Content
Radish Champion is a variety developed by a company from the Czech Republic. On the territory of the Russian Federation, it began to be used since 1999.
Description of Radish Champion
Radish Champion is recommended for cultivation in vegetable gardens, farms, as well as in personal plots. Possesses good resistance to sagging. The harvest forms quickly, as the variety is early. Radish Champion has many positive reviews among agronomists.
Main characteristics
The main qualities of the Champion radish:
Description and sizes of tops
The leaf rosette is half-raised. The leaves are deep green, medium-sized, heavily dissected. The leaves are obovate with a rounded apex. Slight pubescence is present.
The shape, color and size of the root crop
Radish has a deep red color. The shape of the root crop is round-elongated. The head is smooth, slightly convex, small in size. The peel is thin, the flesh is tender, white. The weight of the root vegetable is approximately 20 g.
Taste
According to gardeners, Champion radish has a high taste. The root vegetable is sweet, but there is little bitterness.
Yield
Radish Champion (pictured) is an early variety. His yield indicators are average. From an area of 1m², you can get about one kilogram of fruit. According to the agronomists, great indicators were recorded: from 1 m² - 1.5 kg of fruits. The ripening period depends on the weather conditions in the region and ranges from 18 to 27 days after germination.
Advantages and disadvantages
Based on the reviews of gardeners, the following signs can be attributed to the advantages of the Champion variety:
- high immunity to various diseases;
- the ability to survive in low frost conditions;
- with late harvest, there is no void in the fruit;
- the rosette of leaves is small, thanks to which the fruits can be planted close to each other;
- high taste indicators;
- in one season, you can get a crop twice;
- presentation remains for a long time.
In addition to the advantages of the Champion radish, there are also disadvantages - it is the small size of the fruit. That is why gardeners very rarely use the variety for planting for the purpose of sale.
Planting and care rules
You can plant Champion radishes outdoors, in a greenhouse and at home. Gardeners' reviews suggest that a homemade greenhouse is perfect for planting. The soil for planting should be well loosened, light. To do this, you can use coarse river sand, which is added to the soil. The substrate should be weak or neutral in acidity. Reduce the acidity of the soil by adding lime or wood ash to it. A plot with sandy loam soil is an ideal option for planting radishes, as the reviews of agronomists say about this.
It is imperative to take care of the planted root crops. Care includes watering, weeding, loosening, thinning, feeding. It is also necessary to control pests. Watering the radish should be done as needed, i.e. when the soil is dry. There is no need to overmoisten the soil.
After the first two weeks have passed, regular water can be used for watering.Since the Champion variety tends to accumulate nitrates, ash, herbal extracts from rosemary or sage are suitable for feeding it. They also help protect against slugs, snails and fungal diseases.
You can mulch the beds. Small grass, compost or peat are suitable for this. According to gardeners, mulching helps to get rid of weeds, helps to preserve moisture, in addition, it will be possible to loosen the soil less often.
Recommended timing
Radish Champion belongs to the early maturing vegetable. That is why its seeds are planted in a greenhouse at the end of March. In open ground, planting is done a little later, around the end of April.
Site selection and preparation of beds
The Champion variety is early, so it gives fruit quickly enough after germination. Radish tolerates frost well. The beds must be prepared in advance, preferably in the fall. Weeds are removed from the selected area, the earth is dug up and manure or humus is introduced.
A sunny area is needed for radish; in the shade or partial shade, it will not work to achieve a high yield. The tops will grow good, and the roots will be small, so only the southern side of the garden is chosen for planting.
Landing algorithm
The Champion radish planting technology is carried out as follows:
- judging by the gardeners' reviews, there is no need to soak the seeds, so you do not need to do this first;
- the depth of the holes is made no more than three centimeters;
- put a compost mixture in the holes, then another layer of soil;
- sow seeds in the holes at the end of March.
The beds are thinned after the first shoots appear. For this, weak shoots are removed. The distance between the seedlings should be five centimeters, in this case the radish will not suffer from a lack of nutrients and the roots will grow larger.
Growing features
According to gardeners, before sowing radishes, the soil must be fertilized, it is better to do this in the fall. There is no need to feed radishes during the growing season.
It is not recommended to use manure and nitrogen-based fertilizers.
Watering
Water as needed when the soil dries out. Waterlogging is unacceptable. It is necessary to water abundantly so that the soil is soaked by 10 cm. For the first two weeks, watering is carried out in the evening using warm water, then ordinary water is used.
Thinning
The first thinning is carried out after all the seedlings have emerged. The strongest shoots are left, located at a distance of at least 3-5 cm from each other. Together with thinning, you need to do the first weeding. When thinning, you need to adhere to the following rules:
- the procedure is carried out after watering in the evening;
- with one hand, you need to hold the ground around the seedling, and with the other hand, remove the plant from the soil.
After the thinning procedure is completed, the soil is compacted by hand, the sprouts are watered with warm water. The gardeners' comments indicate that thinning significantly helps the cultivation, increases the yield of the crop by 2-3 times.
Top dressing
If the soil is infertile, then it will need to be fertilized twice. If the soil is fertile, then an ode of top dressing is enough. Radish accumulates nitrates from the soil very quickly, therefore nitrogen-containing fertilizers are not used as fertilizer. You can use a mixture of compost and humus, 10 grams of superphosphate, 10 grams of nitrate, 10 grams of potash fertilizer and 0.5 liters of wood ash. According to reviews, such a composition will help grow tasty and juicy fruits. If the soil is saturated with nutrients, then only mineral fertilizers are used.
Pests and diseases
Radish Champion is a hybrid variety, therefore it has high immunity and practically does not get sick, but only if proper care is taken. Insects that can attack radishes are the cruciferous flea and the leaf beetle. They infect the leaves, which can cause the plant to die.Homemade solutions are suitable for pest control, for example:
- infusion of tomato tops;
- weak vinegar solution;
- tincture of ash, ground pepper and makhorka.
Reviews of gardeners indicate that the Champion variety is practically not susceptible to disease.
Conclusion
Radish Champion is an early maturing hybrid variety. Gardeners prefer to grow it because it is tasty and easy to care for. According to reviews, he is not afraid of frosts and many pests.
