Why do radishes become hollow? What are the solutions?
As the saying goes, eat radishes in winter and ginger in summer. Winter is a good season for eating radishes, and radishes store well, so many people like to keep a lot of radishes at home. But sometimes radishes become hollow. Why do radishes become hollow? What are the solutions?
1. Why do radishes become hollow?
1. Wounds such as broken skin and cracks caused during harvest increase the respiration of the radish, and excessive loss of water and nutrients causes the radish to become hollow.
2. The ambient temperature of the storage space is too high. Radishes are generally stored at 0-3°C; above 3°C they tend to sprout and grow, which causes hollowing.
3. When storing radishes, the temperature should not be too high. The storage humidity for radishes generally needs to reach between 90%-95%. If the humidity is below 90%, the radishes will dehydrate, which causes hollowing.
4. Hollowing in radishes is also related to sowing time, watering and fertilising, and variety selection. For example, if we sow too early, or if watering and fertilising are uncoordinated and uneven, it can also cause hollowing. When choosing seeds, also note: large varieties with soft, loose fleshy roots, fast growth, and low starch and sugar content in the cells, as well as short-growing-season early-maturing and very early-maturing varieties, are prone to hollowing.
2. How to solve hollowing in radishes?
1. During harvest, reduce broken skin and cracking of the radishes as much as possible. Before storing radishes, remove the stem plate and place them in a cool, clean place to prevent wind and sun exposure. Keep the temperature of the storage cellar below 4°C.
2. You can cover the radishes with a layer of wet sand. Check whether the stem plate of the radishes has been removed cleanly, then place a layer of radishes and cover with a layer of wet sand, repeating in turn. Pay attention to ventilation, temperature control and moisture retention, so that the radish storage environment is best kept at a temperature below 3°C and a humidity between 9O%-95%.