Pablo F1 beetroot is a hybrid table variety native to the Netherlands. Refers to mid-early crops with a growing season of 1-2 months. It is very popular among residents of cold regions, as it is a cold-resistant plant and easily tolerates frosts. At the same time, beets have a sweet taste and can be used for any type of processing. From it you can cook salads, first courses, vegetable side dishes and even caviar.
Description of characteristics
Pablo hydride bred in the Netherlands by Bejo Zaden. Its main characteristics can be found below:
Property | Description |
Appointment | Pablo is suitable for long-term storage, processing and fresh consumption. So, it is a popular hybrid beet variety for table use. |
Ripening period | The vegetation period (from the appearance of the first sprouts to the maturation of full-fledged root crops) is on average 100-115 days. |
Productivity | With 1 sq. m of sown area, you can collect up to 7 kg of root crops. Due to its high yield, this hybrid is often grown commercially for sale. |
Growing area | It can be grown in any climate zone, including in regions with a cold climate, as it is resistant to adverse weather conditions. Often grown throughout Russia, Moldova and Ukraine. It does not require high quality soil and thorough maintenance. |
Plant | The leaves of the plant are medium in size, light green in color, purple streaks and wavy edges. The outlet turns out to be mid-layer and upright. The plant is resistant to lack of moisture and shooting. |
Roots | Pablo bears fruit with rounded root crops with thin tails. The mass of one solid fruit averages from 110 to 180 g, and the diameter is from 10 to 15 cm. Root crops have a smooth thin skin of burgundy color. The pulp itself is juicy, ruby-red in color with a violet hue, without inclusions and light ring divisions, which are characteristic of many other beet varieties. The pulp contains a large amount of sugar (about 18%) and betaine (128.7 mg per 100 g), so it has a rich sweet taste. It retains its aroma and sweetness even after heat treatment. |
Keeping | The hybrid is characterized by high keeping quality - can be stored for several months without losing its shape and taste. In addition, it does not lend itself to decay and is not covered by mold. |
Disease resistance | Pablo is resistant to many diseases affecting beets, including cercosporosis. |
Pablo's beets are appreciated for their high yield, decent presentation and excellent taste.
Landing time
Pablo's beets are planted in late spring - early summer, approximately from late April to the first decade of May or in the first third of June. Experienced gardeners recommend that, when determining the optimal planting time, be guided by the temperature indicators of air. They should be kept in the range + 18 ... + 20 ° C.
In addition, the soil itself should be well warmed up - at least + 5 ... + 7 ° C, but up to 10 ° C. In general, the hybrid is suitable for early sowing.
If you plant beets later, when the soil temperature reaches 15 ° C, later on seedlings will appear with a delay of a week.
Site selection and soil preparation
For growing crops, it is worth choosing a site that is well lit by sunlight. The fact is that in low light the ground part of the beets will stretch excessively and yield will decrease.
It is desirable that the soil in the area was loose loamy with neutral acidity. If it is increased, then the beets will feel uncomfortable, which will affect the quality characteristics of root crops.
The best crops for beetroot are the following crops:
- onion;
- Tomatoes
- potatoes;
- cucumbers
- salad;
- radish;
- radish;
- garlic;
- kohlrabi.
You can not grow beets in the area where such crops previously grew:
- carrot;
- cabbage;
- chard;
- beans;
- spinach;
- corn.
It is advisable to prepare the selected site in the fall. To do this, after harvesting the previous crop, it is necessary to completely remove plant debris and fertilize the soil with compost or humus at the rate of 5 kg per 1 sq. m of sown area. If necessary, the acidity level can be reduced by adding 200-400 g of lime per square meter of the plot.
How to prepare the seeds?
The seed pretreatment should never be neglected, otherwise the plant will grow weak and be susceptible to various diseases, even though Pablo is a resistant hybrid to many ailments, which is why it is chosen for cultivation by many gardeners.
Presowing seed treatment is carried out according to the following instructions:
- Select high-quality material and remove hollow seeds. To do this, they need to be soaked for 20-30 minutes in a saline solution prepared at the rate of 30 g of salt per 1 liter of water. For planting, use only those seeds that remain at the bottom of the container.
- Disinfect suitable seeds. You will need to prepare a solution at the rate of 1.5 g of boric acid per 1 liter of boiling water, and then soak the seeds in it for 12 hours.
