distance between plants is at least 7 cm.
It is recommended not to apply fertilizers to feed the plant in the early stages of development, because the shell on the seed already contains the necessary set of useful substances. 20 days after the first shoots, you can feed the plants.
When planting carrots on black soil, it is recommended to mulch with river sand or sawdust. Before planting seeds, you need to know what kind of plants were previously grown here, because root crops will not be able to gain optimal size if, for example, potatoes or corn were grown on the site.
Watering
A prerequisite that must be met before sowing seeds in the ground is watering (at least 10 liters of water per 1 m2). As mentioned earlier, this variety has a special shell that will require a little more water to dissolve when compared to other varieties.
It is recommended to use up to 5 liters of water for irrigation the first 2 weeks after germination, later this amount can be increased two to three times.
Pests
Among the most famous pests of the plant should be called the wireworm, the bear, and also the carrot moth. To increase the protection of the vegetable from the first two, soil pesticides are applied to the soil along with the seeds. As for the last pest, you can get rid of it with the help of a specially prepared concentrated decoction, which is made from tomato shoots.
This variety has additional immunity to the effects of many diseases. Only in some cases is it known that root crops are affected by cercosporosis and powdery mildew. In the case of cercosporosis, preventive measures can be taken in the form of spraying with a Bordeaux mixture, and in case of powdery mildew, an increased moisture content in the soil in which the seeds are planted should be dealt with. Fungicides can help in this matter.
You can learn about the characteristics of carrot varieties "Emperor" from the following video.