How to grow watercress at home on a windowsill?

Many amateur gardeners, after the end of the summer season, arrange beds right at home. One plant that is easy to grow on a windowsill is watercress. It is unpretentious in care, quickly gives excellent shoots, and the sight of fresh greenery always gives a good mood. It will also be useful in the household: watercress is perfect for adding to salads and hot dishes. It has an interesting tart flavor. In order for the watercress on the windowsill to grow actively and please with an excellent harvest, you need to follow a few rules.

About watercress

Watercress is an annual plant. Its seeds resemble mustard seeds. There are many varieties, they differ in growth rate and foliage color. All information is usually indicated on the seed package.

Green varieties usually ripen faster. Some species have purple leaves - this seasoning will give your dishes an unusual look and flavor.

Advice

When collecting watercress, use nail scissors, carefully cut the shoots almost to the root. The collected greens are stored for a short time, they quickly fade. So eat it right away.

Planting capacity

Choose shallow, elongated containers to plant watercress. It doesn't have to be flower pots - ordinary plastic microwave bowls are fine. The main thing is that it is allowed to store food in the container. Ordinary plates will do as well.

But it is better to use a plastic or metal pot: it has holes in the bottom so that excess water flows down and the roots do not rot.

The bowl should not be too high. Ideal values ​​are 4-7 cm. It is better not to take a container with sides higher than 10 cm: at a great depth, the seedlings may not have enough light.

The soil

There are several substrate options for planting watercress:

• priming;
• cotton wool;
• paper towels;
• cotton fabric.

It is much more convenient to use cotton wool or cloth at home: they will not get your hands and everything around them dirty. All three options - paper, cotton wool, and fabric - will work equally well. They perfectly absorb and retain moisture, so the seedlings will be comfortable in such a substrate.

If you choose to plant watercress in soil, choose peat or clay soil. The soil should always be well moistened. In this case, drainage will be needed - put it on the bottom of the container with a layer of 2-3 cm.The soil layer should not be thicker than 3 cm.

Landing

Tips on how to grow watercress would be incomplete without telling you how to plant it correctly. It is worth knowing the main stages of this simple algorithm.

1. Place soil or other substrate (cotton wool, cloth, paper towels) in an even layer on the bottom of the planting container. The thickness should be 1-3 cm.
2. Moisten the substrate, but so that there are no puddles of water in the bowl.
3. Spread the seeds evenly apart. Press down lightly with your finger.
4. Pour gently with warm boiled water.
5. Cover the container with crops on top with dark paper or cling film. Before the first shoots appear, you need to create a greenhouse effect.
6. Place in a well-lit place with a temperature of at least seven degrees. Planting the watercress is complete.

When the first shoots appear, remove the paper or plastic from the bowl. The plant needs light, but it is better if it is not direct sunlight, but diffused lighting.

Seeds will begin to germinate quickly - already on the second day. And after a day, sprouts will become noticeable.

Important!

Monitor the moisture content of the substrate. Do not dry out. Watercress needs plenty of water to grow.

Conditions for excellent growth

Watercress is quite unpretentious, but when grown on a windowsill, a number of conditions should be observed.

1. Good lighting. If the sun's rays aren't enough, equip the mini-bed with a fluorescent lamp.
2. Fresh air. The room where the salad grows must be regularly ventilated. Seedlings need constant air movement.
3. Moisture. It doesn't matter what was the substrate, cotton wool or soil - you will have to moisten it daily. To ensure that the water flows evenly, you can spray the shoots with a spray bottle.
4. Cool. Watercress doesn't like heat. The ideal temperature for him is seven to fifteen degrees. Therefore, it is better to put the pots on the balcony. For the same reason, the plant is best grown in the autumn-winter season or in cooler regions. At temperatures above 15⁰The shoots begin to fade. At 20⁰With they dry up completely.
5. Rotate the salad bowl 180⁰... This is done for an even flow of light so that the shoots do not stretch in one direction.

The first harvest will be able to boast in a week and a half. When the height of the sprouts becomes eight to ten centimeters, it can be eaten.

Advice

To always have fresh herbs at home, periodically sow the salad. The ideal scheme is three in three days.

Possible problems

Despite the unpretentiousness of the plant, difficulties may arise when growing it. Here are the most common ones.

1. The stems rot and break. The reason is an excess of moisture. Rotting begins if the soil under the seedlings is too wet, there are puddles of water in the container. In this case, you need to wait a couple of days without moisturizing the substrate.
2. Withering of seedlings. This happens when the temperature is too high. Move the seedlings to a cooler place.

Watercress is unpretentious. You don't have to use fertilizers or top dressing for him.

Benefit

Despite the outward simplicity and ease of cultivation, watercress is a very useful plant. It is rich in vital elements:

• potassium;
• calcium;
• iodine;
• phosphorus;
• iron;
• gray;
• copper;
• magnesium;
• ascorbic acid;
• carotene;
• B vitamins;
• routine;
• thiamine;
• riboflavin.

Also, the juice of the plant contains a lot of mustard essential oil. It is it that gives the shoots an unusual taste and aroma.

Regular consumption of watercress in food has a beneficial effect on the body:

1. digestion, appetite and sleep improve;
2. the plant has a mild diuretic effect, which has a beneficial effect on kidney function;
3. blood pressure decreases;
4. greens have antimicrobial effect;
5. has a beneficial effect on the respiratory tract.

At various times, the shoots of the plant were used instead of mustard plasters for the treatment of colds, wound healing, as a choleretic agent, to alleviate allergy symptoms, as well as for fevers of various origins.

Application

Watercress is used only freshly cut (it loses its beneficial properties during storage).

Usually lettuce shoots are used to prepare the following dishes:

• salads;
• soups;
• omelet;
• meat and fish dishes;
• sandwiches;
• gravies, sauces and dressings.

Oil-based watercress sauces are especially delicious.

The shoots are very low in calories, so they are suitable for preparing diet meals.

Watercress is a fast growing and unpretentious plant. It is easy to grow it at home on a windowsill. Take advantage of our advice and you will have delicious, aromatic greens all year round.