Fragrant dill greens are a frequent guest on our table. Many people prefer to grow it on their own, but at the same time they sometimes encounter a number of difficulties.
Why dill does not grow or grows poorly
Many consider dill an unpretentious plant. To some extent this is true, but the plant may grow poorly, look inconspicuous, and have a faint aroma. To get juicy, green and fragrant products you need to know everything about its proper cultivation.
Poor dill growth may be due to several reasons:
- insufficiently fertile or too acidic soil;
- bad seed;
- errors in seed preparation or improper sowing;
- inappropriate plant care.
Bad soil
With regard to soil, dill has the following requirements:
- a sufficient amount of organic matter. With their shortage, it is necessary to introduce humus (1/3 bucket per 1 m²) with the addition of 1 tbsp. l "Kemira station wagon." You can also water the planting furrows with mullein solution (1:10);
- good breathability and water permeability. Stagnant water causes growth retardation and reddening of leaves;
- low acidity. An increase in this indicator affects the germination of seeds, inhibits the growth of the aerial parts.
Important! About 10 hours of lighting per day are sufficient for the formation of green mass, and exceeding 15-hour lighting provokes the formation of flower arrows.
Lack of lighting
Dill, like most plants, loves good lighting. With its deficiency, the stems and foliage stretch out and turn pale, yellowness appears, so you need to arrange planting in a well-lit garden. When growing on a windowsill or balcony, artificial lighting is necessary.
Bad planting seeds
In many gardens, dill propagates by self-sowing. But this is not entirely correct, since it gradually degenerates and loses its original qualities. To obtain quality products, you need to update planting material, purchasing in stores or procuring independently.
For planting, you need to use only well-ripened seeds and store them in a dry, dark place. Quality seeds guarantee a quality crop. The variety also plays an important role. Their main difference lies in the timing of the formation of the stem and seed umbrella. The later this happens, the longer the period of obtaining fragrant greens.
There are early, middle and late varieties:
- varieties will provide early production, in which the period from emergence to the beginning of stem formation is 35–40 days. They have few greens (4-6 leaves), but the seed material is early and high-quality. Such grades include Grabovsky, Dalniy and Aurora;
- a little more (up to 10 leaves) give medium grades blooming 7–10 days later than early varieties. These include Lesnogorodsky, Abundant-leaved and Bushy;
- the greatest amount of greenery is obtained from late varieties. Before the formation of stems, they form more than 10 sheets, and this period takes up to 70 days from the moment of emergence of shoots. This makes it possible for a long time to get fresh herbs. The most popular varieties are Alligator, Buyan and Salute.
Did you know? In astrology, it is believed that dill is patronized by Jupiter. — a planet of good fortune and strength, which gives the plant properties that help in curing many diseases. This spice has a positive effect on those born under the signs of Pisces, Sagittarius, Cancer and Virgo.
Wrong landing
When planting dill seeds, you need to remember some rules:
- seed planted in dry land will remain until the first rain. This will delay the germination time, so you need to sow the seeds in a well-moistened soil;
- germinated seeds need to be planted carefully so as not to break the delicate sprouts. They should be planted in moist soil, since in dry land the seedlings will die;
- seeds should not be planted deeper than 2 cm, so as not to delay the emergence of seedlings;
- too tight planting will cause the plants to stretch, and their thinning will be required, so the seeds do not need to be sown very densely, just 1 g per 1 m² is enough;
- To obtain greens for a long period, you need to use different varieties and plant them in several stages.
Wrong watering mode
In order for dill to sprout and develop well, and its leaves are juicy and green, it is necessary to provide abundant watering:
- 2-3 times a week or every other day in the heat;
- it is impossible to overmoisten, so as not to cause rotting of the base of the stem or a decrease in the concentration of essential oils and loss of aroma;
- dry land provokes the early appearance of an arrow with seeds, coarsening of leaves and stops growth;
- Do not water with cold water, so as not to provoke the appearance of diseases;
- it is advisable to use drip irrigation.
Diseases and pests
Problems with the cultivation of fragrant greens occur when affected by diseases and pests:
- often dill is infected with powdery mildew. In the fight against it, the effective use of "Trichodermin" or "Mikosana-B" according to the instructions;
- increased acidity and waterlogging can cause black leg damage. The use of “Fitosporin” or “Fundazole” in accordance with the instructions will help to cope with the disease;
- excessive watering and overheating of the soil can cause fusarium wilt. At the beginning of the disease, the use of Fundazole or Topsin according to the instructions is effective;
- very often aphids appear on dill. A good result without the use of chemicals gives spraying with a decoction of the stems of tomatoes or potatoes (boil for 30 minutes). Laundry soap (30 g per 10 l) is added to the broth. Chamomile or marigolds planted next to dill scare away aphids;
- in case of defeat fleas Spraying with Fitosporin.
What to do and how to accelerate the growth of dill
Dill seeds contain essential oils that inhibit their germination.
To speed up the process of their germination, different methods are used:
- soaking in warm water for a day. Water needs to be changed several times to wash the essential oils. Seeds can be placed in a bag or simply poured into a container and filled with water. Simple water can be replaced with a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
- you can apply the method of bubbling (oxygen saturation in water). At home, this can be done by holding the seeds for about 3 hours in a container with an aquarium aerator;
- soaking for 15–20 minutes in vodka will also accelerate germination. After this, the seed is washed and dried to a granular state.
Important! Germination of seeds accelerates the emergence of seedlings by about 10 days. Such seeds germinate by 7–8th day, not subjected to soaking — at 16–20th day.
With good watering, adequate lighting, fertile soil and the right variety, problems with the growth of dill should not arise. Often, nitrogen fertilizers, such as nitrate or urea, are used to build green mass. But when using them, you need to remember that an excessive dose causes the accumulation of nitrates in the greenery, which are harmful to health.
Preventative measures
In order to prevent problems with the cultivation of dill, it is advisable to apply some agrotechnical techniques:
- sow plants on nutritious soils and in well-lit places;
- to soak and disinfect the seed;
- practice winter or early spring planting;
- Do not grow dill in one place;
- Thin thick plantings in a timely manner (up to 15 cm between plants);
- remove weeds;
- after 3-4 years, change the variety or use the planting of different varieties annually.
Planting late varieties
Earlier in the article, the “pluses” of late varieties were mentioned. Their main advantage is the late formation of umbrellas with seeds, which means a long period of obtaining fragrant greens. Such varieties are sown in May, and the crop can be harvested until late autumn.
Recently, gardeners grow bush dill. Its advantages are a greater amount of greenery due to the formation of additional leaves in the main sinuses, as well as a longer growing season. The first bred variety of this type was Kibray. Salyut and Buyan were later withdrawn, and then Alligator and Diamond. Gardeners have very positive reviews about these varieties.
Did you know? Everyone knows about laurel wreaths, but not everyone knows that the Romans often used dill branches instead of laurel branches. Such wreaths were awarded not only to the victorious gladiators, but also to scholars.
As you can see, having the necessary information, you can understand why dill does not sprout or grow poorly, and using the recommendations in the article to get rid of the problems that have arisen.
