Is it necessary and possible to pluck leaves from beets during growth: consider the feasibility and learn how to do it

Beets are a common and easy-to-care root vegetable rich in vitamins and minerals. It came to us from the southern part of the Persian Gulf, so when growing it, warmth, optimal humidity and fertile soil are important. In home vegetable farming, two types of table beets are common: root and leaf.

It is preferable to grow in garden plots varieties with a long shelf life. An equally important part of beets is their tops. In the article we will look at the importance of beet leaves, whether they can and should be removed, and how to do it correctly.

Do I need to pick off the leaves of beets?

Many novice amateur vegetable growers have heard that cutting off the leaves of vegetables will cause the root crop to grow larger. However, the size of the beets depends on many factors, least of all the amount of tops.

Other indicators are of primary importance: varietal characteristics, soil quality, fertilization, timely watering, degree of illumination, etc.

Points for and against

Do not forget that the root crop receives nutrients not only from the soil, but also through the leaves, so excessive pruning can deteriorate the quality of the fruit. With insufficient development of the leafy part, the root crop may lose its taste. This also leads to unnecessary injury to the plant, and stress is known to negatively affect growth.

Reference. Beet leaf variety Chard Its leaves are grown to be used as food.

Since the leafy part of ordinary root beets is important for the growth of the fruit, you should carefully consider planting the plant and take into account factors favorable to it, which will help you grow a tasty and healthy vegetable.

A few basic rules:

1. There is no need to plant seedlings too densely; a distance of 10-15 cm is quite optimal.
2. It is better to plant plants along the edge of other beds, for example, with cabbage, cucumbers, onions or tomatoes. You should not plant it after carrots or next to legumes.
3. Pay attention to the soil for planting beets in the fall; it should not be acidic, otherwise the root crops will be tasteless and tough. Sandy loam and light loamy soils are most suitable. If the soil is too heavy, dilute it with river sand.
4. A prerequisite is warmth. If the seedlings are exposed to frost or simply cool temperatures, the plant will go into flowering and there will be no harvest.
5. When transplanting plants into the ground, there is no need to shorten the root of the root crop, because it grows to a sufficient depth to provide the young plant with moisture for the first time.
6. Beets need to be provided with uniform watering, without stagnant water.
7. It is enough to feed the plant with compost and be sure to mulch.
8. It is useful to water plants with ash or boric acid diluted in water.

In what cases is it necessary to tear off/cut the tops?

There are several situations in which beet leaves can be trimmed, in other cases there is no need:

1. Some leaves are affected by pests. Severely affected leaves can be carefully trimmed. But, in addition to this, the plant will have to be treated with a pest control agent.For example, spraying with a salt solution will help against spring flies.
2. Transplanting. Beets are planted as seedlings or the seeds are sown immediately in the ground. After germination, thinning is done by cutting off excess plants.
3. Mosaic of leaves. Viral disease, in which the affected plants and their parts must be removed.
4. Eating. Beet tops can be used to make borscht and salads. For this, the outer leaves are used if there are many of them.
5. Harvest. When harvesting beets and preparing them for storage, the tops are cut off.
6. Animal food. Some vegetable growers use tops to feed animals, especially if they are large and fleshy. In this case, you should not get carried away with pruning - leave at least 6-7 leaves per root crop.

Why is this necessary?

Options for trimming beet leaves in special cases were discussed above. But there are times when this must be done, for example, for leaf beets.

Chard is a leaf beet that does not form a root vegetable, but produces a lot of leaves suitable for eating, making soups or salads. This variety of beet grows quickly, so the outer leaves must be constantly cut off, otherwise the plant will bloom. Chard is also called “Roman cabbage”.

The greens of this beet are rich in vitamins and far exceed the benefits of ordinary table beets. Chard comes in leaf and petiole varieties. There is a wide variety of this variety available in the market. They all differ in leaf color: from white to crimson, as well as in the thickness and shape of the leaves.