- Soak the seeds for a day in a solution prepared by dissolving in 1 liter of water at room temperature 10 drops of Energen or 1 tsp. superphosphate. This procedure will increase the rate of plant germination in the future.
- Rinse the seeds, cover with a damp cloth and leave for 2-3 days at a temperature of 20 ° C. As the seed dries, it is worth moistening.
Only after this treatment will the seeds be ready for planting.
Landing Methods
You can plant beets in one of two ways - seedlings or seedlings. Let's consider each of them separately.
Reckless
Sowing prepared seeds is carried out according to a single-line scheme:
- Prepare a furrow 2-3 cm deep on the plot. The optimal distance between them is 30-40 cm.
- Throw 2 seeds in each hole at a distance of 7-10 cm, and then cover with earth.
- Moisten and loosen the soil slightly, by chopping a furrow at a distance of 10 cm from the sowing line.
Each beet seed gives 2 sprouts, so in the future it will be necessary to thin out the stands. When 2 leaves appear, leave 3-4 cm between the plants, and when 3-4 leaves appear, about 8-10 cm. Thinning is best done in the evening after watering or precipitation.
Seedling
To increase the survival rate of the plant and protect it from possible return frosts in the future, some gardeners plant seeds in seedlings. Its essence is that the seeds are pre-planted in special containers, and at the seedling stage, transferred to open ground.
Sowing seeds for seedlings is necessary 3 weeks before the plant is transplanted into the open ground. In this case, you should adhere to such an instruction:
- Prepare containers measuring approximately 10x20x20 cm.
- In equal parts, mix coarse sand, peat and turf soil to obtain a nutritional composition for growing seedlings. For 10 kg of the prepared mixture, add 200 g of wood ash.
- Fill the container with a substrate so that there is a distance of 2-3 cm between the edge and the soil mixture. A hole should be made in this part of each die to prevent moisture from accumulating in the soil.
- Moisten the substrate and sow the seeds to a depth of 1-1.5 cm and at a distance of 3 cm, and then sprinkle with earth.
- Sprinkle the substrate with water and cover the container with glass or film.
When growing seedlings, there is no need for picking, but you should adhere to a number of other rules for the care of seedlings:
- Before sprouts grow, seedlings do not require lighting, but need a humid environment. In this regard, it is necessary to water the substrate as its top layer dries.
- Maintain indoor temperature at + 22 ... + 25 ° C. As soon as the sprouts appear, remove the glass or film, and transfer the glasses to a bright place.
- Provide adult seedlings with 2 or more leaflets from morning to 19 hours. If the beets grow in a darkened place, the shoots will turn out thin and weak, and productivity will significantly decrease. So, if necessary, additional lighting should be provided using fluorescent lamps, which must be installed at a distance of 20 cm from seedlings.
- No need to feed seedlings, as the substrate contains a sufficient amount of nutrients.
- A week before transplanting into the ground, begin hardening seedlings. Every day, take it to fresh air for 3-4 hours, and then extend the time to 5 hours. Acceptable air temperature - from +8 to 10 ° C. In the apartment, hardening can be carried out on the balcony or loggia. In this case, one should not allow direct exposure to sunlight on seedlings.
In the open ground, you can transplant seedlings with 5-7 leaves. At the same time, the air temperature at night should be kept at 15 ° C. Plants should be planted with a clod of earth at a distance of 4-5 cm. Between the rows, a distance of about 30 cm should be left.
When the seedlings are taken, and the root crops increase to 1.5-2 cm, thinning the beets should be carried out to an interval of 10 cm.
Wind and sun can harm fragile and thin plants, so they should be covered with non-woven material. To do this, around the perimeter of the beds you need to install metal arcs, on which to pull a protective film. It can be removed in June as the tops of the leaves close.
How to care for a landing?
Pablo is an unpretentious hybrid in growing, but to get a good harvest you should follow simple rules of care:
- Watering. Pablo is resistant to a prolonged lack of moisture, but do not neglect the watering of the plant. In cool weather, carry it out once a week, and in dry weather 2-3 times a week. In any case, the water norm is 15-25 liters per 1 sq. Km. m plot. Before watering, water should be insisted for 1-2 days. Pour it under the root of the plant using a watering can or drip irrigation system. Stop watering in mid-August, as this will increase the volume of root crops.
