A natural arrangement of plants is a trend in hobby gardens. A native herbal plant meets this wish perfectly. Red sorrel captivates as a lush, herbaceous perennial with crimson-tinged leaves and reddish flowers. Under the hands of a knowledgeable housewife, the leaves turn into a tasty vegetable. Healers use the ingredients to relieve minor ailments. Read here how easy it is to cultivate the plant.
Planting sorrel properly
Instead of straining your gardening budget by buying early seedlings, sow blood dock just straight into the bed. The best time for this measure is in September. Anyone who misses this date settles the herb plant in the garden between March and June. Prepare the moist, humus-rich soil in a finely crumbly manner in a partially shaded location. Make a furrow to plant the seeds 5 to 10 mm deep and press down the soil a little. Moisten with a fine shower and wait for germination. To protect against pecking birds, spread a close-meshed net over the seedbed. If at least 2 pairs of leaves have developed on the seedlings, the strongest specimens are separated at a distance of 20-30 cm.
care tips
If the blood dock finds a semi-shady, fresh and moist location in normal garden soil, the maintenance effort is hardly significant. How to do it right:
- Water regularly without causing waterlogging
- A start fertilization with compost and horn shavings covers the nutrient requirement
- Cut off the outer leaves to eat
- Consistent bursting of the flowers keeps the oxal content in check
Hain-Ampfer don't have to worry about winter protection. Leave the leaves on the plant until early spring and cut back before fresh shoots appear.
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Which location is suitable?
In order to enjoy the full range of its benefits, the location should be chosen according to these criteria:
- Partly shaded position to light shade
- The sunnier the location, the wetter the soil
- Rich in nutrients, humic and with a low lime content
Red sorrel preferably joins the classics in the herb bed, takes place in the open with a wild perennial character, along the edge of the wood or on the bank of a water world.
What soil does the plant need?
Sorrel does its best in nutrient-rich, humus-rich and fresh, moist soil. As long as a minimum of permeability is guaranteed, the perennial even tolerates short-term flooding. Thus, a grove dock is ideal for the greening of ponds and stream. On the other hand, avoid a place in the strongly alkaline structured soil, because the herbal plant reacts to an excess of lime with leaf chlorosis.
What is the best planting time?
In garden practice it has been found that the autumn planting or the sowing is particularly beneficial for blood dock. In addition to optimized vitality, the plant benefits from an improved taste of the leaves. In the spring, even gourmets will be drawn to them with their delicate, mild aroma.
Properly cut sorrel
Cutting and harvesting go hand in hand with a blood sorrel. In spring - just before flowering - the plant is at the zenith of its potential for enjoyment. Now cut off the outer leaves to use in the kitchen or to make tea. Break out inflorescences consistently. As these develop, the level of oxalic acid increases and the plant loses value. Leave the leaves in the bed throughout the winter as a natural protection. In early spring, cut off all foliage close to the ground so that the shoots can sprout unhindered.
Pour sorrel
Do not allow blood dock to dry out at any time, as the herbal plant will react angrily to this. Water regularly and generously without causing waterlogging. Ideally, you should use soft water so that no lime content builds up in the substrate.
Fertilize sorrel properly
In the nutrient rich garden floor a start fertilization with compost and horn shavings is sufficient. If sorrel is not growing as expected, add a liquid, organic vegetable fertilizer to the irrigation water every 3-4 weeks throughout the season. If the leaves are intended for consumption, the use of nettle manure as a fertilizer is less suitable, as the taste could be adversely affected.
hibernate
The perennial is completely winter-hardy and requires no special precautions. Ideally, you should only cut off the leaves close to the ground in early spring so that they protect the root ball from the cold and wet until then.
Propagating sorrel
In order to propagate sorrel, hobby gardeners mostly decide to divide the root ball. The advantage of this method is that the perennial is rejuvenated at the same time, which is necessary every few years anyway. Dig up the root ball, cut it into two or more segments and plant them in the new location. A section should have at least two eyes from which it can sprout again.
Alternatively, sow the seeds directly into the bed. Prepare a permeable, slightly moist, sandy-humic seedbed for the seeds between March and June or ideally in September. As a dark germinator, place the seeds 5-10 mm deep in a small furrow. Keep the soil constantly moist and do not apply fertilizer. In the further course, the seedlings are separated with 2 pairs of leaves at a distance of 20-30 cm.
How do I plant correctly?
After 5 years at the latest, the vitality of a Hain dock visibly decreases. High time for a change of location. To do this, dig out the perennial and divide the root ball into two halves. Cut off senile and balding pieces to plant the rejuvenated segments in the new place. If you enrich the soil there in advance with compost and horn shavings, the rooting progresses quickly.
How to use blood dock
Blood sorrel trumps the relative sorrel with a milder taste. For that reason alone, it's pleasing knotweed increasing popularity. In addition, the herbal plant has been used in folk medicine for generations. We have compiled the most common uses for you here:
- For the preparation as a spinach-like vegetable
- For refining soups, sauces and salads
- As a tea to relieve dry coughs, stomach and intestinal problems, loss of appetite and other ailments
The high proportion of oxalic acid should be noted. Excessive consumption can lead to kidney damage in sensitive people and young children. However, consumption in small amounts is harmless. However, anyone who suffers from iron deficiency should refrain from eating it at all.
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