Chard leaves are beautiful: shiny, sometimes smooth or with tubercles, with bright veins contrasting against the background of the leaves. Petiole Chard is larger than leaf Chard.Its leaves are gigantic and wavy.

When to do it

Since cutting leaves is carried out as needed, this can be done at any time. Especially when it comes to pests or diseases. If we talk about thinning out seedlings, then if the plant has been carefully removed from the ground, it can be planted on an additionally prepared bed.

In cases where leaves are needed for food, pruning of plants is carried out evenly so as not to harm the root crop. Swiss chard is pruned regularly as the tops grow.

Permitted and prohibited periods

You should not pick off the leaves when the plant is young and just gaining growth, from about May to June. In subsequent periods, it is possible to use the leaves for cooking. Beet tops are often used to feed animals.

This is possible if the tops are powerful enough and there is a lot of them. The safest period will be considered the time when the root crop has already gained most of its mass and has reached a size of up to five centimeters.

Reference. Earlier removal of foliage can negatively affect root growth.

Is it possible to trim leaves while they are growing?

If there is an urgent need to cut off the tops of beets, then this is possible during the growth period. But it is necessary to properly remove the leaf part in order to cause as little harm as possible to the plants.

Proper removal of tops - step-by-step instructions

Removing damaged leaves from beets is easy; for this you will need:

• scissors or garden pruners;
• gloves;
• disinfectant for instruments;
• activated carbon (optional).

Operating procedure:

1. Treat the instrument with any disinfectant, wipe with a clean cloth or simply dry.
2. Carefully inspect the plant and determine which leaves need to be trimmed.
3. Carefully bring the tool up, grasping the leaf at the very base, and with a sharp movement cut off the stem. It is important that the tool is sharp and does not leave torn edges.
4. Immediately place the cut leaf, especially when cutting leaves damaged by pests, into a separate container to prevent the spread of pests to other plants.
5. If the leaf was large, the cut area can be sprinkled with crushed activated carbon.

Removing leaves for winter storage

The harvest is harvested when the root crops reach a diameter of 5-6 cm. You should not keep the plants in the ground for a long time, since an overgrown plant will lose its taste and will only be suitable for livestock feed. And sudden autumn frosts can completely ruin the harvest.

When preparing beets for winter storage for the cellar, it is important to take into account a few simple rules that will help preserve the root crop until spring.

When harvesting, beets are carefully removed from the soil, trying not to damage the root crop. The leafy part is cut off, leaving stems 2-3 cm long. The root remains unchanged. In this form, the beets will keep well in the cellar almost until the summer. It cannot be left in the soil over the winter.

Attention! It is more convenient to store beets in the cellar in boxes with sand, this way they will not become moldy and will be preserved better.

Tips and recommendations from experienced summer residents

Growing beets is a simple matter, but it also has its own characteristics.

There is no need to feed beets with nitrogen fertilizers; in this case, nitrates will accumulate in the root crop. In this case, the fruits will grow small, and the tops, on the contrary, will grow large.An excess of nitrogen can be seen on the cut of the fruit in the form of white circles, and can also be determined by the red color of the foliage. It is better not to use such beets for food.

As was said, beets do not like acidic soils, so you cannot fertilize them with manure. The exception is when there is slow leaf growth or small foliage. In this case, it is worth fertilizing once with an infusion of weeds or manure.

It is important to select plant varieties according to the growing region:

1. Suitable varieties for the Moscow region: Red Ball, Vodan F1, Eclipse, Ataman.
2. Varieties for the Urals: Bikores, Valenta, Bon-Bon F1.
3. For Siberia: Sibirskaya Ploskaya, Podzimnyaya, Red Ice, Red Bogatyr, Mashenka.

Conclusion

Now you know whether it is possible to pick off the leaves of beets during growth and how to trim them to store the crop in winter.

Using beet tops for food is good for health. This is the only reason to trim leaves from a healthy plant. Do not forget to do everything carefully in order to enjoy a rich beet harvest in the fall.