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Parsley on the windowsill is a convenient way to provide yourself with free and environmentally friendly greens for the whole year. The cultivation of this herb does not take much time and effort. But, despite its unpretentiousness, parsley requires some care. Therefore, novice summer residents are advised to pay attention to some practical advice on planting and growing crops.
Is it possible to grow parsley on a windowsill
It is possible to cultivate parsley on the windowsill, both on the southern and northern windows. There are no special requirements for capacity and soil for growing greens. But at home it is important to provide:
- regular watering;
- spraying foliage;
- intense lighting in autumn, winter and cloudy weather;
- acceptable (room or slightly higher) temperature.
Under these conditions, the first harvests are obtained 1.5-2 months after planting. Greens are not cut off completely, but leaving half or a third of the branches. The second wave will start in about 1 month.
For growing parsley on the windowsill, you can use seeds of any kind
Varieties of parsley for the windowsill
There are no fundamental requirements for the variety of parsley, since if sufficient conditions are met, any variety can be grown on the windowsill.
But it is desirable that it be an early ripening variety, for example:
- Russian Feast;
- Beads;
- Common leaf;
- Fragrant alley;
- Vorozheya;
- Fitness;
- Gloria;
- Emerald lace;
- Morning freshness;
- Astra and others.
You can also pay attention to the type of variety - parsley is leafy and curly. Both the one and the other are grown on window sills and in greenhouses, but the openwork leaves look beautiful, so they are often used for serving dishes.
How to plant parsley at home on a windowsill
Planting parsley seeds for growing on a windowsill is easy. To do this, they need to be soaked for several days and disinfected in a manganese solution. The soil is made from a conventional mixture or purchased in a store.
Preparation of soil and planting capacity
Parsley is an unpretentious plant, so the soil for it can be stocked up even in summer or autumn at a summer cottage. It should be a light soil with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction (pH 6.5-7.0).
To learn the maximum yield at home, it is recommended to use the following composition:
- peat - 2 parts;
- garden soil - 1 part;
- river sand - 1 part;
- humus - 1 part.
An easier option is to mix garden soil (2 parts) with humus (1 part) and sand (1 part). The soil can be pre-watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate (1-2%) to disinfect it.
The container for growing parsley on the windowsill should be high enough all year round (at least 15 cm). The fact is that parsley grows well enough, and its developed roots go to a great depth. The rest of the requirements are not too stringent: the container must be strong, fragile and fit easily on the windowsill.
For growing parsley on a windowsill, rectangular plastic containers are optimal.
Preparation of planting material
At home on the windowsill, parsley can be grown from seeds and roots. In the first case, the harvest can be obtained in 6-8 weeks. Before planting, the seeds should be prepared:
- First, they are soaked in water. Some gardeners recommend dropping the seeds into a glass, but it would be more correct to put them on clean, damp gauze, folded in 2-3 layers and cover with the same cloth.
- The container with seeds is removed in a dark and warm place for 3-5 days, periodically moistening the gauze from a spray bottle. Drying should not be allowed.
- On the day of planting, the seeds are placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes. This procedure is carried out for disinfection.
Rules for planting parsley on the windowsill
The landing requirements are very simple:
- The pot is rinsed with running water and wiped off.
- A small drainage layer (up to 3 cm) is laid on the bottom. It can be expanded clay or other small stones.
- Then comes the substrate itself - it is poured almost to the top, but not tamped.
- After that, several longitudinal grooves are made with a minimum depth (no more than 0.5 cm).
- Water and sow seeds abundantly.
- Then they are sprinkled with earth.
- The soil is sprayed from a spray bottle.
- Cover the container with foil or glass and put it in a warm place with a temperature of at least + 25 ° C.
The drainage layer avoids rotting of parsley roots when growing on a windowsill
After that, the greenhouse is removed, and the pot is placed in a cooler place - room temperature 19-22 ° C.
Caring for parsley on the window
Caring for parsley on the windowsill is not very difficult. It is not necessary to feed it, but it is very important to ensure adequate watering, lighting and temperature.
Optimal growing conditions
When growing parsley on a windowsill in winter, the main problem for beginners is lighting. In late spring and during the summer, there is enough natural light if the pot is placed on a south or southeast window.
If possible, in the summer it is better to transfer the pots to the balcony.
In autumn and winter, parsley needs additional intense highlighting. It can be provided using special phytolamps or LEDs. When installing a lighting system, you need to focus on several parameters:
- The minimum power of 1 lamp is 100 W (for 1 m backlight2).
- The distance for hanging is 40-50 cm from the tops of the plant.
- The light should be directed like the sun at its zenith - from top to bottom.
- The length of daylight hours should be 12 hours. For example, you can turn it on at 8 am before leaving for work and turn it off in the evening at 8 pm.
At first, the temperature must be maintained at 25 ° C and above, then 18-20 is allowed, at least 15 ° C (for adult plants). Humidification should be regular, and intensified in the summer heat. In this case, you need to pay attention to the parsley itself: if it is elastic, then everything is in order.
Therefore, in summer, during a dry season, it is better to shade the window a little with light curtains or lightweight paper. At this time, you will also need additional moisture to the parsley.
When grown on a windowsill, parsley is not only watered, but also sprayed in the evening.
Watering
Parsley, like any garden greens, is very fond of water. Therefore, watering should be regular. It is important to keep the topsoil moderately moist. For irrigation, use ordinary tap water, which is collected overnight in a container for settling. During a drought, foliage needs daily spraying. It is better to do this late in the evening, after sunset.
How to feed
Feeding parsley on the windowsill is optional. If humus was initially present in the soil when planting, then the first crop can be removed after 1.5 months.Sometimes the culture develops slowly, forming weak leaves.
In such cases, you can apply nitrogen fertilizers (one of your choice):
- ammonium nitrate;
- urea;
- chicken humus.
The amount of fertilizer can be calculated based on the area of the container. Usually, it is enough to apply top dressing 1-2 times a month, but there should be no more than three of them per season.
Fertilizers will ensure lush growth of parsley on the windowsill
Useful Tips
In general, the process of growing garden greens on the windowsill is quite simple, so this task can be dealt with without special skills. Nuances to pay attention to:
- After planting, the first shoots should hatch in about a week. If several days have passed and they have not appeared, something is clearly going wrong. The seeds may have been very old.
- From time to time, the boxes of parsley need to be turned, because the greens will actively reach for the sun. This is necessary in order to ensure even, symmetrical growth.
- The room where the grass grows should be periodically ventilated. But at this point (especially in autumn and winter), the pots are removed away from the draft.
- Also, do not keep parsley close to the radiator on the windowsill, as it does not tolerate dry air.
- As soon as it is warm enough outside (stable above + 10 ° C), it is better to transfer the containers to the balcony. There they will receive more sunlight and will be ventilated from all directions.
In rare cases, even when grown on a windowsill, parsley can be affected by fungal infections, the most common are powdery mildew and white spot. Plants are treated with fungicides (eg Fitosporin). If garden pests are found (mainly aphids), it should be treated with Biotlin or Fitoverm.
For example, a solution of baking soda, ammonia, laundry soap, or an infusion of onion peels helps with aphids.
Conclusion
Parsley on the windowsill can grow at any time of the year. The main requirement is to maintain an acceptable temperature, humidity and light levels. In such conditions, both an experienced and a novice summer resident will be able to get a rich harvest of their own greenery.
