by Growing carrots in open ground is often accompanied by mistakes that lead to diseases or even the death of the entire crop. We have identified 6 problems and suggest you solve them using effective methods.
Growing carrots is quite simple, but even with such an unpretentious crop, difficulties sometimes arise. If the above-ground part of the plant is in order, this does not mean that the root crop itself is developing normally. Therefore, it is worth carefully monitoring the beds, but the most important thing is to carry out preventive measures in time. So, let’s consider the main problems of growing carrots that gardeners face.
Problem 1. Carrots are affected by rot.
Fungal diseases of carrots are visible to the naked eye. The roots are covered with spots, smell bad and, of course, are not suitable for food. Such plants should be destroyed because they can infect the soil and other roots with fungal spores.
Never store carrots with slight signs of rot in the hope that they will dry out. The root vegetable will continue to spoil and infect healthy vegetables.
Causes of rot damage:
- cold and damp weather;
- lack of potassium;
- harvesting in rainy weather;
- high humidity in the room where carrots are stored.
The characteristics of some rots are presented in tables.
| Black rot (Alternaria) | |
| The leaves turn black, and dark spots with mold appear on the root crop. After a while, the carrots become covered with dense black rot. The disease is transmitted through seeds and often leads to black leg. | |
| Scab (rhizoctoniosis) | |
| The roots are covered with ulcers of various shapes. The mycelium of white or light brown mushrooms is visible. | |
| White rot (sclerotinia) | |
| The carrots are soft, loose and watery. Sometimes covered with a cotton-like coating, on which large growths later appear. | |
| Wet rot (bacteriosis) | |
| The root has a putrid smell, although it may be whole on the outside. Then the carrot becomes covered with dark spots. The tissue decomposes into a watery mass, where bacteria swarm. | |
| Brown rot (phoma) | |
| The first signs are spots and transverse stripes on the top. Then dark spots appear on the root crops, ulcers and white rot. On the cut, the tissue is soft and loose, the mycelium is visible. | |
If carrots are susceptible to rot, it is important to carry out the following preventive measures next year:
- treat seeds before sowing;
- make the soil fertile, reduce acidity;
- change the place where carrots are grown, it is advisable to plant them after mustard, rye, oats or rapeseed;
- thin out the crops in time so that the plants grow fully and do not get sick;
- water the plants regularly, do not dry out or over-water the beds;
- avoid nitrogen fertilizers, use phosphorus-potassium fertilizers;
- A month before harvesting, treat the plants with Bordeaux mixture.
To ensure that the harvest lasts longer, it should be collected on a dry day. Treat the boxes and trays with disinfectants. Dry the root vegetables thoroughly and sort out the damaged ones.
Problem 2. Carrots are cracking
Carrots with cracks look unappetizing and do not store well. The damage to the root may be minor, but in severe cases the crack extends throughout the carrot.
The reasons:
- excess nitrogen, which causes tissues to grow too quickly and become loose;
- irregular watering and sudden over-watering, the cells of the root crop expand and burst very quickly;
- heavy soil in which it is difficult for the root crop to germinate.
To solve the problem, you need to first put the soil in order. Add sapropel (silt deposits from the bottom of reservoirs) – 3 kg per 1 sq.m. It is usually sold in the form of granules and tablets. It is also important to reduce the acidity of the soil, for example, by liming.
You shouldn’t water the beds a little every day; it’s better to do it 2-3 times a week, but so that the soil is saturated to a depth of at least 20 cm.
It is better to add organic matter a year before planting carrots, i.e. for crops that will grow before it.
Problem 3: The carrots are ugly shaped.
The carrots do not look like themselves, they branch out and intertwine in a strange way? The problem is in the wrong agricultural technology! Perhaps, fresh manure and nitrogen fertilizers were added during the formation of the root crop. Or the soil suffered from drought and was then flooded for several days. Another reason is heavy rocky soil, which does not allow carrots to develop normally. All this leads to strange shapes of root crops.
This vegetable is edible and rarely loses its taste, but it is not easy to preserve it for the winter. To prevent the problem, do not add fresh manure before planting, adjust the watering. And most importantly, make the soil fertile.
Problem 4: Carrots are covered in “hair”
In fact, these are not hairs, but rather sucking roots that grow over the entire surface of the root crop. Such a vegetable can be eaten, it does not lose its nutritional and taste properties, but it is difficult to store. The reasons for the “hairiness” are low-quality soil and irregular watering. As soon as you return the soil to fertile qualities, the carrots will become smooth again.
To prevent carrots from becoming “hairy”, it is important to provide the plants with regular loosening, which improves air exchange.
Problem 5. The carrots were attacked by carrot fly.
If carrot fly appears on the plot, you can forget about a good harvest. Root crops become tasteless, there are many passages in them where fly larvae live. Affected plants can be distinguished by the purple-red tint of the leaves, which then turn yellow and dry out.
The most frequently affected by the fly are carrot varieties: Nantes, Carotel, ChansonThe most resistant to the pest varieties and hybrids are: Calgary F1, Perfection, Olympus, Nantic Resistance F1.
It is not easy to fight the pest, because the fly reproduces throughout the summer cottage season, and in the fall it often remains inside the root crops and gets into storage boxes. To ensure that the carrot fly bypasses your plot, follow these rules:
- Always prepare the seeds for planting: soak them in warm water for 2 hours, wrap them in linen cloth, then in a bag and store in the refrigerator for 10 days; dry thoroughly before planting;
- plant carrots as early as possible, taking into account the weather, and not too densely;
- Dandelion and clover attract carrot fly, so keep weeds in check;
- regularly loosen the soil between the rows, watering it first;
- Weed the plants thoroughly so as not to attract flies, do not leave anything extra in the beds, but put it in the compost.
If possible, plant garlic or onions next to carrots, they will scare away the carrot fly. And marigolds and calendula will attract the fly’s natural enemies and thus protect your plantings. A mixture of tobacco dust and sand (1:1) has proven itself well among folk remedies; it should be sprinkled on the soil between the rows 2-3 times per season.
The carrot fly also parasitizes celery, parsley and dill.
Problem 6. Carrots are bitter and tasteless.
The carrots grew smooth and beautiful, but you can’t eat them? Most likely, the agricultural technology was violated. The fact is that if the top of the root crop is too bare, then solanine is formed in it – a poisonous substance that makes the vegetable bitter. To solve this problem, regularly hill up the carrots and sprinkle the bare roots with soil. Do not forget about thinning.
Carrot fly can often be the cause of bitterness. The root vegetable secretes poison to kill the larvae, and thus spoils the taste of vegetables. It is also important to remove carrots from the beds in time. If they have been in the ground for too long, bitterness may appear.
To make carrots grow sweet, fertilize them with nitroammophoska – 25-30 g per 1 sq.m.
Some of these problems are easy to solve, others will require more time and effort. In any case, if you have one of these difficulties, do not put it off until later. To prevent carrot diseases, first of all, pay attention to the soil, make it fertile, light and not acidic. Do not overuse nitrogen fertilizers. Water regularly so that the plant develops evenly, avoid dryness and over-watering. Then the carrots will grow large, juicy and crispy!
