Artichokes are eye-catchers in the garden with their large flower heads. All you have to do is water and fertilize them properly to make them these eye-catchers.
Artichokes (Cynara scolymus) have a great need for water and nutrients. Especially at the beginning, the thistle-like plants need a lot of water. Artichokes are also heavy feeders. So you need a lot of nutrients right from the start. The only questions left are: When is the best time to water the plants? What casting technique should you use? And what fertilizer is good for the artichokes?
Always water artichokes abundantly
Artichokes require large amounts of water. This is especially true during the growth phase and during the heat of the summer months. You should always keep the root area of artichokes slightly moist. The plant tolerates only when the surface of the soil dries a little. So it's better to water more often and a little less than rarely and in large quantities.
Although artichokes need a lot of water, they are sensitive to waterlogging, which can cause root rot. Therefore, always make sure that no standing pools remain after watering. The specific amount of water depends primarily on the soil in which the artichokes are rooted. With soil that holds water well and has a high clay content, the requirement is significantly lower than, for example, in loose, well-drained garden soil.
Water the rootstock or sprinkle artichokes?
The best time to water your artichokes is in the morning and evening. If you water in the morning when the weather is sunny, it doesn't matter whether you sprinkle the plants over a large area or whether you water the rootstocks in a targeted manner. Moisture that has settled on the leaves evaporates within a few hours. When watering in the evening, however, you should always give the water close to the ground. Because water that remains on the leaves at night encourages the colonization of fungi and other pathogens.
Water with tap water or rainwater?
Artichokes don't have problems with limescale, so they use tap and rain watercan use for casting. If the plants are growing on rather acidic soil, tap water should even be preferred because the lime or calcium carbonate it contains has a neutralizing effect.
Fertilize artichokes regularly
Artichokes are among the heavy feeders that are characterized by a high nutrient requirement. So you need to fertilize the plants regularly from the beginning of the growing season until harvest. Use a commercially available vegetable fertilizer that you add to the irrigation water every four to five weeks according to the manufacturer's dosage recommendations. You can also enrich the soil with a nutrient-rich substrate such as mature compost before planting the artichokes.