Have you ever been interested in growing watercress at home? If so, your time has come. If you've never thought about it, check out the benefits and convince yourself to have this vegetable in your home. So know now how to plant watercress at home. Read on!
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Watercress, whose scientific name is Nasturtium officinale, is a small leaf vegetable, dark green in color and slightly spicy in flavor. It's a cruciferous vegetable, just like chard, kale, and broccoli. For this reason, it can be consumed daily.
It is rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals important for health. In addition, the watercress stalk contains a great amount of iodine, which is very important for the regulation of some hormones. These are just some of its beneficial effects.
How to plant watercress?
To plant this potent food, some care is needed, but in general the process is quite simple.
ideal climate
Watercress is a vegetable that develops fully when there is good water availability. Therefore, he prefers climates with lower temperatures, between 10°C and 20°C. However, it easily supports warmer climates than that.
lighting conditions
Requires good lighting, with a few hours of sunlight daily. However, if you live in a hot region like the Northeast, for example, avoid that the watercress is exposed to sunlight during the hottest periods of the day.
Planting
This vegetable propagates through seeds. You can plant them in seedbeds, and when the plants have about 4 to 6 leaves, you can transplant them. Leave a space of at least 15 cm between the seedlings.
Unlike other plants, watercress is very fond of moisture. That's why you can plant without fear of getting it soaked, watering frequently.
The soil must be fertile, and you can also add worm humus and organic fertilizer. Never fertilize watercress with manure, as there is a high risk of contamination by parasites.
As for the pH of the soil, ideally it should be neutral to slightly alkaline.
To plant watercress in pots is very simple, and the amount of land must be sufficient and with plenty of fresh water.
Harvest
Finally, the harvest can be done after about 60 to 80 days of sowing. Remembering that watercress is a perennial plant, that is, it lasts for many years. Enjoy!