If you want to conduct an interesting experiment, then plant rice in your area. We have revealed the secret of how to do it right and how to care for these plants. Rice began to be cultivated a long time ago - back in the middle of the 5th millennium BC. NS. in Thailand. Then rice growing spread to Indochina, and then they began to be engaged in East and Southeast Asia. Later, rice came from Indochina to India, and from there - to Europe and Central Asia. In Europe, it was cultivated mainly in the Mediterranean, but it was not until the 19th century that the cultivation of this crop acquired an industrial scale.
Types of rice growing
Surely many have seen in feature films or documentaries how rice is grown in Asia. The worker stands in the water and plants or processes the seedlings of this crop. Yes, rice loves moist soil. And there are 3 main types of rice growing:
- dry land;
- pouring or irrigation;
- estuary.
The first is used in regions where precipitation is not uncommon. An excellent way out for those owners of suburban areas whose part of the territory is located in a low-lying swampy area, and it is warm in summer. More about this will be discussed later.
The second type of rice cultivation involves the cultivation of this crop in pouring fields or checks. These areas are deliberately flooded, for example, by digging trenches and flooding them. 2 weeks before harvest, the water is drained and the rice is harvested on dry soil. This type of obtaining this grain is the most common. Almost 90% of the world's rice production is grown this way.
In places where there are frequent floods in spring and summer, rice is also cultivated in river bays. In this way, it was grown many centuries ago. Now this method is used in some regions of Southeast Asia, but now it is considered ineffective, and rice cultivation in pouring fields has become the most popular.
Although it is a thermophilic crop, elevated temperatures lead to too strong vegetative growth, to the detriment of the development of the ear. Rice is a light-loving crop and will produce high yields where there are many sunny days in summer. This cereal thrives on clay, silty soils. Provided that the soil is sufficiently fertilized, it can produce a good harvest on sandy soil.
Not everyone knows why rice is grown in water. This culture tolerates flooding well, since the roots of the cereal will still not be left without oxygen, but foliage supplies it. It takes oxygen from the air and lowers it to the roots. Water delivers nutrients and helps to resist weeds, so yields are noticeably increased. To provide the cereal with such conditions, on flat lands, plots are divided by ramparts, and water is poured into the channels formed between them.
Possibility of growing rice in the country
If you have a free piece of land, you are in a warm region, you can provide rice with sufficient moisture, then you can try to get this crop on your personal plot. Usually, nothing grows in a swampy place where water stagnates, so you can take this area under rice. Traditionally, in our region, it is cultivated in the Kuban, but you can try to grow rice in slightly cooler regions. The main thing is to have the following conditions:
- area warmed by the sun all day;
- For 3–6 months the temperature was around + 21– + 25 ° С during the day, and at night it would have dropped at least +15, lower temperatures would reduce the plant's ability to withstand diseases;
- the possibility of using flooded meadows or the presence of soil that retains moisture;
- an irrigation system that allows you to grow rice in water, and let it drain half a month before harvesting.
Types and varieties of rice for cultivation
Here are the varieties of rice used to grow it in the Kuban:
- Krasnodarsky-424;
- "Liman";
- "With a finger";
- "Grateful";
- Kurchanka;
- Kasun;
- "Darius-8".
The last 4 varieties of rice are promising new ones. According to the size and shape of the grain, its taste, rice is divided into:
- Short-grain. When cooked, it becomes sticky, soft, slightly sweetish. It is used for cooking cereals, casseroles, meatballs, sushi.
- Medium grain. During heat treatment, this type of grain acquires tenderness, juiciness, light creamy taste and a little stickiness.
- Long-grain has lush and light grains that are drier than other varieties. When cooked, it remains crumbly if not overcooked.
- Fragrant no wonder it has such a name. This type of rice has a rich smell and taste. This type includes such varieties as "Japonica Black Rice", "Basmati", "Red", "Jasmine".
- Sweet the species is quite sticky, when cooked it forms a sticky mass. It is often used to make meals that are then stored in the freezer. After defrosting, their taste and appearance practically do not change.
- Arborio. This rice becomes creamy during the cooking process, the center of the grain remains firm. Perfect for risotto and other Italian dishes.
How to grow rice yourself?
After you have chosen the type and variety of cereals, it's time to start preparing the soil. It is best to use clay, but so that its acidity is low. On light soils, it is advisable to add clay so that it retains water.
If you do not want to grow rice on a large scale, you are interested in seeing how it grows, develops, to get some of your own harvest, then use containers for this. In cold weather, they can be brought into the greenhouse and create favorable conditions for the cereal. Prepare a sunny patch of land by digging up and selecting weeds. In Asia, rice is first grown as seedlings, and then planted in prepared, moist soil in rows. You can do the same, but this method is painstaking.
The classic recommendation is to pour water into the made grooves, ditches or boxes without holes to a height of 5 cm. If this is not possible for you, just make sure that the soil is very moist all the time.
If it is poor, add mineral fertilizers to it, mix them with the earth. Spread the seeds every 10 cm, sprinkle them with a layer of compost or mulch. Organic compost retains moisture well, making it particularly useful in dry climates.
When the seedlings reach 2 cm, add water 2, 5 cm or water them well. If you sow the seeds too often, when the seedlings grow up to 5-7 cm, thin out. They can be transplanted to another place. As a result, rice should grow in a row at a distance of 30 cm from each other, and the distance between the grooves is 25–30 cm.
If all the conditions are met, the entrances will grow rapidly and in a month will reach a height of 15-17 cm, and after 3-4 months the grain will begin to ripen, ears at this time will grow to 35-40 cm. Then you need to drain the soil, stop watering it … In 2 weeks under such conditions, the plant will turn yellow, and the grain will dry out.
After that, the ears need to be watered well again or the grooves should be filled with water. After a day, it is lowered, again they stop watering the plants and wait for the grain to finally turn yellow. In this case, it is necessary to prevent it from shedding.
Then the stems, together with the ears, are cut, laid out in a dry ventilated room to dry for 2-3 weeks. You can put them in the sun or wrap them in newspaper. After air drying, this must be done in the oven. It is heated to + 80 ° C, the rice is removed from the spike and dried until golden brown.
After that, the grain is cooled and separated from the husk by rubbing between the palms. That's it, the rice, grown by our own hands, is ready to eat. Now you have the opportunity to compare which rice dishes are tastier - your own or bought in a store.
If you don't grow it, you will now have an idea of how rice is obtained in the regions, from where it is supplied to stores and how much labor is invested in each grain.
For more information on growing rice, see this video:
