Why do carrots crack or grow “horned”, small and unsweetened? How to prevent the problem

When buying carrot seeds at the beginning of the season, new gardeners are often touched by the colorful photos on the bags. Of course, the root vegetables on them look perfect - bright, smooth and even. Having sowed carrots, everyone expects to get about the same thing. And what a surprise when the carrots look “gnarled” and cracked when dug up. This plunges summer residents into frustration, because there is a lot of hassle with such a harvest, but in the end it cannot be properly cleaned or preserved, and the appearance does not bring aesthetic pleasure.

Why is this happening

1. Curvature of carrots often happens if the soil in the beds is dense and clayey. As the root crop grows, it will constantly struggle with obstacles and take on ugly shapes. Therefore, it is important to initially sow the seeds in structured soil. Adding sand, sawdust, and sunflower husks in the fall will help make it looser. The only thing is that it is not recommended to apply fresh manure under carrots. On the contrary, it promotes “horniness” and is more suitable for cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini, and cabbage.

2.Also, carrots can grow many tails due to damage to very young roots at the very beginning of growth. There are many reasons for this:

• The problem is caused by beetles or wireworms. These pests are able to gnaw the main root at an early stage of development, causing it to sprout shoots. Prevention measures will help here. It is enough to add granulated Aktara, Vallar, Antikhrushch or Bazudin into the holes at the sowing stage. Insecticides will repel and destroy the insect population.
• It is noteworthy that “horns” on carrots also appear when there is excessive use of ash (or potassium chloride) as a fertilizer. Chlorine components are, in principle, harmful to root crops. Therefore, if you use potassium, it is better to use sulfate.

3. Cracking of root crops during digging occurs due to the fact that harvesting began without allowing the beds to dry out normally after heavy watering. And if the carrot bursts right in the ground, it means that during the season the watering was uneven and there were often fluctuations from drought to too much water. That is why it is important to maintain regular watering and give water at least once every 7-8 days, especially paying attention to the plant in the first 1.5 months of growth. Otherwise, moisture deficiency will lead to “hairiness”. The optimal watering schedule is 2 times a week, soaking the soil by 15-20 cm.

4. Curvature of carrots also occurs on acidic soils. Therefore, in the fall it is necessary to lime the soil.

By the way! It happens that in addition to the “horniness”, carrots are distinguished by their bitterness in taste and the smallness of the fruit. The former is often due to the seeds being taken from hybrids, while the latter is facilitated by a lack of organic matter.You can increase the yield if you add nitrophoska three times a season, and closer to autumn, feed the plantings with potassium sulfate and give a dose of superphosphate. This will add tenderness and sweetness to the carrots.