Why gardeners prefer a hybrid beet "Wodan f1" and how to grow it correctly

Beet Wodan f1 has a number of interesting features and is widely used in cooking and medicine. With proper agricultural technology, the hybrid gives a rich harvest.

We will tell you about the useful properties of the root crop, how to plant and care for it, in this article.

Description

To make it easier to understand the advantages and disadvantages of a culture, we will consider the key points of its origin, features and characteristics of yield.

Origin and development

At the end of the 20th century, a new variety of beets was being developed in Holland. For the appearance of the necessary properties in plants, specific conditions were created: soil contamination, a change in the sowing time, a temperature spread, a different feeding area, a change in the length of the day.

As a result of repeated attempts, breeders have bred a new hybrid that is distinguished by high germination, drought resistance, excellent taste, and immunity to diseases and pests.

Distinctive features

As a result of the recombination of the properties of the previous plants, the hybrid of the new generation acquired a number of features that make it stand out:

• sweet rich taste;
• germination probability - 94%;
• early ripening of root crops (85–90 days after germination);
• high productivity;
• resistance to diseases and pests;
• large vegetables;
• lack of shooting;
• multi-sprouting, which does not affect the yield and quality of fruits, it is only important to pinch off weak shoots;
• lack of flowering, due to which the quality of root crops does not decrease;
• resistance to cold and drought;
• long-term storage even with early sowing.

Fruit characteristics, yield

Wodan f1 is an early maturing culture. Harvesting takes place approximately 90 days after germination. Root vegetables are round in shape, the flesh is rich maroon color, contains a large amount of water, emits a delicate beet flavor. The skin is thin, smooth. Leaves of bright color, strong and well developed rosette, tops low, leaves are straight, directed upwards.

The average weight of vegetables is 200-500 g, fruits of one crop are almost identical in size.

The yield of the hybrid is high: per hectare of sowing - 20-25 tons (without irrigation). With regular top dressing and soil moistening, productivity almost doubles: about 50 tons per 1 ha.

How to grow

To avoid possible difficulties in the cultivation of culture or to minimize them, it is important to understand in the intricacies of growing Wodan.

Planting with seeds

Before sowing, hybrid seeds are not soaked, since the manufacturer has already treated them with fungicides that prevent the development of diseases in plants, their susceptibility to insect pests.

To obtain a rich and high-quality harvest, they adhere to some rules when working with seeds:

1. Sowing in open ground is carried out when the temperature reaches + 12 ... + 15 ° С.
2. The site is dug up and leveled with a rake so that large clods do not remain.
3. Grooves are created with a depth of 2-3 cm. The distance between the rows is about 50 cm. This will provide the sprouts with access to the sun, without which their growth will slow down.
4. Every 10 cm, seeds are laid out in the holes made, watered with warm, settled water, sprinkled with earth and moistened again.
5. In the first 2-4 weeks, the beds are covered with a film that will retain moisture and protect against adverse climatic factors.

Seedling method

To harvest an early harvest of root crops, beets are grown in seedlings:

1. Soil for vegetables is poured into small cups or cassettes (the diameter of the containers is at least 10 cm).
2. For disinfection, the earth is watered with boiling water or a strong solution of potassium permanganate, after cooling, holes are made of 2-3 cm.
3. Seeds are planted in the grooves made.
4. The containers are placed in the sunniest place in the house.
5. About 7-10 days (at room temperature) the first shoots appear.
6. Extra sprouts are removed from plants, leaving the strongest ones.
7. Water the seedlings as the soil dries up.

Diving into the beds, the sprouts are planted together with earthy clods so as not to damage the root system. The seedlings are well watered, sprinkled with earth.

Reference! In order for the seedlings to better adapt to new conditions, they are covered with an agrospan. The material protects plants from the scorching sun and strong winds, and the necessary moisture is retained under it.

