What to Do About Forked Radishes? Mastering Prevention Methods Is Key
I believe many vegetable growers often encounter a problem when growing radishes, and that is forked radishes. Forked radishes seriously affect the quality of the radishes, as well as the market price. Therefore, when growing radishes, forking must be prevented in time. So what causes forked radishes? How should they be prevented? Let's take a look together.
1. Seed quality
If old seeds are chosen when sowing, such seeds have weak vigor and poor germination, which will affect the growth of the tip of the young root. In some cases, the radicle will be damaged, and forking is very likely to form. Seeds harvested during the rainy season, due to poor pollination, very easily form seeds without embryos or with poorly developed embryos. Sowing these seeds makes the fleshy root prone to forking.
Preventive measures: Choose high-quality, high-yielding varieties with straight, non-forking fleshy roots. Only in this way can forking be avoided during planting. Try to choose fresh, plump, fully developed new seeds produced in the current year, and try not to use old seeds from the previous year
2. Soil causes
When the soil contains hard objects such as gravel, bricks, and tree roots, the growth of the fleshy root will be obstructed, and forking will occur. In plots with a shallow and hard plow layer, the main root is easily obstructed in growth, which promotes the growth and development of adventitious roots and produces forking.
Preventive measures: Before planting radishes, the plot must be deeply plowed and finely harrowed, not shallower than 25 cm, and it must be finely harrowed multiple times to ensure that the plow layer is deep, thick, and loose. At the same time, while preparing the land, pick out hard debris such as bricks, tiles, stones, and tree roots from the soil.
3. Improper fertilizer and water management
Excessive or uneven fertilization may cause the radish root tip to be affected by a high concentration of soil ions, which promotes the growth of adventitious roots and causes carrot forking. If drought occurs during the main root enlargement period and water is not supplied in time, the soil will become hard, and the main root will be unable to grow downward, forming a fork.
Preventive measures: Farmyard manure must be fully decomposed before being applied. Chemical fertilizers must be spread evenly. During the main root enlargement period, sufficient water supply must be ensured to prevent the soil from becoming too dry. When watering, the soil must be watered thoroughly and firmly.
4. Underground pests
Underground pests such as mole crickets and white grubs bite and feed on the main root of carrots, damaging the main root and promoting the growth of adventitious roots, which causes forking.
Preventive measures: During the radish root and stem enlargement period, pesticides must be applied in time to control underground pests such as white grubs and avoid their damage. For the pesticide, high-efficiency, low-toxicity pesticides such as phoxim should be selected for root drenching to reduce pesticide residues.
The above is an introduction to the causes of forked radishes and preventive measures. I hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.