For those who can’t imagine their diet without the presence of fresh herbs, namely parsley, all year round, information on how to grow it in an apartment at home will be useful. It is quite simple and affordable even for beginners.
Parsley Characterization
In addition to taste, this seasoning has many useful properties, which are as follows:
- contains vitamins C, A, B1, B3, PP, K, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, etc .;
- removes toxins from the body;
- used in cosmetology to brighten freckles;
- helps with cardiovascular diseases;
- seeds are used for weight loss;
- juice helps in the treatment of diseases of the organs of vision and oral cavity;
- recommended for patients with diabetes;
- lowers the feeling of depression.
Important! Early ripe varieties of parsley can be consumed 10-14 days earlier than mid- and late ripening.
Rules for choosing seed grains for growing on the windowsill
There are two ways to breed parsley: seeds and root crops. Less burdensome, but requiring a long time, is considered the first. The best option for growing on the windowsill are varieties with early ripening. To do this, you need to select hollow and flawed seeds, leaving the largest, and pre-prepare them for planting.
Planting calendar of the best varieties of parsley for home
Features of growing parsley at home
The secret to breeding fragrant, beautiful and healthy greens is the proper care of the plants, which consists of choosing the right capacity, fertile soil, preparing the seed and creating optimal conditions for germination.
Choosing the right container
You can grow greens on the window in pots, crates, containers or other containers, the main thing is that it meets the following requirements:
- depth should be from 20 cm;
- the presence of drainage holes;
- necessary volume for seedlings.
Did you know? Fresh parsley eliminates bad breath due to chlorophyll in its composition.
Soil preparation
Given the small size of the containers in which seasoning will grow, the soil should be sufficiently nutritious, loose and light. To do this, you can buy ready-made soil mix in a store or mix peat, humus and garden soil at a ratio of 1: 1: 2 at home. The earth must first be disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Parsley Seed Processing
Parsley seed is characterized by prolonged germination. To speed up this process, you can wrap the seeds in wet gauze for 2-3 days and put in a warm place. It is necessary to ensure that the gauze does not dry out, wetting it from the spray bottle. Immediately before sowing - soak them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.
Detailed landing scheme
Step-by-step instructions for planting seasoning seeds in a container:
- At the bottom of the pot, lay out a drainage layer of 1.5–2 cm.
- Fill the container with finished soil.
- Pour over water.
- In the ground, make furrows with a depth of 0.5 cm and between rows of 5 cm.
- At a distance of 2-3 cm from each other, plant seeds there.
- Sprinkle on top with earth, ram and water again.
- Cover with a transparent film.
- Put in a warm place with a temperature of +18 ... + 20 ° С.
- The place should be lit, but without direct sunlight.
Did you know? Translated from Latin, the name "parsley" means "growing on a stone."
Features of care after planting
After sprouts, the seedlings of greenery begin to grow intensively and, as a result, need sufficient lighting, regular watering and top dressing.
Fertilizing and watering plants
It is necessary to water the seedlings 2-3 times a week, combining this with fertilizers, which are added 1-2 times a month, provided that the plant has already formed a basal rosette. In the form of top dressing, you can use the drug "Growth" (0.5 caps per 1 liter of water), "Agrolife" (1 teaspoon sprinkle on top of the soil).
For irrigation use settled water at room temperature. In winter, when the seedlings are near a heat source, it is sprayed with warm water.
Soil care
It is necessary to regularly monitor the condition of the planting soil: its drying out or waterlogging leads to wilting and disease of plants. When a crust appears on the surface, the soil must be loosened without damaging the roots. Tanks with seedlings should be periodically turned to the light so that the greens grow evenly.
Important! In the cold season, seedlings must be provided with 13-hour lighting due to artificial lighting.
Security
Although home-grown parsley is less susceptible to various diseases and pests, some precautions are still necessary.
From various diseases
The most common diseases of parsley, which grows on the windowsill:
- powdery mildew - creates a white coating on plants, occurs due to increased humidity. It can be dealt with with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or soap-soda solution (1 tbsp.spoon of baking soda, 0.5 tsp of grated laundry soap in 5 l of water);
- black rot - It affects not only the upper part of the parsley, but also its roots. It is necessary to treat the plants with the “Khom” preparation (20 g per 5 l of water) or similar fungicides based on copper oxychloride;
- cercosporosis - characterized by the appearance of dark brown spots on the leaves, as a result of which they dry and fall off. Spraying with a 1% solution of Bordeaux fluid will help to cope with this disease.
From pests
Of the pests, greenery most often affects aphids at home. It can be destroyed by washing the parsley with a soap solution (60 ml of liquid soap in 5 liters of water).
Useful growing tips
Experts advise taking into account some nuances, due to which the quality of care will be much higher.
These include:
- it is advisable to disinfect the seedling container before sowing with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or boiled water;
- if necessary, plants should be thinned out for better growth;
- the temperature should not fluctuate much;
- cut parsley better when it grows to 10-12 cm;
- clay pots are recommended;
- parsley can be salted for the winter, and it will not lose its beneficial qualities.
From the above it follows that the cultivation of parsley at home on the windowsill does not require special skills or a lot of work.
Homemade parsley cultivation calendar The main thing is that the result of the efforts will be fresh greens even in the winter.