Care

The main stage of cultivation is plant care:

• the beds are watered 1-2 times a week;
• after each irrigation, the aisles are slightly loosened;
• weeds are removed immediately to avoid pest attacks;
• to slow down the growth of weeds and preserve moisture in the soil, the beds are mulched with fresh and dry grass, which alternate along the course of laying;
• fertilize the culture with saline (1 tbsp of coarse table salt is taken in a bucket of water). The plant is watered every 2 weeks;
• for growth, root crops need top dressing from nitrogen (200 kg / ha), phosphorus (75 kg / ha), potassium (250 / ha), kieserite (100 kg / ha).

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

With all the simplicity of caring for a hybrid, there are several factors that impede the active growth and development of root crops:

• lack of sunlight (shaded arrangement of beds or seedlings in the house);
• soil of high acidity (such soil is loved by horsetail, horse sorrel, plantain, mint, wheatgrass);
• excess moisture, which leads to rotting of plants (reasons - excessive watering, a bed in the lowlands, long planting).

Diseases and pests

Wodan f1 is resistant to pests such as beet flea and beet miner fly... The culture is not susceptible to cercosporosis, ramulariasis, phomosis, peronosporosis and clump rot.

Young shoots are vulnerable to attacks of the root-eater. The danger is especially high on heavy soils, in lowlands. As a result of damage, the stem becomes thinner, the culture rots and dies. To combat the pest, liming of the earth is carried out, then it is treated with boric solution.

To prevent and protect the hybrid from diseases, the soil is regularly loosened, crusts are not allowed.

Harvesting and application of the crop

Harvesting begins no earlier than 85–90 days after planting. A dry, clear day is chosen so that after digging the beets can be kept in the sun to dry them completely.

The collection technique itself is simple: the heads are pulled out with a pitchfork or pulled out by the tops. As the root crops dry, they are cleaned of the remnants of the earth, the leaves are cut off and sent for storage in a cool dark place with low humidity.

Attention! A month before harvesting, watering the crop is stopped.

The hybrid is used both in cooking and for medical purposes - as a preventive and therapeutic agent. Beetroot is saturated with vitamins C, B1, B2, P, PP, has diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and general tonic effects. The root vegetable is useful for those who suffer from atherosclerosis, anemia, constant fatigue, thrombophlebitis.

Vegetables can be stored for a long time (up to 6 months) without losing their original taste and smell, which makes it possible to use beets in cooking in winter (for making salads, borscht) or selling crops.

Advantages and disadvantages

Wodan f1 has a number of positive qualities:

• unpretentious in cultivation, care;
• stored for a long time without losing taste and marketability;
• root vegetables have a rich taste and aroma;
• resistant to cold weather, drought;
• has a high percentage of germination;
• invulnerable to major pests and diseases.

The disadvantages include the following:

• multigrowth (because of which the plant is periodically thinned out);
• the need for constant light and a certain composition of the soil;
• the need to comply with the rules of crop rotation (bad predecessors - carrots, cabbage, rapeseed, spinach; good - potatoes, tomatoes, peppers).

Farmers reviews

Most of the reviews are positive: vegetable growers note the unpretentiousness of the culture in growing and caring for. Allocate insignificant labor and material costs, which at the same time bring a rich harvest:

Tatiana, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky: “I liked the Wodan F1 beets. There is no way to grow seedlings: I sowed it in the garden on June 10, and this is in our not the best climatic conditions. The beets grew smooth, beautiful, medium-sized. Very sweet, thin skin, bright flesh. Root crops will be larger in the middle lane. "

Andrey, Leningrad region: “In my opinion, this is the best hybrid. Have tried different varieties grow: they were huge, then small, then unsaturated. All the best qualities came together in Wodan. I store the harvested beets in the refrigerator, wrap them in a paper towel and put them in a plastic bag, close them tightly. I change paper towels once a month. This way the harvest lasts until July and does not wither. "

Conclusion

Hybrid Wodan f1 is endowed with qualities that are indispensable for growing in Russia. The culture is easy to plant, unpretentious in care, resistant to cold weather, typical pests and diseases.

Beets are used for the prevention of diseases: root crops contain a lot of vitamins and trace elements. The long shelf life of vegetables without losing flavor makes them versatile in cooking.