Since the ancient Greeks and Romans, watercress has been used in cooking. It is also widely recognised for its medicinal qualities. Growing naturally beside flowing waterways, watercress is a perennial that loves the sun and water.
The ideal pH range for watercress is 6.5 to 7.5. As long as the soils are saturated with water, the plant thrives in a variety of soil types. Growing watercress in your yard is great if you have a water feature. If not, you can replicate the waterlogged conditions of a stream by growing a potted watercress plant in a bucket.
Its leaves and shoots are grown for their culinary and therapeutic properties. Watercress's peppery flavour has made it a popular salad ingredient. The plant is resilient enough to be harvested all winter long, and its flavour is at its peak in the cooler months. Watercress loses some of its flavour intensity once it blooms. Read more!
Know How Watercress Is Grown
Watercress can withstand a broad pH range and thrives in moist, organically rich soils. Use a soilless potting mix with peat and perlite or vermiculite if you're growing in pots. When growing in pots, place the pot in a saucer with water to keep the potting mix moist.
Use a soil test to assess the amount of fertiliser required before planting, and then heed the advice provided in the test report. Work the fertiliser into the top 6 inches of soil if it is necessary to apply it. Apply no more than 1 inch of well-composted organic matter per 100 square feet of garden space if you choose to fertilise using compost.
Plants
Watercress can be easily multiplied from seeds or stem cuttings. Three weeks before your region's frost-free date, seeds should be planted about ¼ inch deep, just below the soil's surface. Watercress needs moist soil to germinate, so don't let the soil dry out.
Watercress should be planted in a sunny spot. Along creeks and stream banks where the soil remains extremely moist, stem cuttings take root rapidly in the rich soil. Both indoors and outdoors, seeds can germinate in chilly, damp circumstances (between 20°C and 25°C).
Water
As an aquatic plant, watercress thrives in shallow moving water or submerged environments. Potted plants should be placed in a bucket with two to three inches of water to submerge the roots and ensure the media remains moist. Changing the water once or twice a week is ideal. Another option is to plant a watercress near an existing water feature in your yard, placing the plant where the soil is moist.
Fertilisation
Watercress doesn't need a lot of nutrients. However, grown watercress may have iron, potassium, or phosphorus shortages. Plants lacking in phosphate are dark-coloured and stunted. On elder leaves, marginal scorching is a sign of potassium shortage. Yellowing between veins on the younger foliage is a characteristic wintertime symptom of iron-deficient plants. These issues are reduced when a completely soluble fertiliser is mixed with the water at the suggested ratios.
Watercress Weed Growth And Pest
Remove any weeds from the space surrounding plants, and lightly mulch the soil to help keep it moist. In the majority of production situations, watercress does not have any particular disease issues. However, some of the most prevalent bug issues are snails, spider mites, and white flies.
Underneath the leaves are white flies, which can be managed with insecticidal soap or soapy water. Spider mites cause leaves to become flecked, discoloured, and scorched. Plant death and leaf loss can result from injury. Predatory mites, predatory thrips, and tiny lady beetles are some of these pests' natural enemies. Snails can be captured, managed with a molluscicide, or removed by hand. Use any herbicide, pesticide, or fungicide according to the guidelines on the label.
Harvesting And Storing Techniques Watercress
Harvest dark green leaves that are the size of a dime at any time of year. Harvesting leaves and young stems prior to watercress blossoms enhance its flavour. Harvesting throughout the cooler spring and autumn seasons maximises the peppery flavour. As the temperature rises above 25°C, the flavour becomes less appealing. Cut the plant back until it is 4 inches tall, then allow it to grow again for a fall harvest. It is not advised to collect watercress in the wild because contaminants have been shown to make people sick.
Harvesting watercress is possible all year long. Gather enough food for a single dinner. The leaves can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week if necessary. In addition to being high in vitamins A and C, watercress is also high in calcium, iron, and folic acid.