- Loosening and weeding. After watering or precipitation, the soil between the rows should be loosened to a depth of 5-10 cm, since the formation of soil crust around the plant leads to a decrease in the quality of the crop. In addition, loosening improves air circulation. Weeding should be carried out regularly, especially at the beginning of seedling germination, since during this period it most needs light, moisture, and nutrients.
- Hilling. If root crops are not completely covered by soil, they need to be earthed.
- Top dressing. Fertilizers for beets are applied 2-3 times. The first feeding is carried out after thinning - 10-15 g of nitrogen fertilizers (urea, sodium or calcium nitrate, ammonium sulfate) are introduced per square meter. At the same time, nitrogen fertilizers should not be overdone, since nitrogen can penetrate and accumulate in the root crop, and then adversely affect the human body. The second feeding is carried out 2-3 weeks after the first - for each square meter, 8-10 g of potassium chloride and superphosphate are introduced.
If the leaves of the beet are covered with red spots, this indicates a lack of sodium in the soil. In this case, the plant should be watered with salt water (1 tbsp. Per 10 l). For the entire growing period, it is enough to carry out 3 such procedures.
- Protection against diseases and pests. Pablo F1 beets are resistant to many diseases, including cercosporosis and shooting. In addition, the hybrid is rarely affected by scab or root eater. To completely minimize the likelihood of damage, weeds should be removed in a timely manner and potash-phosphorus fertilizers should be applied to the soil. A large threat to beets is rodents, which can harm both the tops and root crops. To scare them away, planting furrows should be sprinkled with tobacco dust, ash or special preparations. In addition, in the fight against rodents, it is worth digging the soil deep in the fall and spring.
With proper care, already in mid-August - early September, you can get an excellent harvest - an average of 2 kg per 1 sq. Km. m plot.
Harvesting and storage
Between the appearance of seedlings and the complete ripening of root crops, about 100 days pass. It is extremely undesirable to delay the harvest and overexposure the beets in the ground, as this will degrade its taste and marketability.
You can determine the readiness of root crops for harvesting by a number of signs. These include:
- the state of the lower foliage (it begins to dry, fade, turn yellow and fade);
- the size of root crops (their diameter reaches 10-15 cm, and characteristic growths appear on the skin).
To harvest, root crops should be extracted from the ground with the help of a pitchfork. So you can remove the upper layers of the soil without damaging the beets themselves. From the extracted root crops, it is necessary to trim the leaves, leaving the cuttings no larger than 1 cm in order to prevent the growth of beets in the winter period, which can cause its death.
Root crops need to be cleaned of soil, placed in boxes with a capacity of 10-20 cm and sprinkled with sand with a layer of up to 3 cm. In addition, the crop can be stored in pits, the width and depth of which is 1 m. Before laying root crops, the bottom should be covered with boards. Pour the beets with sand, and then cover them with dry leaves, peat or straw, and then with a layer of earth.
Store beets at a temperature of 0 ... + 2 ° C and humidity up to 90%.
Beneficial features
Pablo's beets are rich in vitamins, organic acids and trace elements, and also contain an increased amount of sugars and betaine, which is due to its useful properties:
- removes radionuclides, toxins and toxins from the body;
- favorably affects metabolic processes;
- normalizes the work of the gastrointestinal tract;
- reduces blood cholesterol with regular use;
- strengthens the walls of blood vessels and stimulates blood formation, therefore the vegetable is especially recommended for use in blood diseases;
- reduces inflammatory processes and accelerates wound healing;
- prevents the appearance of puffiness due to the removal of excess fluid.
Pablo F1 can be safely used for anemia, cardiovascular disease, ulcerative lesions, malfunctions of the digestive system, general exhaustion of the body and the appearance of characteristic symptoms of asthenia.
Contraindications
Despite all the useful properties, Pablo F1 can be a health hazard if used when there are indications such as:
- metabolic disorders (beet consumption in food should be minimized, especially with diseases of the genitourinary system or kidneys, since it is rich in oxalic acid);
- diabetes mellitus of any type (the use of boiled beets is especially contraindicated, since it contains a large amount of sugar);
- gastritis with low or zero acidity and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Pablo F1 beet is a mid-early hybrid of the Dutch selection, which is characterized by a high and stable yield, a high content of sugar and betaine, as well as an increased ability to remove radionuclides from the body and lower blood cholesterol. Such a useful vegetable in their garden can be grown by every summer resident, using the simple rules of planting and caring for the crop.