Alligator is considered one of the most promising varieties of dill. For high productivity and plentiful juicy greens many gardeners appreciate it. The culture is unpretentious in care and requires minimal measures when growing.
Dill Alligator is Late
Alligator dill has a strong aroma
Description of the variety, advantages and disadvantages
The Alligator variety is relatively new, included in the State Register in 2002. It can be grown throughout Russia in personal subsidiary and small farms. This variety of dill belongs to late ripening: if plants are grown only on greens, then after 42-45 days you can harvest a full crop; if umbrellas and ripened seeds are needed - after 110-115 days.
Variety characteristics:
- cluster compact form;
- adult plant height - up to 1.6 m;
- the socket is large, raised, 30-40 cm high;
- strong leafyness;
- leaves are green, but with a bluish bloom, strongly dissected;
- strong aroma;
- an umbrella of medium size;
- the yield of bush dill Alligator - 1.45-2.60 kg per 1 square. m when harvesting greens and 2.8 kg per 1 square. m when harvesting at the end of the growing season.
Advantages of dill Alligator:
- high productivity;
- leaves do not turn yellow for a long time: when sown in spring in open ground, greens can be cut for 25 days in a row;
- the plant is resistant to lodging during watering;
- the culture does not throw out peduncles for a long time, which is why the Alligator variety can be considered one of the best for growing dill on greens;
- seeds can be sown from the earliest spring and throughout the whole summer, and in greenhouses - year-round.
Alligator did not reveal any particular flaws, except that the cut greens did not differ in long storage time. Since this feature is generally characteristic of dill, it cannot be considered a disadvantage of this particular variety.
Site preparation
Dill loves the sun, but can easily grow in partial shade. It can be placed not only in open areas, but also close to trees, buildings and fences. For dill Alligator cultivar grown on leaves, it’s even good: in partial shade its greens will remain juicy and green longer, flower stalks will not appear longer.
Dill cultivation begins with soil preparation in the beds. It is carried out in the fall (preferably) or in the spring.
To prepare the land you must:
- remove from it everything that remains of the previous culture;
- remove weeds;
- dig the area to a depth of at least 30 cm.
The next step is fertilizer application. Leaves are valued in dill, so a lot of humus or nitrogen fertilizers can be applied under it. From organics, humus is brought in from the dung of any domestic animals and birds, and in the autumn, fresh manure can also be used. For each square meter, 1-1.5 buckets of organics are scattered, to which ash is added in a volume of up to 0.3-0.5 kg per 1 sq. m. Acidic soils must be produced, bringing acidity to a neutral level.
If the preparation of the beds is carried out in the fall, lumps of land do not need to be broken so that they are frozen in winter. In spring, digging and fertilizing the soil should be done at least 1 week before sowing.
Seed preparation
Dill seeds are tight because of the presence of a large number of essential oils that prevent germination. To remove the oil, the seeds must be soaked in not very hot water (40 degrees) for 1 day. As the water will cool, it will need to be changed periodically.
After processing, dill must be dried. Soaked seeds should sprout in about 3 days, while those not soaked in warm soil will germinate after only 1.5 weeks, and in the cold - even later.
Sowing on beds
Dill is an early plant. It can be sown as soon as the snow leaves the beds, but it's better to wait until the soil warms up a little.
You can sow dill Alligator varieties for a whole spring, but it is advisable to catch it before the earth dries from winter moisture. After this, the beds will have to be watered already during sowing. When determining the timing of spring planting, we can focus on the fact that the optimal temperature for the growth of this plant is about 20 degrees.
Seeds can be sown in the fall - they tolerate wintering well. In this case, it is important to correctly guess the time: the seeds should not germinate before the cold.
Dill seeds are sown in shallow grooves. It is enough to leave a distance between them of 10-15 cm. In the grooves, the seeds are sown with an interval of 0.5-1 cm. They are covered with a layer of soil or peat on top. If it is still cold, the soil can be covered with a film, and after the shoots appear, remove it.
Dill can be sown not only on a bed specially allocated for it, but also sown on it to early crops. This will allow you to collect a larger crop from the same area.
Crop care during cultivation
Dill is not a garden crop that is difficult to grow. However, it also has its own characteristics, which gardeners need to know so that the plants grow correctly and give a good harvest of greenery or seeds.
Watering
Dill as a green crop requires a lot of water. Watering should be carried out so that the earth is always a little damp. In the heat, irrigation is necessary. Before seedlings, it is most convenient to water the beds from a watering can with a nozzle, so as not to erode the seeds.
Top dressing
Fertilizing dill grown on green mass, if fertilizers were applied before sowing, is not necessary. You can feed the plants when a deficiency of an element is detected. Complex fertilizers containing mineral elements are well suited for such top dressing.
Dill on seeds is fed before flowering. You can fertilize the beds with nitrate or urea with a small amount of potassium and phosphorus mixtures. For greens, it is enough to dilute 1 tbsp. l nitrogen fertilizers in 1 bucket of water.
From organics, you can use the infusion of slurry (1 to 10). It needs to be insisted for 2-3 days, diluted again in proportions of 1 to 10, add 0.5 cups of ash to the bucket and pour the beds.
Loosening and weeding
Weed vegetation can greatly inhibit dill, so weeding is necessary. Particular care must be taken to ensure that there are no weeds at the beginning of plant growth.
Loosening will make the soil breathable, which will also benefit plants.
Pest and Disease Control
Dill Alligator has a fairly good resistance to diseases and pests. Of the latter, aphids are most often found. You can fight it by spraying plants with tobacco, ash or garlic infusion. It is undesirable to use chemicals: many products have a rather long period of action, which is why it will be impossible to consume herbs.
Harvesting and storage
You can cut the greens when it reaches a height of 10 cm. If the plants are sown densely, then it is easiest to pull out the extra ones or break off the lower leaves, leaving the middle to grow.
There is no need to rush to cut dill. Experienced gardeners noticed that he acquires a characteristic aroma only when he has the first 4-5 leaves. The older the plant, the more fragrant it will be.
Store fresh green dill in the refrigerator. Shelf life is short - no more than 1 week. Excess greens can be dried, salted, frozen, added to canned foods.
Plants that need seeds are harvested after they have fully matured. This occurs after the end of the growing season, which can be determined by the yellowed and dried leaves and darkened umbrellas. The readiness of seeds is also determined simply: you need to rip off an umbrella, and if the seeds are easily showered, then they have already ripened. After cleaning, they must be dried well. For this, dill plants must be uprooted or cut off above the ground and put to dry in partial shade.
Dry seeds should be stored in small jars, plastic food containers or linen bags. During storage, they should be kept in a dark and dry place. For cooking, the seeds can be used while they retain their smell, for sowing - 2-3 years (it is better to take last year's, which have the highest germination rate).
Sowing and growing alligator dill is not difficult. All that it requires is proper planting, timely watering, top dressing and loosening. For regular fresh greens, you can sow seeds every 2-3 weeks with the beginning of spring heat and until the end of summer.