Peas are one of the most popular legumes, successfully grown in different regions. It has earned the love of summer residents due to its ease of care, high resistance to temperature changes and excellent taste. In addition, peas are a healthy crop. It is not surprising that he managed to win the love of children and adults. By observing all the subtleties and nuances of agricultural technology, every gardener will be able to harvest a record high harvest of tasty and sweet peas.
This plant needs standard agrotechnical measures - watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil. Some tall varieties require staking to a support.
Water the peas thoroughly
Peas are moisture-loving plants. It needs regular and abundant watering, especially on dry, hot days.
The guideline that will tell you exactly when to water peas is the soil - as soon as it dries out, you need to moisten it.
- In the active growth phase, the bushes need to be watered every 3-6 days, pouring at least 1 bucket of water per meter of bed.
- After flowering begins, the legume crop needs to be watered more often, every 2 days.
If peas are not provided with frequent and abundant moisture, their fruiting will be short-lived and the harvest will be meager.
Feed your peas correctly
Peas are in dire need of additional feeding during the period of active growth of green mass, before flowering. It is at this time that you can apply fertilizer for the first time.
- For the first feeding, it is advisable to use organic matter - an infusion of mullein or nettle.
- After completing the flowering stage, pea crops can be additionally fertilized using:
- Nitroammophoska: 0.5 tbsp is used to prepare the solution. l for 5 liters of water. water at the root.
- A solution of ammonia (1 tsp per 1 liter of water). This composition strengthens the plant’s immunity and protects it from diseases and pests.
Don’t be lazy to loosen the soil under the peas
Peas have a taproot system that goes deep into the soil. That is why it needs a sufficient supply of oxygen. To do this, you must not forget about loosening the soil.
Without loosening, a hard, dense crust will appear on the soil surface, impairing the supply of oxygen to the roots of the plant.
It is advisable to loosen the beds after each watering. For the first time, peas can be loosened 8-10 days after the first young shoots appear, after which the sprouts can be spudded.
Be sure to tie up the peas
Tall pea varieties with lodging stems require additional support. This will ensure uniform illumination of the plant and its full development.
Peas are tied up after the stems reach a length of 12-16 cm.
Pea support options:
- arcs for greenhouses;
- nets for climbing crops;
- trellises made of wooden or metal stakes.
Many summer residents make plant supports from scrap materials - for example, the so-called “pea brush”.
These are branches left after pruning fruit trees and stuck into the ground along the length of the bed. The height of such branches should be the same as or higher than the peas.
To tie up peas, you can drive wooden pegs around the perimeter of the beds, pull a rigid mesh, twine, rope over them, or stuff crossbars. Tie each pea stem to the net or crossbars.
Trim the tops of the peas
One of the secrets to a rich pea harvest is pinching the top part.
This part of the pea stem needs to be pinched after it reaches 22-25 cm. If the procedure is carried out correctly and in a timely manner, young side shoots will sprout from the growth point, which will make the plant more lush, branched and productive.
It is advisable to carry out pinching in the early morning, since the scorching rays of the sun can cause burns to the area where the stem is broken. After the lateral shoots appear, they can also be pinched.
Protect your peas from pests and birds
Pea plantings are often attacked by birds, which happily eat freshly planted seeds and young seedlings. This significantly reduces the yield of legumes.
- To protect against birds, you can use spunbond, other breathable covering material or special mesh.
- You can make a shelter yourself - drive pegs around the perimeter of the beds and stretch a net over them.
No less often, pea beds are attacked by insect pests, most often cutworms and codling moths:
- Armyworm eggs can be seen on the underside of plant leaves. The caterpillars that emerge from them feed on the green part of the peas.
- The codling moth prefers to lay eggs on the young foliage of the plant. They hatch into caterpillars that eat the ripening beans from the inside.
To control pests, you can use affordable and safe folk remedies - for example, wormwood:
- To prepare the solution, finely chop fresh wormwood, then pour a glass of chopped raw materials into a bucket of water.
- Place this mixture on low heat and simmer for 40-50 minutes.
- Spray the peas generously with this solution every 3-4 days.
In the same way, you can prepare an infusion from tomato tops, garlic or burdock roots.
In the most severe cases, with extensive damage by insect pests, the use of chemicals will be effective. It is advisable to use biological insecticides - they are safe for the plant and do not harm the future harvest.
Peas are good not only fresh, they can be prepared for the winter for preparing various dishes. We hope that our tips will help you in growing this wonderful crop on your site.
Write a comment